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nebraskanwriter's review against another edition
3.5
Though I am not super into politics, I found this memoir interesting, heartbreaking and enlightening. Michelle tackles the monumentous task of encompassing her entire life as well as her husband’s presidency into this book. She begins by talking about growing up in Chicago, going to law school, becoming an attorney, how her and Barack met.
She talks about how her and Barack were always passionate about helping others and making things better for people. Which then over time led Barack to go into politics which then eventually catapulted him into the role of becoming President of the United States.
Throughout it all, from moving into the White House to traveling over to England to meet the Queen, Michelle’s focus was always on her children and making sure they could live the best life possible.
I feel like that is my biggest take away from this book. No matter what party you align yourself with, at the end of the day, Michelle was a mother and a wife. She and her husband did what they thought was best for America for their girls’ future. Whether that was successful or not is of your opinion but the love Michelle feels toward her husband and her children was evident and beautifully written. Trying to grapple with any little bit of sense of normalcy with the secret service never letting you leave their sight, aids leaving a thick binder every night for you to review and be briefed on the next day, going to funerals of gun violence victims. The weight of what any world leader goes through is immense, at times soul crushing like with the Sandy Hook shooting. But then there were also moments of happiness and success.
Being president and a president’s wife is not a glamorous job. Everyone projects their problems onto you. These people believed so passionately in making a difference in the world that they gave up 8 years of normalcy, of privacy, of having a simple life, to make America a better place. Or at least they tried to. And I find that admirable.
Graphic: Grief, Blood, Police brutality, Murder, Death, Gun violence, Racism, War, Cursing, Misogyny, Violence, Abandonment, Bullying, Death of parent, Mass/school shootings, and Panic attacks/disorders
kirkspockreads's review against another edition
4.0
My other issue was her championing of dealing with “the childhood obesity epidemic in America.” BMI is not a significant way to determine someone’s health. I could rant on about this but many other fat activists already have. I will say that her putting a garden in the White House (no easy feat) and her championing of gardening in general were commendable, as well as how she took on fast food corporations and highlighted the “food desert” issue. We all should certainly have access to fresh produce and good home cooked meals. I just wish it wasn’t all wrapped around in BMI and the weight loss industrial complex.
That said, this is definitely worth a read/listen.
Moderate: Racism, Racial slurs, Gun violence, Misogyny, Grief, Death of parent, and Mass/school shootings
Minor: Fatphobia
andreamatallin's review against another edition
5.0
Graphic: Racism and Mass/school shootings
Moderate: Miscarriage and Misogyny
Minor: Police brutality, Sexism, Gun violence, Slavery, War, Violence, Child death, Bullying, and Xenophobia
lit_with_lauren's review against another edition
Graphic: Terminal illness, Death, Gun violence, Misogyny, Racism, and Mass/school shootings
redroseses's review against another edition
5.0
Moderate: Death of parent, Death, Mass/school shootings, and Gun violence
Minor: Child death, Violence, War, Racism, Police brutality, and Misogyny
molly_rose's review
4.5
Graphic: Death, Death of parent, Grief, Infertility, Racism, Pregnancy, Sexism, Cancer, Miscarriage, and Misogyny
Minor: Homophobia, Sexual harassment, Bullying, Fatphobia, Hate crime, Child death, Gun violence, and Mass/school shootings
angstyevie's review
4.25
Minor: Cancer, Car accident, Chronic illness, Death, Death of parent, Gun violence, Hate crime, Homophobia, Infertility, Mass/school shootings, Misogyny, Murder, and Racism
lucy12345's review
4.0
Graphic: Chronic illness, Death of parent, Gun violence, and Mass/school shootings
Moderate: Misogyny, Racism, and Child death
Minor: Miscarriage and Grief
jojo_'s review
4.5
Moderate: Death of parent, Grief, Mass/school shootings, Misogyny, Racism, and Terminal illness
Minor: Murder, Police brutality, Cancer, and Death
kayesomething's review
4.75
Graphic: Chronic illness, Death of parent, and Mass/school shootings
Moderate: Sexism, Police brutality, Misogyny, Gun violence, Racism, and Child death
Minor: Body shaming, Alcohol, Slavery, Miscarriage, and Grief