An Introspective View of the Life of Michelle Obama

In life, there are very few things that remain devout to us till the end. The observance we receive from reading and the proficiency we get from living our day to day life are some of them. Life is full of obstacles, and we have to get through them to excel. I must say, Michelle Obama's 'Becoming' should be on the your book shelves if you need a book about how to succeed in life. I was pretty delighted to get my own paperback a month back, and writing this review is a glorious feeling.

As I turned the pages, I become more closer to Michelle. Her voyage through the pages were exactly what I was looking for! Most of us want a simple and fulfilled life without too much of an adventure, and so does Michelle. Michelle grew up in a middle class family and was a studious child. She writes that she was stubborn and ambitious even when she was in kindergarten. She showed early potency in music, and started taking lessons at home. Very few of us can learn from our failures in good spirit, and she's no exception. But what makes Michelle stronger is her conviction and passion to start again with each failure.

For Michelle, family is always a top priority. She believes that her family and friends are her backbone. Each person around her holds a remarkable place in her life. She encourages them with a great sense of love, care, and respect.
Michelle aspired to pursue her higher education at Princeton University - and started working towards that goal from her school days. Her road to Princeton was not as easy as people claimed it to be. Many had speculated that she was not Princeton material. Despite all the demurral, she was undeterred. Reading about her ambition to crack Princeton was interesting. Quoting Michelle, "Failure is a feeling long before it becomes an actual result."
After Princeton, she was bound for Harvard Law School, which turned out to be her greatest life achievement. Love from her parents, faith of her teachers and the music from her south side, she felt it was no less than climbing a mountain. Right at the time she was at Harvard, another individual, who was busy climbing his ladder came knocking at her door. And he was none other than Barack Hussein Obama. They were married in 1992 in a traditional manner. Like all love stories, Barack and Michelle's story had ups and downs, but the moments where they shared their fondness, oversight  and compassion played vital roles in making their story great! Personally, their love story was not a typically Disney fairytale, but a corporate fairytale of bonding, respect and giving each other space to grow.

After marriage, kids were Michelle's priority.  She always wanted to have babies, a committing husband and a sweet home with dogs.  But as it said, "Man makes plans, and God laughs." As it went, Michelle's sweet home was none other than The White House. When Barack was the President of the United States from 2009 to 2017, and Michelle was the first lady, The White House was where she played her part of a good mother, wife and First Lady. Mothers are protective and responsible  towards their kids and Michelle was no exception when raising Malia and Sasha. She describes her motherhood beautifully, which all mothers would surely love and cherish when reading it. As The First Lady, even though she did not have enough time for her daughters and husband, she organized her time well, which benefitted their lifestyle and healthy eating.

Reading a book like 'Becoming' is about understanding life's unexpected triumph, like how Donald Trump became the succeeding President of The United States after Obama. It is an inspiring and interesting story with a flavors of realism. She wrote her heart out without caring about being judged and biased. Lastly, I would like to end my review with her words that touched me most, "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.”

Title: Becoming
Author: Michelle Obama
Publisher: Crown Publishing Group
Price: Nrs. 1600 (approx)