When I first heard about Michelle Obama’s Becoming, my reaction was, “Michelle Obama wrote a book! She’s so cool. I’m totally buying this.” I thought it would be about her life as FLOTUS (First Lady of the United States) and how her life is different now that she is no longer in the White House. But as I read the introduction, I realized that it was about so much more.

In her book, Michelle Obama uses her voice to tell us her “story of becoming,” while also asking us about “how we become”(421).

Michelle starts Becoming with her childhood in a small apartment in South Side, Chicago and talks about what made her the way she is now. Yes, of course she writes about Barack Obama, but she gives us a different perspective on him. We all know that being a president is hard work, but Michelle tells about the severe hardships that her family had to face together behind the cameras. She addresses the trouble they had before and during Barack Obama’s campaign for president and the criticism they endured during their years in the White House.

One part of the book that stuck with me is the restrictions the Obamas had to undergo while living in the White House. Michelle included surprising facts, like how they weren’t allowed to open windows, they couldn’t go outside without a Secret Service guard with them, and their daughters had to be dropped off at school in a ballistic-proof car.

These facts stayed with me because I couldn’t get over how much of a change the Obamas must have gone through while living in the White House and how different it must be now that they have left. Michelle also talks about the perks that come with being FLOTUS, including helping the people in the United States, meeting people like Queen Elizabeth, and listening to the stories of others.

Becoming is a passageway into the life of Michelle Obama. Her story inspired me to think about what made me become the way I am and to see the different perspectives in everything. Read Becoming to learn more about Michelle Obama, a person who inspires us all.