Becoming manages to be a coming-of-age tale, a love story and a family saga all in one. More importantly, this book is a reminder that America is still a work-in-progress, and that hope can be an action word if we allow it to be. Of course, Becoming is Michelle Obama's story, of how she moved from a girl on the South Side of Chicago to becoming one of the most powerful women in the world.

Understanding the Context

The book's 24 chapters (plus a preface and epilogue) are divided into three sections: Becoming Me, Becoming Us, and Becoming More. The preface sets the stage for Michelle Obama's story to open by sketching a scene in her post-First Lady life. Michelle Obama’s memoir BECOMING is a deeply personal account from a woman who has steadily defied expectations and who now shares her extraordinary and inspiring story. Warm, wise, and revelatory, Becoming is the deeply personal reckoning of a woman of soul and substance who has steadily defied expectations—and whose story inspires us to do the same.

Key Insights

The meaning of BECOMING is suitable, fitting; especially : attractively suitable. How to use becoming in a sentence. In an inspiring follow-up to her critically acclaimed, #1 bestselling memoir Becoming, former First Lady Michelle Obama shares practical wisdom and powerful strategies for staying hopeful and balanced in today’s highly uncertain world. She is the author of the #1 bestsellers The Light We Carry, Becoming, and American Grown. The Obamas currently live in Washington, D.C., and have two daughters, Malia and Sasha.

Final Thoughts