How is everyone doing out there? April is almost at its end and May is going to start soon! May is also Mental Health Awareness Month and I want to send all my readers a big hug and some love. Stay strong, love yourself, be kind to yourselves and others. But most importantly, don’t forget to keep your hearts, minds and bodies happy. Don’t forget to take care of yourselves 😊
One great way of doing this is by reading an inspiring book or even better listening to the author narrate their own story, especially if it’s by a person we all know and admire – Michelle Obama.
I had bought the audible audiobook for ‘Becoming’ at first and was instantly swayed into the book by Michelle’s strong and practical voice, with its soothing undertones and raw emotions. But even at the speed of 1.5x, I couldn’t keep the patience of waiting to be on the road to continue with the book. So I went ahead and bought the hardback from the store too. This is the first time I’ve done this and I don’t regret it one bit.
The book is divided into three sections – Becoming Me, Becoming Us and Becoming More.
Michelle Obama leaves nothing out. This isn’t one of those political books full of facts and difficult terms that might bore readers like me or confuse readers like me. I usually don’t read memoirs by politicians because I find their world mean and boring. But Michelle Obama isn’t a politician. However, she was no less than one, in the way she lived up to her values and used her position to help and inspire women and children across the world.
She narrates the story of her life in such simplistic and emotional way that you feel you’re listening to a mentor or an older sibling instead of a previous First Lady. I could relate to so many aspects of her life, her upbringing in a middle class family which stressed on family bonds, love, sacrifice and education above all else. Her aversion to politics and most of all her constant battle of trying to be the best version of herself – be it a good mom, a career woman or a feminist. She rightly says, it just isn’t possible to keep everyone happy or satisfied, so you do what you think is your personal best and leave it at that.
There are so many inspiring moments in the book. And when I listened to her, I laughed at her jokes and her banter with Barack Obama, felt angry on her behalf when she was belittled by the media, cried with her listening to her loss of her friends, father and all the gruesome incidents that took place during their 8 years of tenure, and felt utter joy and pride in hearing and reading about all the things they did achieve during their presidency.
There are many little nuggets of wisdom that she splashes across her story, and the last paragraph that she leaves us with, is simply brilliant and inspiring. And so, I have to end my thoughts here quoting her ..
Let’s invite one another in. Maybe then, we can begin to fear less, to make fewer wrong assumptions, to let go of the biases and stereotypes that unnecessarily divide us. Maybe we can better embrace the way we are the same. It’s not about being perfect. It’s not about where you get yourself in the end. There’s power in allowing yourself to be known and heard, in owning your unique story, in using your authentic voice. And there’s grace in being willing to know and hear others. This for me, is how we become
Questions to you guys
I can go on writing about each section of the book, but I don’t want this to be a monologue and a long post. If you’ve read this book, I’d love to hear your thoughts and what inspired you from her book.
Also, what are some other books that you would recommend for the month of May, that inspire us and make us strive to be the best versions of ourselves?
Starry Eyed Enigma 
What a lovely review Prachi…. I’m still in the middle of listening to it… it’s going very slow but I’m kinda savoring it 😊😊😊 she is just so amazing yaar… inspiring.. I just wanna keep listening to her…
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I knowww right?! Her voice, her experiences and the way she puts it all together, I think I have a girl crush on her 😊 she’s very inspiring 😊
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Haha… I think we all women have a girl crush on her because she is just wow 😍😍😍 And what honest writing… she makes me cry so many times and I’m just two thirds done …
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I agree, even I cried in some of the parts while listening to her and I also laughed out loud. She’s brilliant😊
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She is na… she really is the epitome of what we expect from the First Lady…
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I think you would know her even better having experienced her tenure living in the US
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Only towards the end though… it took me years to even understand the political process here… but when I listened to her speak, I realized how amazing she is..
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I can imagine, politics and me are always at two opposite ends, but it was different with the obamas somehow
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I love politics.. atleast getting to know how stuff works… But they are special… Grace personified and a couple who really wanted to do some good…
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Oh really? I can’t understand politics at all and what little I hear stresses me out a lot. People here get so passionate about one party or the other or one leader or the other that it even makes or breaks friendships.. so I get very jittery around the subject of politics usually 😊
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Ohh I was always kinda interested.. but I find it more difficult to understand in India… I guess it’s easier to find the books to read about politics here in the US..
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Probably.. there have been a lot of books released currently even on indian elections and Narendra Modi, but I haven’t had the courage to pick up any of those 😊
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I actually read a couple during the 2014 elections… about him and elections in general… I’m just exhausted this time…
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Oh is it? Would you recommend any of the books you read then?
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I only read a couple and they might feel dated too…. Narendra Modi – The Game changer by Sudesh Vema…. 2014 : The election that changed India by Rajdeep sardesai…..
and if want something hilarious then, Unreal Elections by C S Krishna
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Awesome .. thanks for the recommendations! I’ll probably pick up the hilarious one😂
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Read it from a 2014 perspective but it’s quite hilarious..😂😂😂
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Sure!
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Unpopular opinion : http://bostonreview.net/race/keeanga-yamahtta-taylor-succeeding-while-black
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My opinion is here https://purplenoiz.com/2019/07/11/when-they-go-low-we-go-high-review-of-becoming-by-michelle-obama/
She’s an excellent writer and definitely inspirational, but I did expect more of her in terms of criticising the system and institutional racism. Because at the end of the day even though she tries to convince us that everyone could do what she’s done, it’s not true, some people won’t ever have access to the opportunities she had.
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You know, another friend who read this book had very similar thoughts about how she made it look ‘too easy’😊 I’ll check out your thoughts too.. thanks for sharing!
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