Michelle Obama on Becoming
One that struck me was learning that Michelle sobbed after leaving the White House, but not for the reasons I immediately thought of (i.e. the reason the rest of us were sobbing as we watched our forever First Family leave the White House for the last time.)
Michelle says "I didn't write about this in the book, because I had forgotten about it...When I got on the plane I think I sobbed for 30 minutes, and I think it was just the release of eight years of trying to do everything perfectly. I said to Barack: 'That was so hard. What we just did was so hard, and I've wanted to say that for eight years.' "
Michelle says "I didn't write about this in the book, because I had forgotten about it...When I got on the plane I think I sobbed for 30 minutes, and I think it was just the release of eight years of trying to do everything perfectly. I said to Barack: 'That was so hard. What we just did was so hard, and I've wanted to say that for eight years.' "
*And cue the waterworks*
Michelle was also very open about some very private parts of her life, includinng going to marital counseling, saying that she and Barack initially went into marriage counseling with the idea that the counselor would tell her husband to "fix himself.""I wanted to bring him in to have another person tell him 'Get yourself together...' ".
"What I learned about myself was that it's not my partner's job to make me happy; we have to make each other happy," Michelle continued. "There's a part of me that was waiting for him to do for me, and I didn't need him to do it, I needed it done. I was having arguments not about it getting done but about him doing it."
Oprah asked Michelle what her hopes are for those who are still "becoming" themselves in the spirit of the book. Michelle said simply that she hopes people can connect through shared stories."Truly, our stories are not in our DNA or in something that happened with our great-great-great-great grandfathers," she said. "The truth of our stories are in the memories that we hold in our heads. What I wish for people is that they understand the value in their day-to-day stories and help to use that to figure out how you got to where you are."
"The R, the D, that doesn't matter, race doesn't matter, color doesn't matter. Who we pray to, who we love, that truly doesn't matter," Michelle emphasized. "What binds us are these stories, and if we can find it in ourselves and understand the value in our stories, we can connect."
While her book is full of stories personal and specific to her, Michelle said that it is one many people can relate to. "The one thing that I am claiming is that my story is the quintessential American story," she said. "Yes, I'm black, yes; I'm a woman, yes; I grew up working-class; and yes; my parents didn't get to finish college. That is part of the American dream. This story is it. So how dare somebody tell me that I don't belong, that I don't love my country? How dare somebody tell me that I don't have a right to have a voice?"
"My story does matter," she said. "I love my story. it is the American story. My struggles, my journey, my small house on the South Side of Chicago, my father with a disability, all of that makes me more valuable to the conversation, not less."
Michelle was also very open about some very private parts of her life, includinng going to marital counseling, saying that she and Barack initially went into marriage counseling with the idea that the counselor would tell her husband to "fix himself.""I wanted to bring him in to have another person tell him 'Get yourself together...' ".
"What I learned about myself was that it's not my partner's job to make me happy; we have to make each other happy," Michelle continued. "There's a part of me that was waiting for him to do for me, and I didn't need him to do it, I needed it done. I was having arguments not about it getting done but about him doing it."
Oprah asked Michelle what her hopes are for those who are still "becoming" themselves in the spirit of the book. Michelle said simply that she hopes people can connect through shared stories."Truly, our stories are not in our DNA or in something that happened with our great-great-great-great grandfathers," she said. "The truth of our stories are in the memories that we hold in our heads. What I wish for people is that they understand the value in their day-to-day stories and help to use that to figure out how you got to where you are."
"The R, the D, that doesn't matter, race doesn't matter, color doesn't matter. Who we pray to, who we love, that truly doesn't matter," Michelle emphasized. "What binds us are these stories, and if we can find it in ourselves and understand the value in our stories, we can connect."
While her book is full of stories personal and specific to her, Michelle said that it is one many people can relate to. "The one thing that I am claiming is that my story is the quintessential American story," she said. "Yes, I'm black, yes; I'm a woman, yes; I grew up working-class; and yes; my parents didn't get to finish college. That is part of the American dream. This story is it. So how dare somebody tell me that I don't belong, that I don't love my country? How dare somebody tell me that I don't have a right to have a voice?"
"My story does matter," she said. "I love my story. it is the American story. My struggles, my journey, my small house on the South Side of Chicago, my father with a disability, all of that makes me more valuable to the conversation, not less."
I don't know about you, but I will be making my way to pick up my copy of Michelle Obama's memoir, Becoming. I encourage you to do the same.
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