I have always had a fascination with Former First Lady Michelle Obama. I always try to peg what type of “Black person” people are by listening to how they speak about their life as a youth. Do they understand the black plight in America, are they so far removed that they have no desire to understand. Up until the book and attending the Becoming Book Tour, not very much was said about her upbringing and her experiences in life leading up to present day that I could gather. It was not until I read her book that I was able to get the full picture.
I will elaborate on some of my favorite parts of the book without flat out giving the book away, as this post is to inspire you to buy the book or finish it, if you have not already. It is pretty long but a few of my friends were able to listen to the audio version of the book and they enjoyed it just the same after a few listens.
From a youth Michelle was always an overachiever. What I loved most about this fact is that no one required her to be, she just naturally was. She tells a story about a time when she received piano lessons from her Aunt Robbie. Michelle was a new pianist but after a few lessons she decided; on her own, that she was ready for a more challenging piano piece. During one of her lessons she skipped to a advanced piece of music in the piano book and begin to play for her Aunt Robbie. She thought Aunt Robbie would be impressed because she was attempting such an advance piece, however Aunt Robbie could not have been more displeased. Robbie felt Michelle was not ready for a piece as such, but Michelle did not back down and voiced her opinion about how she felt there was nothing wrong with advancing herself to the next level. I laughed because this was me as a child. I always wanted to go into learning something on the 10th level. In ballet I wanted to be in Pointe, in track I wanted to run hurdles. I have always had to enjoy a slice of humble pie because of it as well. Michelle got a small taste of that popular pie as well in her book.
Michelle’s family made sure that she spoke proper English. As a family it was agreed that they would put their best foot forward when it came to being outside of the home. Her family valued education because of how hard it was for some of her elders to obtain it, as well as a decent job. Unfortunately, speaking and acting proper is not a wildly accepted art in the majority of African American Neighborhoods. Especially amongst children. This made Michelle the point of interest to one girl in the neighborhood. Every time Michelle came around this girl would act like Michelle was just the absolute worst, and Michelle really could not understand why. I understood why, because this was me at just about every single move I had to endure having a Father in the Military. I would go to the playground; Different, because I was “the only black girl there” and would be stared at, thrown sand at, and just all around mocked. I was too Black for the White Kids and talked too White for the Black kids. The difference with me though is my parents adopted the hood approach when it comes to bullying and they let me know I was well within my right to knock anyone out who wanted any altercation with me or my siblings. Once the kids realized I was about that life, somehow they managed to play in a more friendly manner. The sad truth is I am still pre-judged by people to this day, but I am use to it. Sometimes I peel back a few layers to show them we have more in common than they think, other times I don’t and keep it pushing, it’s a coping mechanism that I am in control of at this point. Michelle also found her footing in dealing with people with adversity’s towards her in her book.
When Michelle started her career she was “That Girl” the epitome of Black Girl Magic (or whatever that translates to back then). She worked in a High-rise, drove a Saab and had a wine subscription. She had it all! She stayed social and frequently went to Happy Hours. When Former President Obama joined her firm, she definitely did not slow down for him. I loved this so much about her. Granted she was worried about whispers that would occur if she did date the new superstar intern, however even when she did decided to take him a little more seriously she stayed true to herself. She gave President Obama a chance to prove himself worthy to her which didn’t seem very hard for him. Reading how their love blossomed constantly had me saying things like “man I wish this book existed prior to my last relationship”. I caught myself smiling and frowning while reading about their love story, that alone to me is worth the read. I learned lessons in patience, understanding, and so much more. The way they carried themselves during their stay in the White House was a pure reflection of their Love and their awareness to how they were viewed to the world.If I have not convinced you to read or finish reading this book by now I don’t know what will. It is definitely your loss if you don’t! Let me know some of your favorite parts of the book.
