Becoming

I listened to the audiobook that I borrowed from the City of Melbourne Library, so it is a special credit for them. I spent 19 hours listening to it, mostly I did it while doing the dishes, doing chores, and commuting.

Michelle herself narrates the book, so the experience is unique, as if I were hearing her story firsthand. Shout-out to her and her publisher, so I can also listen to the voice dynamics as the background feeling.

She talked about her upbringing, the journey of being born as black in a suburb in Chicago, playing in other suburb to find out it was the "white" residence, and how her family's car witnessed the racism in the form of scractch on purpose. I might not understand this if I were not living abroad myself, where I am not the majority race. Somehow, I can relate.

Michelle is an ordinary woman just like us, with her dreams, her insecurities, her fears, and her love life. I can relate to most of the stories, other than being the first black family to run the white house, of course.

Writing essays was one of the extracurricular activities she always joined and ended up helping her in her way to Princeton and being a lawyer.

Her career, even though financially fulfilling as a lawyer, made her doubt that she would be a good mother or have an impact on society.

She was not forgiving of Donald Trump when he spread false rumors to the media, nationwide and internationally, which offended her family. And she feared he would lead the country (she had earlier doubted he would make it), and it has happened twice by now.