Going around bookstores without witnessing the front cover of Michelle Obama’s autobiography everywhere became an impossible task as soon as her book was published! I ended up taking a lot more time than expected to read her book as there were many others waiting on my shelf to be read.. and because of my new year’s resolution to stop buying books before I finish all the ones I have, I did not engage right away with the seemingly widespread tube trend to follow her story on a work/university commute.

Nonetheless, here I am a few weeks later contemplating the steps and events she had to go through to become the woman she is today as she walked us through her commitment to family values, courage, love and perseverance from her childhood to this day, values that have been beautifully taught by her tenacious and loving mother, a continuously optimistic father and the hurdles encountered in the Southside of Chicago: her endless cherished family nest. Her story is truly inspiring, as I did not know about all the obstacles she had to face, the lessons she was bound to learn along the light she had to create on her own to chase darkness away. I must admit that I preferred learning about her own journey transitioning from childhood to adulthood and the undoubtedly exciting part on the way her relationship with former President Obama took shape rather than what seemed to become a new routine of supporting his presidential adventures and taming her own ambitions.

What I liked the most about her autobiography is the constant demonstration of her family trying to find normalcy in what became a life of 24/7 security, endless interviews and dealing with the criticism of any action known to the public. I admire her ability to process change so positively as well as her people-centered vision emphasizing community projects for which solidarity and unity were her framing values. One part that particularly struck my attention was about her willpower to be a good listener for the people she used to volunteer with, clearly showing us that she knew how to prevent people from experiencing the hurt she felt when her voice was repeatedly tamed or underestimated.

I must say that I was positively surprised by her inspiring story that I unfortunately knew the least about before discovering her talent for storytelling and creative writing in a world increasingly filled with meaningless distraction.

It is a great read that I recommend, I was skeptical when I saw how quickly it became advertised but the truth is it deserves to be read for all the right reasons!