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imnotadorableimpunk's review against another edition
hopeful
inspiring
medium-paced
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Cancer, Classism, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Racism, Child death, Chronic illness, Death, Sexism, Police brutality, Grief, Mass/school shootings, Bullying, Fatphobia, Gun violence, Infertility, and Misogyny
skeptic_hecate's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
4.5
"Sameness breaths breaths more sameness, until you make an effort to overcome it."
I didn't think I would cry while reading about the life story of Michelle Obama, from the outside in, she looks like a privileged politician with power, however, how wrong I was.
I admired Michelle from a distance because she was not the typical femenine and demure first lady, she was strong and unafraid to make an impression, being called "difficult" and "intense" all my life, it really gave me someone to relate to.
At first, this book felt slow and boring, I couldn't believe I had to sit through the grilled cheese sandwich part, however, the more I read, the more I found myself relating. The type A personality, unafraid to be herself and standing against bullies, but deeplu insecure and afraid of being good enough, missunderstood and fucking up. It wasn't this privileged politician I was reading about, it was a down to earth woman who had to do twice the work than her peers. Michelle doesn't pretend she didn't have advantages and support, she acknowledges them yet doesn't shy away from her vulnerabilities and fuck ups.
I highly recommend this book, especially if you don't see people like you on the media or in powerful positions.
I didn't think I would cry while reading about the life story of Michelle Obama, from the outside in, she looks like a privileged politician with power, however, how wrong I was.
I admired Michelle from a distance because she was not the typical femenine and demure first lady, she was strong and unafraid to make an impression, being called "difficult" and "intense" all my life, it really gave me someone to relate to.
At first, this book felt slow and boring, I couldn't believe I had to sit through the grilled cheese sandwich part, however, the more I read, the more I found myself relating. The type A personality, unafraid to be herself and standing against bullies, but deeplu insecure and afraid of being good enough, missunderstood and fucking up. It wasn't this privileged politician I was reading about, it was a down to earth woman who had to do twice the work than her peers. Michelle doesn't pretend she didn't have advantages and support, she acknowledges them yet doesn't shy away from her vulnerabilities and fuck ups.
I highly recommend this book, especially if you don't see people like you on the media or in powerful positions.
Content Warnings
Minor: Sexism, Homophobia, and Racism
andreamatallin's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism and Mass/school shootings
Moderate: Miscarriage and Misogyny
Minor: Police brutality, Sexism, Gun violence, Slavery, War, Violence, Child death, Bullying, and Xenophobia
jessthanthree's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
relaxing
slow-paced
4.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Racism and Sexism
leonormsousa's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
4.5
TRIGGER WARNINGS
racism, sexism, death, death of a parent, child death, mass/school shootings, police brutality, gun violence, hate crime, chronic illness, cancer, miscarriage, grief
REVIEW
Michelle Obama is the GOAT and that is a fact. So obviously her memoir had been on my wishlist since… well, since I knew it existed. It was recommended to me by a multitude of people who give great recommendations and I feel kind of stupid that I didn’t get around to reading it sooner (although I do think that I read it at the perfect time of my life so I might have been consciously stupid but unconsciously smart :p).
First of all, Michelle (yes, I will call her by her first name because in my mind we’re friends <3) has a hell of a life story so it’s hard not to feel grasped by it. We follow her from childhood to the end of Obama’s presidency, while she grows up through hardness but also happiness and lots of love.
The book is very well written, including historical contextualization as we move through time, something that is especially relevant for someone who is not super familiar with US history/geography (like me). I read the book in audiobook (which I think is definitely a plus) and so it felt like she was right in front of me, just telling me her story, with emotion showing every once in a while and her strength always present.
There is a part of the book in particular where Michelle shares her struggles with finding a purpose. After accomplishing everything she had planned (becoming a good layer with a good job), she feels like maybe being a layer is not what she wants. At 27 she shifts her career and once again finds her path but before that, she goes through a period of insecurity and confusion. This in itself is already something interesting to read about but the thing is: I was/am going through something similar in my own life. So you can imagine how reading how the GOAT dealt with and overcame this was so important to me.
There is also some romance in this memoir and it’s so cute that you almost forget you’re not reading fiction. But it’s also very real and I love how Michelle is not afraid to expose how their relationship wasn’t perfect but it was something they both worked for. It makes me believe that maybe real love does still exist.
The only little thing I can point at this book is that there are some parts that are a bit repetitive, namely when she’s talking about her work as a first lady. It’s nothing too much and it really is such a small thing compared to the greatness of the book but I always like to give some constructive criticism :p (like she’s actually gonna read this :p)
Last but definitely not least, this is a book written by a Black woman so expect (great) notes on feminism and racism marking every step of Michelle’s life. It’s of course, one of the best parts of this memoir, especially because it is non-fiction so it can’t get more real than this…
No decent conclusion: just go read this!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death of parent, Grief, Cancer, Gun violence, Child death, Death, Miscarriage, Hate crime, Chronic illness, Mass/school shootings, Racism, Sexism, and Police brutality
sarahmcg's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
sad
medium-paced
5.0
I loved learning about Michelle’s childhood and her perspective of Barack’s journey into politics, the presidency, and the affect it had on their family. I enjoyed both of their books, but get more emotionally connected to Michelle’s stories and loved hearing more about the girls, Malia and Sasha.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Gun violence, Sexism, and Racism
molly_rose's review against another edition
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
4.5
Content Warnings
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
thewordsdevourer's review against another edition
hopeful
informative
reflective
medium-paced
3.25
this book offers a rare glimpse into the former first lady's life before and during her tenure in the white house. i particularly enjoyed reading abt michelle's journey towards finding her own purpose-driven work, and her juggle of work and family life which im sure resonate w/ countless women. the minute ways inequality dis-levels the playing field were revealing, while her hope and integrity were at times inspiring as well.
however, the pacing's a bit off for me: the book was quite slow going in the beginning, then simply blasted thru her time in the white house--8 yrs of jam packed life--in simply a couple chapters. i wish there were more, at least a lil more details and events described. surprisingly, becoming also didnt elicit much emotions from me, thus the seemingly-unpopular-opinion of 3ish stars.
however, the pacing's a bit off for me: the book was quite slow going in the beginning, then simply blasted thru her time in the white house--8 yrs of jam packed life--in simply a couple chapters. i wish there were more, at least a lil more details and events described. surprisingly, becoming also didnt elicit much emotions from me, thus the seemingly-unpopular-opinion of 3ish stars.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexism and Racism
Moderate: Death of parent, Death, Terminal illness, and Chronic illness
Minor: Classism, Gun violence, and Cancer
moviemagus's review
emotional
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
3.75
This was a wild ride, overall inspiring but boring at times - especially the middle. Said that, it is still important and would recommend it for people who are interested in social issues and making a change.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mass/school shootings and Racism
Moderate: Sexism
rbacon's review against another edition
challenging
informative
reflective
slow-paced
As you get into the third part of the book, the sequence of events seems to get looser and chapter placements become somewhat arbitrary, which I think made it slow in parts to get through. The beginning of the book and particularly Michelle Obama's upbringing is really interesting and a great reminder that anyone could make a difference with perseverance and the right opportunities. Raises some interesting questions too.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Grief, Mass/school shootings, Sexism, Racism, Hate crime, Gun violence, and Death of parent