Tag: Becoming

Celebrity /

Former First Lady Michelle Obama Announces New Book

Former first lady Michelle Obama, whose memoir “Becoming” became a global bestseller, is releasing a new book.

The book, “The Light We Carry: Overcoming in Certain Times,” will include lessons the former first lady says she has learned on “change, challenge and power” and overcoming obstacles in uncertain times.

“Drawing from her experiences as a mother, daughter, spouse, friend, and First Lady, she shares the habits and principles she has developed to successfully adapt to change and overcome various obstacles—the earned wisdom that helps her continue to ‘become,'” the book’s publisher, Penguin Random House, said Thursday in a statement announcing the book.

“She details her most valuable practices, like ‘starting kind,’ ‘going high,’ and assembling a ‘kitchen table’ of trusted friends and mentors,” the statement continued. “With trademark humor, candor, and compassion, she also explores issues connected to race, gender, and visibility, encouraging readers to work through fear, find strength in community, and live with boldness.”

Obama’s book will be published on Nov. 15, 2022, in 14 languages and 27 countries around the world, according to Penguin Random House.

In her previous book, “Becoming,” Obama, a mother of two, detailed her journey from growing up on the South Side of Chicago to becoming First Lady of the United States.

The memoir sold more than 17 million copies around the globe, according to Penguin Random House, and its accompanying audiobook won a Grammy for Best Spoken Word Album.

“Becoming” also turned into not just a bestselling book but a world tour for Obama, whose book tour consisted of stops in major arenas around the globe during which the former first lady was interviewed by high-profile people including Sarah Jessica Parker, Reese Witherspoon, and Oprah Winfrey.

Credit ABC News//Good Morning America

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MICHELLE OBAMA GRACES ESSENCE MAGAZINE DECEMBER/JANUARY COVER

Michelle Obama: Having Her Say

When “Forever First Lady” Michelle Obama opened up to ESSENCE for its upcoming December/January cover story…she definitely went there! After keeping a relatively low profile since leaving the White House, the Becoming author is stepping back into the spotlight to share her extraordinary journey. Looking stunning in a natural hairstyle for the first time, she talks to ESSENCE about her days in the White House, how to find your own Barack—and what’s next for her. *Key quotes are below. ESSENCE’s upcoming December/January issue hits newsstands on 11/23. For more on “Having Her Say,” visit ESSENCE.com. (Photo, Miller Mobley)

QUOTES:

  • ON HOW TO FIND YOUR OWN BARACK: “I think a lot of people don’t have a clear idea of what they should look for in a mate—and for a long time, I didn’t either…What drew me to Barack was that when I met him, he was already a fully formed individual. From our very first conversations, he showed me that he wasn’t afraid to express his fears and doubts, or that he might not have all the answers. He could handle someone with her own passions and goals, someone who had ideas of her own. He relished it, in fact. I liked that…”

  • ON HER HAPPIEST DAYS IN THE WHITE HOUSE: “Any day that I got to spend time with children was a good day. Sometimes if I was need of a pick-me-up, my staff would schedule an event with young people to give me a boost. Kids give me energy. They get me out of my own head and remind me about the things that are most important…”

  • HER ADVICE TO WOMEN ON BALANCING IT ALL: “When I was raising young children, I learned to lean on a group of my friends in Chicago, women who, like me, had jobs and partners and children who kept them moving every minute. We’d help one another in very concrete ways, like picking up each other’s kids for dance lessons or a birthday party or anything else that came up…Of course, we leaned on our husbands as well…But for me, there was something special—something vital, even—about sharing this experience with other women who were going through the same kinds of stresses and challenges that I was…”

  • ON WHAT’S NEXT FOR HER: “Since we left the White House, I’ve spent most of my time focusing on finishing this book. The book tour will keep me busy for a while, and then I’ll take some time to evaluate what’s next. I’m in no hurry. What I know is that public service is in my DNA, so I’m planning to find ways to keep being useful…I see myself always staying involved in efforts like that…”
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The New Memoir, #Becoming By Michelle Obama

The New Memoir, Becoming by Michelle Obama will be released on November 13, 2018.

The former #FLOTUS shared on social media, “I’m thrilled to share with all of you the cover for BECOMING. The process of writing this book has been so personally meaningful and illuminating for me. As I prepare to share BECOMING this fall, I hope you’ll also think about your own story, and trust that it will help you become whoever you aspire to be. Your story is what you have, what you will always have. It is something to own. #BECOMING.”