In Her New Memoir, Becoming, the Former First Lady Tells Her Story
Long before she had established herself as a powerful advocate for women and girls, Michelle Obama was an overachieving youngster in Chicago trying to find her way in the world. In her memoir, Becoming (November 13; Crown), the former first lady reveals the triumphs and disappointments behind her rise to show “how a girl from the South Side found her voice.” On the eve of its publication, Obama sat down for an intimate conversation with Oprah Winfrey and Hearst magazine editors. Here are some highlights:
ON HER CHOICE OF LAW AS A CAREER…
In the book, I take you on the journey of who that little striving star-getter became—which is what a lot of hard-driving kids become: a box checker. Get good grades: Check. Apply to the best schools, get into Princeton: Check. Get there, what’s your major? Uh, something that’s going to get me good grades so I can get into law school, I guess? Check. Get through law school: Check. I wasn’t a swerver. I wasn’t somebody that was going to take risks. I narrowed myself to being this thing I thought I should be. It took loss—losses in my life that made me think, Have you ever stopped to think about who you wanted to be? And I realized I had not. I was sitting on the 47th floor of an office building, going over cases and writing memos.
ON GOING TO COUPLES COUNSELING…
This story is from the Holiday 2018 edition of Marie Claire - US.
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This story is from the Holiday 2018 edition of Marie Claire - US.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
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