This new year, yours truly decided to
finish a book a month, as a resolution.
As it happens with a lot of experiences,
the essence of a book tends to be forgotten over a period. This is an attempt
to reflect on what I get from each book I read through the year.
I started reading the book as a
self-confessed fan of the Obamas. I admire the way they speak, the poise and
dignity in their public conduct. Though I have no view on Obama’s policies and
performance as a President, I find his speeches powerful and there is
something about the way he speaks that makes you route for him. Like everyone,
I remember Michelle’s “When they go low, we go high”, speech for Hillary
Clinton. While I found Madame Tussauds
in NYC extremely dull, the Obamas were among the few spots I felt like taking a
picture (though the wax replicas were terrible).
(Michelle's Democratic Convention Speech - if you have not watched it yet)
At the end of the book what struck me about
“Becoming”, was the extraordinary journey of the Obama family . A man who starts his political career in his early thirties, runs for President and
becomes one by the time he is 47. I can’t imagine someone running for and
winning the highest political office in that time frame – almost sounds too
good to be true. Like Barack Obama says “ I was a skinny guy with a funny name.
The odds were not for us. No one could
pronounce my name and I had never won a national campaign”. ( Watch this video where he tells the
“Fired up , ready to go” story - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5AhRqg0ADbk )
Fan fascination aside , the book is first and foremost,
Michelle’s story – one that everyone with a modest upbringing can identify
with. The book is divided into three parts
-Becoming me, Becoming us and Become more – dedicated to her childhood
journey, meeting Barack Obama , starting a family and their life in the White
House. I enjoyed the first two parts the most - where Michelle shares her personal story as a
girl from the South Side of Chicago.
An auto biography is not just about the
person. It gives you an insight into
the political and socio-economic background in the period of narration, the way
people lived and raised a family.
Michelle talks about her humble life in a part of Chicago which saw a
“White Flight” , the values her parents raised her with and the role her
brother played in her life.
I instantly connected to her narration of
her parents , whose only aim was for their children to have opportunity to lead
better lives than they did. A simple
family that believed in hard work, lived within their means, stuck to what
they had and hoped for more. She gets
into Ivy league schools on her own merit and builds a career for herself, all
while trying to answer the question – “Am I good enough?” This is a question that pops up a lot when in
doubt. The only answer to this, as Michelle narrates, is to shift focus on
doing your best with the job at hand. The question will take care of itself.
I also found identifying with her on being
a “Checklist ticker”. Be a good student. Check. Get yourself a professional
qualification. Check. Be a good daughter. Check. Get a paycheck and a house.
Check. Turn into a half decent person. Check. But after a point, you start to
question what your purpose is. Amen sister.
Of all the characters she introduces us to,
my personal favorite, is her mother – Marian Robinson – She stands by her
children at all points without being judgmental about their choices or imposing
her thoughts on them.
Michelle Obama gives us an account of her
life, as real as it gets – her short comings, skepticism of her husband’s directions,
her own apprehensions of his attempts, reluctance to let go of her own
ambitions while realizing her husbands would consume them anyway. There are
absolutely no parts in the book which get into praise mode (such as describing
how great and accomplished Barack Obama is).
I liked that she has remained true to the book being her story, from her
perspective. She talks about the times when her focus swayed away from what the
children were eating. Malia ends up sick from eating a whole lot of processed
food – which turns Michelle’s interest towards healthier food habits. She
admits her penchant for health and fitness came from necessity – inspired by
the chef she hired to cook at home, when she was out campaigning. Also
admirable, is the ways she juggled home and campaigned extensively with a bunch
of staff. Michelle recounts how she was seen as an “angry black woman” first,
switched gears on her presentation skills and improvised her public speeches.
She recounts life in the White House as
equally challenging as it seems luxurious – raising two children for 8 years in
the spotlight while trying to give them as normal a childhood as possible.
(Watch out for a particular narration -
where she runs out with Malia to see the lit up White House from outside with the crowd, the day Gay marriage was made legal in all
states).
There is no denying that the Obamas are
extremely charming as a family – dignified, graceful and almost infallible from
a conduct standpoint.
(Note how he calls her " Michelle LaVaughn
Robinson" - “ you took on a job you did not
ask for, and you made it your own” ) .
But “Becoming” is not just for Obama fans. It gives you a heartwarming narrative of
their journey, through Michelle’s eyes. It drives home the power of hard work meeting opportunity.
That’s my January attempt. In February, I
am reading Cal Newport’s “Deep work”.
Hope to finish soon and write about it.
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