I had heard from enough people that Becoming, Michelle Obama’s memoir, was phenomenal. So phenomenal that we studied it in our Marketing and Sales class. Can you imagine how impactful a book has to be in order for the book tours to sell out stadiums? Can you image how inspirational a book has to be in order for it to top the best seller lists all over the world? Becoming had created waves in the publishing world, and it was a must read. So when I picked up the book so many years later, I did it with a little shame. It didn’t exactly reflect on my publishing professionalism to come to a book as powerful as Becoming, a year and a half after its release. But better late than never, I guess.
In Becoming, Michelle Obama takes you through her life from her childhood all the way to the end of President Barrack Obama’s presidency. She deftly addresses issues of race, education, and income gaps in America, while also giving you insight into her own rise. What Michelle Obama does is makes herself a person that we can relate to, rather than an icon that we admire from a distance. Her anxieties, her ambitions, and her moments of joy are all laid bare to the reader. If you’re looking for a book that’s equal parts inspirational and charming, this is the book for you. It moves at a good pace with every detail being as interesting as the next.
As someone who asks themselves “Am I good enough?” a lot, this book spoke to me on a personal level. Michelle Obama talks about being self-critical, about achieving goals that she didn’t know why she had set herself, and about being unsatisfied when she achieved them, all things that I relate to. But the part of the book that really resonated with me, was her analysis of “swerving” in her life. About the paths she didn’t plan to take, about paths that came up unexpectedly that changed her life forever.
As far as the cover design of this book, the simplicity of the colors make it stand out on any shelf. The soft tones in the colors are contrasted with the energy in Michelle Obama’s picture. The amount of space the picture takes is perfect, drawing your eye to the cover without it being overwhelming. The balance of the cover is great, and manages to do its job, without trying too hard.