Becoming Michelle Obama

A Journey of Resilience: Reflections on "Becoming" by Michelle Obama In her memoir Becoming, Michelle chronicles her life from living in the projects on the Southside of Chicago to living in the White House as the First African American First Lady of the United States. Arranged into sections titled Becoming Me, Becoming Us, and Becoming More, the memoir covers her childhood, career, marriage, and time in the spotlight. In the book, Obama discusses the struggles and achievements that helped mold her into who she is today. Instead of the success stories, it can be the story of a continuous process of her becoming a woman. The success story of Obama embodies the true essence of the struggles African-American women go through in society. She could not escape the working-class culture and racism rife in Chicago that formed a significant part of her childhood environment. Part one of the book, “Becoming Me,” captures Obama’s experience as a young Black girl who worked hard to achieve in a society that rarely expected much of her. Though a school counselor once told her she did not have the drive to make it to Princeton, let alone Harvard Law School, Obama determined herself to get there. Her strength is an honest portrayal of African American women who struggle in racially conscious Western societies and institutions. Societal barriers, which include prejudice due to race and color and sexual harassment, are evident in her narration of the experience of black women in America. Another factor that was depicted in realism by Obama is imposter syndrome. She struggled with the question of worth her entire life: “Am I enough?” This is a question commonly asked by African-American women when they are in settings that are not designed for them. As a student, a lawyer, and the F...