November book club - Becoming by Michelle Obama

[minzy]

Let’s discuss!

There’s some questions here if you need something to get you started. www.google.com/amp/s/bookriot.com/2019/10/30/becoming-book-club-questions/amp/

[minzy]

It’s been months since I read this, but I thought it was great. Five stars. The writing and editing was just so good. She’s got an interesting, unusual story for sure, but I still found I could relate to a bit of it - her goal oriented Type A tendencies, law school, partnership with her husband, miscarriage, having two girls. The part about her mom pushing to get her into gifted was timely for me, because the week I read it we were making the same push on behalf of our older daughter. I recognized the death of her dad as familiar too, as I’ve also lost a parent. I thought the organization, pacing and flow were all great, everything she said felt like it was worth including.

All in all, I really enjoyed this one. I wish I could remember more specifics!

[wesleycrusher]

I had rated it 4/5 stars- here is my goodreads review: Well-written, really showcased what a strong and smart woman Michelle Obama is (and not that I didn't already know that, but hearing her story in her own words just confirms it!) The only reason I didn't give it 5 stars was that it was a tad dry.

From the discussion questions: Michelle Obama writes, “I’ve never been a fan of politics, and my experience over the last ten years has done little to change that.” It’s clear throughout the book that this is Michelle Obama’s opinion on politics. Were you surprised by this at all? Why do you think she feels this way?

I thought this was well known, or at least it was something I knew before the book. Her legacy is that of a political figure, but I felt like her personal story isn't really about politics at all, it's more the backdrop of her recent life.

[dontlook]

I loved the book. I read it in January and took notes but decided to give the book to a friend so I no longer have them.

I love MO. She is such an inspiration. I knew how much she didn’t like politics before but “watching” her story unfold really gave me an appreciate of how she was willing to support BO even though she hated everything about his career.

I’m a SAHM but I can relate to her struggles with parenting, working, being a wife, friend, daughter and not letting any of the balls fall.

I wasn’t aware of her dad’s health issues. That was heartbreaking to read.

[meowmaps]

I read this in January so it feels like a long time ago! I liked Becoming very much. I gave it 4 stars because like wesleycrusher I found it to be a tad dry. For me that translated to having to re-read several passages to feel like I really got what she was trying to say.

My favorite part of the entire book was the section devoted to her family and upbringing in Chicago. I knew nothing of that part of her life and it was fascinating, enlightening, and a good reminder that she had humble beginnings. I'm sure there are detractors who would define her as elitist but she didn't come from much and worked hard to get where she did. She's awesome.

[krystee]

Being from the Chicago area, I feel like Michelle Obama is “ours,” so I loved reading about her childhood. You always hear that you can be anything, but given all the money in politics, it doesn’t seem so true anymore. I love that she went from living in a partitioned living room in her aunt’s home to the White House. It is such a hopeful and inspirational story.

[aurora]

I loved this book, and I'm not usually a fan of biographies/autobiographies. But, I'm definitely interested in Michelle's life, and I think she did a great job telling her story including both good and bad. I was pretty inspired by her career change as I try to figure out what I want to do with my own career (15 years in). I also enjoyed all of the insight into Barack.

[sassypants]

I also loved this book. I admire MO so much, and to read just how not privileged she was as a child gave me hope that there is still some level of meritocracy in our society. I didn't find the book dry at all. I usually don't gravitate toward bios and definitely not toward political figure bios (I know, I know, but she is even if she has no interest in public office). This one kept me reading.

[tacokick]

I am super in the minority in this but I couldn’t get into it at all. I like her, I’ve read like 30 memoirs this year and tried like three times to get into it. I think I didn’t like the writing style or voice? It was very dry.

[rainbowchip]

I agree with sassypants. I read this book last December and it was riveting. I can see why some people might find it boring because really, there wasn't a lot of scandal or drama. Which is how I want real life to be.

[tacokick]

Nov 30, 2019 8:56:08 GMT -5 rainbowchip said:

I agree with sassypants. I read this book last December and it was riveting. I can see why some people might find it boring because really, there wasn't a lot of scandal or drama. Which is how I want real life to be.

I wasn’t expecting drama or scandal at all but it was still written in an oddly dry tone. It felt very cold to me. It didn’t feel like a memoir to me, more like an old fashioned historical biography.

[brewco]

Ultimately, I enjoyed the book but I swear for every 10 pages I read, 10 were added to the end. I felt like the book would never end. I found her story interesting and inspiring, but did feel the tone of the book was dry for long periods of time.

[dontlook]

I’m interested in the dry comments. We all arent going to agree, which is fine, I just can’t imagine finding it dry. I read it in her tone and voice which is very measured. There weren’t many bombshells but it was still very compelling to me.

[tacokick]

Nov 30, 2019 11:02:12 GMT -5 dontlook said:

I’m interested in the dry comments. We all arent going to agree, which is fine, I just can’t imagine finding it dry. I read it in her tone and voice which is very measured. There weren’t many bombshells but it was still very compelling to me.

I read things in my own voice so I don’t have that experience.

It just reminded me of biographies of famous people I read in school vs a warm, compelling memoir.

[rainbowchip]

Nov 30, 2019 9:15:15 GMT -5 tacokick said:

Nov 30, 2019 8:56:08 GMT -5 rainbowchip said:

I agree with sassypants. I read this book last December and it was riveting. I can see why some people might find it boring because really, there wasn't a lot of scandal or drama. Which is how I want real life to be.

I wasn’t expecting drama or scandal at all but it was still written in an oddly dry tone. It felt very cold to me. It didn’t feel like a memoir to me, more like an old fashioned historical biography.

I've been thinking about this a bit. I to me, she seemed very guarded. That could translate into a more dry tone. So I get it.

[tacokick]

Dec 3, 2019 13:47:20 GMT -5 rainbowchip said:

Nov 30, 2019 9:15:15 GMT -5 tacokick said:

I wasn’t expecting drama or scandal at all but it was still written in an oddly dry tone. It felt very cold to me. It didn’t feel like a memoir to me, more like an old fashioned historical biography.

I've been thinking about this a bit. I to me, she seemed very guarded. That could translate into a more dry tone. So I get it.

Yes, it was a bit guarded. Which is fine but not really what is common in a memoir. I think her personality and style would have worked better as an autobiography.

[ssmjlm]

I definitely thought the beginning was a bit dry and it did take me a while to get into it. That said, I still gave it 5 stars because I thought it was very well written and didn't pull punches. The fact that she was upfront about not being interested in politics or being a politician's wife, but in love with Barack was refreshing.

[wildrice]

I found the book really interesting. I read it right after it came out, so it's hard to comment on any specifics, but I love the Obamas (politically AND just as people) and found I learned a ton about her and about their time in the white house that I didn't know before. I found all of the insider information about what the experience was like and the things they did during their time there to be fascinating.

I was also very lucky to get to attend her event promoting the book in Washington DC last year, and I read the book immediately afterward, so I think that only increased my excitement about it.

[msmerymac]

I read this several months ago, and I actually listened to it on audio, as read by Michelle Obama. I thought it was really, really excellent. Her story of IVF made me cry, and I related to it so much.

I also saw her speak two years ago, and it was amazing - she was interviewed by Roxane Gay.

[secretlyevil]

I read (actually listened) the book at the beginning of the year for my IRL book club. I loved it, and my favorite part was the early years.

[waverly]

I think the beginning was hard to get into. It took me a few tries, and then once I finally got into it I was hooked.

[Michelle]

I enjoyed the book, but like Tacokick and others, I would have described it as dry. Someone else above said they read it in her tone of voice, as very measured. I "read" it on audible, so i listened to it in her voice. I find her voice to often be too measured. Almost monotone. Except when she talked about Trump, hehe.

President Obama has been characterized as being similar, but he has so much more swagger in his voice when he is telling a story. He was very measured in statements as a President, and i appreciate that and long for the day when we will have that eloquence and emotional intelligence in the voice of the POTUS again. But Michelle was even MORE measured. It made the pacing go very slowly and I fell asleep a number of times.

I greatly enjoyed listening to her perspective as a young girl, and i enjoyed her sharing the insights of the political connections in Chicago. I didn't actually ever realize that she had such a family connection with Jesse Jackson.

I love hearing about her raising her daughters, and her reflections on President Obama as a father. It made my heart soar. And I love that between November 6, 2016 and her move out of the white house, she made sure her garden was anchored as a fixture on the white house grounds. I love that she made sure certain legacies that are important to some people over time were handled as the first African American First Family of the nation, such as picking out China. Historians like to look at such things and make comparisons and I love that they ensured that legacy, along with more art from diverse artists and more.

But back to the "dryness" of the tone... I started the book when it first came out. I have read all 8 of the Outlander series (a second time) and the Lord John Series as an extension and the Crazy Rich Asian trilogy and 3 work-related non-fiction books and I swear some more - all since January - and I'm still just now at the last 20 minutes of Michelle Obama's book. That is how hard it has been to get into it and stay into it.