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The Meaning of Michelle: 16 Writers on the Iconic First Lady and How Her Journey Inspires Our Own
**One of The Huffington Post's 27 Nonfiction Books By Women Everyone Should Read in 2017**
**One of Glamour's Best Books to Read in 2017**
**One of Bustle's 17 of the Best Nonfiction Books of 2017**
**One of BookRiot's '11 Books to Help Us Make It Through a Trump Presidency'**
Whenever I think about Michelle Obama, I think, When I grow up, I want to be just like her. I want to be that intelligent, confident, and comfortable in my own skin . Roxane Gay
Even after eight years of watching them daily in the press, the fact that the most powerful man in the world is a Black man is still breathtaking to me. The fact that he goes home to a tight-knit, loving family headed by a Black woman is soul-stirring. That woman is Michelle. Michelle. That name now carries a whole world of meaning... From the Preface by Ava DuVernay
Michelle Obama is unlike any other First Lady in American History. From her first moments on the public stage, she has challenged traditional American notions about what it means to be beautiful, to be strong, to be fashion-conscious, to be healthy, to be First Mom, to be a caretaker and hostess, and to be partner to the most powerful man in the world. What is remarkable is that, at 52, she is just getting started.
While many books have looked at Michelle Obama from a fashion perspective, no book has fully explored what she means to our culture. The Meaning of Michelle does just that, while offering a parting gift to a landmark moment in American history. In addition to a tribute to Michelle Obama, this book is also a rollicking, lively dinner party conversation about race, class, marriage, creativity, womanhood and what it means to be American today.
Contributors include: Ava DuVernay, Veronica Chambers, Benilde Little, Damon Young, Alicia Hall Moran and Jason Moran, Brittney Cooper, Ylonda Gault Caviness, Chirlane McCray, Cathi Hanauer, Tiffany Dufu, Tanisha Ford, Marcus Samuelsson, Sarah Lewis, Karen Hill Anton, Rebecca Carroll, Phillipa Soo, and Roxane Gay
"
**One of Glamour's Best Books to Read in 2017**
**One of Bustle's 17 of the Best Nonfiction Books of 2017**
**One of BookRiot's '11 Books to Help Us Make It Through a Trump Presidency'**
Whenever I think about Michelle Obama, I think, When I grow up, I want to be just like her. I want to be that intelligent, confident, and comfortable in my own skin . Roxane Gay
Even after eight years of watching them daily in the press, the fact that the most powerful man in the world is a Black man is still breathtaking to me. The fact that he goes home to a tight-knit, loving family headed by a Black woman is soul-stirring. That woman is Michelle. Michelle. That name now carries a whole world of meaning... From the Preface by Ava DuVernay
Michelle Obama is unlike any other First Lady in American History. From her first moments on the public stage, she has challenged traditional American notions about what it means to be beautiful, to be strong, to be fashion-conscious, to be healthy, to be First Mom, to be a caretaker and hostess, and to be partner to the most powerful man in the world. What is remarkable is that, at 52, she is just getting started.
While many books have looked at Michelle Obama from a fashion perspective, no book has fully explored what she means to our culture. The Meaning of Michelle does just that, while offering a parting gift to a landmark moment in American history. In addition to a tribute to Michelle Obama, this book is also a rollicking, lively dinner party conversation about race, class, marriage, creativity, womanhood and what it means to be American today.
Contributors include: Ava DuVernay, Veronica Chambers, Benilde Little, Damon Young, Alicia Hall Moran and Jason Moran, Brittney Cooper, Ylonda Gault Caviness, Chirlane McCray, Cathi Hanauer, Tiffany Dufu, Tanisha Ford, Marcus Samuelsson, Sarah Lewis, Karen Hill Anton, Rebecca Carroll, Phillipa Soo, and Roxane Gay
"
220 pages, Hardcover
First published January 10, 2017
80 people are currently reading
2263 people want to read
About the author
Veronica Chambers
64 books282 followersVeronica Chambers is a prolific author, best known for her critically acclaimed memoir, Mama’s Girl, which has been course adopted by hundreds of high schools and colleges throughout the country. The New Yorker called Mama’s Girl “a troubling testament to grit and mother love… one of the finest and most evenhanded in the genre in recent years.” Born in Panama and raised in Brooklyn, Ms. Chambers' work often reflects her Afro-Latina heritage.
Her most recent non-fiction book was Kickboxing Geishas: How Japanese Women are Changing their Nation. Her other non-fiction books include The Joy of Doing Things Badly: A Girl’s Guide to Love, Life, and Foolish Bravery. She has also written more than a dozen books for children, most recently Celia Cruz, Queen of Salsa and the body confidence Y/A novel, Plus. Her teen series, Amigas, is a collaboration between Chambers, producer Jane Startz, and Jennifer Lopez.
Veronica spent two seasons as an executive story editor for CW’s hit series Girlfriends, and earned a BET Comedy Award for her script work on that series. She has also written and developed projects for Fox and the N.
Veronica has contributed to several anthologies, including the best-selling Bitch in the House, edited by Cathi Hanuaer, and Mommy Wars, edited by Leslie Morgan Steiner.
A graduate of Simon’s Rock College at Bard, she and her husband have endowed three scholarships at the college in the fields of music and literature. She has been the recipient of several awards including the Hodder fellowship for emerging novelists at Princeton University and a National Endowment for the Arts fiction award. She speaks, reads and writes Spanish, but she is truly fluent in Spanglish. She lives with her husband and daughter in Hoboken, New Jersey.
Her most recent non-fiction book was Kickboxing Geishas: How Japanese Women are Changing their Nation. Her other non-fiction books include The Joy of Doing Things Badly: A Girl’s Guide to Love, Life, and Foolish Bravery. She has also written more than a dozen books for children, most recently Celia Cruz, Queen of Salsa and the body confidence Y/A novel, Plus. Her teen series, Amigas, is a collaboration between Chambers, producer Jane Startz, and Jennifer Lopez.
Veronica spent two seasons as an executive story editor for CW’s hit series Girlfriends, and earned a BET Comedy Award for her script work on that series. She has also written and developed projects for Fox and the N.
Veronica has contributed to several anthologies, including the best-selling Bitch in the House, edited by Cathi Hanuaer, and Mommy Wars, edited by Leslie Morgan Steiner.
A graduate of Simon’s Rock College at Bard, she and her husband have endowed three scholarships at the college in the fields of music and literature. She has been the recipient of several awards including the Hodder fellowship for emerging novelists at Princeton University and a National Endowment for the Arts fiction award. She speaks, reads and writes Spanish, but she is truly fluent in Spanglish. She lives with her husband and daughter in Hoboken, New Jersey.
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December 24, 2016
Whenever I think of Michelle Obama , I picture her with her husband and two little daughters at his inauguration, about to start his first term as President. They had a elegance and grace that I admired, but what I really found exceptional was how together they seemed, as people in themselves and as a family. She has endured more criticism in the press, on Facebook and on other social media sites than any other first lady that I can remember, her looks, her figure. This book then should assure her that many felt and thought differently.
A wide range of essays and essayists, black, white that tell what she represented to them, how they saw her and her family. Her background from a working class non privileged black neighborhood. Her drive, her will, her support of her husband and her unapologetic style. I enjoyed reading these as there was much I didn't know. Now dignity will soon leave our White House for the foreseeable future, and while I didn't always agree with his policies I do respect that personally this family will leave without a hint of scandal, intact as a loving family.
ARC from Netgalley.
A wide range of essays and essayists, black, white that tell what she represented to them, how they saw her and her family. Her background from a working class non privileged black neighborhood. Her drive, her will, her support of her husband and her unapologetic style. I enjoyed reading these as there was much I didn't know. Now dignity will soon leave our White House for the foreseeable future, and while I didn't always agree with his policies I do respect that personally this family will leave without a hint of scandal, intact as a loving family.
ARC from Netgalley.
December 15, 2016
4 high stars. Reading The Meaning of Michelle is a lovely experience, but, oh man, it's a sad experience too. This collection of 16 essays written by a varied group of authors is a celebration of Michelle Obama. The essayists are black women, black men, white women, and others who celebrate Michelle in so many different ways -- her roots coming from Chicago's south side, her own professional accomplishments, how she took on the role of First Lady and made it her own, how she redefined and enriched the public image of black women, her approach to motherhood, her White House garden, her sense of fashion, her warmth and sense of her humour, and much more. Most writers infuse their essays with some of their own personal experiences, and how they relate to Michelle or how their lives have intersected with Michelle's. More than anything, all writers admire Michelle Obama because she seems so real, someone they recognize and someone they'd love to be friends with.
Personally, watching from the sidelines in Canada, I haven't paid a huge amount of attention to Michelle Obama until recently -- although to the extent that I did think of her, I was also drawn to thinking about similarities between us. We're around the same age, our kids are exactly the same age, and we're both professionals. I've wondered how challenging it would be for a strong woman to put her own career to the side and to put herself and her children up for public scrutiny for the sake of her husband's presidency. How she might feel that she was making an important contribution to American history by being part of the US's first black First Family, but how it would still feel challenging to take on this role given her own personal and professional journey. I've thought that Michelle did it with admirable strength and grace.
But I started thinking a whole lot more about Michelle during the latest presidential campaign because she took centre stage a few times to speak so forcefully against the hatred being spewed and propagated by the now president elect. And I melted as I heard her speak. And I made my daughter watch her speak. And I mistakenly thought that surely her message was sufficient on its own to ensure that the US would have its first female president...
And this takes me to why The Meaning of Michelle makes for sad reading. Michelle Obama will no doubt leave a huge legacy for many people who have watched and admired her over the last few years. And hopefully, her post First Lady life allows her to continue in this role. But what a loss she will be as First Lady, especially given what's coming next...
One last note: I read an advance copy. This book will be published January 10, 2017. So while the book is to be published post election, the essays were written before the election, with one possible exception. My copy promises an essay by Roxanne Gay, which is not included in the ARC. I would love to read it, and will have to get my hands on a copy.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an opportunity to read an advance copy.
Personally, watching from the sidelines in Canada, I haven't paid a huge amount of attention to Michelle Obama until recently -- although to the extent that I did think of her, I was also drawn to thinking about similarities between us. We're around the same age, our kids are exactly the same age, and we're both professionals. I've wondered how challenging it would be for a strong woman to put her own career to the side and to put herself and her children up for public scrutiny for the sake of her husband's presidency. How she might feel that she was making an important contribution to American history by being part of the US's first black First Family, but how it would still feel challenging to take on this role given her own personal and professional journey. I've thought that Michelle did it with admirable strength and grace.
But I started thinking a whole lot more about Michelle during the latest presidential campaign because she took centre stage a few times to speak so forcefully against the hatred being spewed and propagated by the now president elect. And I melted as I heard her speak. And I made my daughter watch her speak. And I mistakenly thought that surely her message was sufficient on its own to ensure that the US would have its first female president...
And this takes me to why The Meaning of Michelle makes for sad reading. Michelle Obama will no doubt leave a huge legacy for many people who have watched and admired her over the last few years. And hopefully, her post First Lady life allows her to continue in this role. But what a loss she will be as First Lady, especially given what's coming next...
One last note: I read an advance copy. This book will be published January 10, 2017. So while the book is to be published post election, the essays were written before the election, with one possible exception. My copy promises an essay by Roxanne Gay, which is not included in the ARC. I would love to read it, and will have to get my hands on a copy.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an opportunity to read an advance copy.
April 20, 2017
The Meaning of Michelle: 16 Writers on the Iconic First Lady and How Her Journey Inspires Our Own
I received a free advance e-copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review, thank you!
***********************************************
When I first heard of this book I admit that I wasn't particularly excited about it, you see, although I have a profound sense of respect and admiration for Michelle Obama, reading these days is my gate to escape politics not to engage in it.
After reading a few positive reviews by some of my friends on Goodreads, I decided to find out what the book was about. My expectations were that this would basically be a nostalgic, if not too deep send-off to our First Lady.
To my surprise, what I found instead was a compelling collection of essays written by a bright and fascinating group of contributors. Their views on how Michelle Obama inspired them are as diverse and unique as you can expect from such a heterogeneous group of people.
When you read The Meaning of Michelle, what emerges is a picture of a woman who successfully challenged any preconceived notions of what her role as FLOTUS was supposed to look like and created one of her own. That she accomplished that while holding one of the most visible positions in the world speaks volumes about her character and her sense of confidence.
So, in the spirit of this well-deserved celebration, I am joining these writers with my own note to our soon to be former First Lady.
Dear Michelle,
First of all, I should mention that you came into my consciousness very gradually. During your husband's widely praised 2004 DNC keynote address, I was too smitten by his charisma and oratory skills to put attention to anybody else, including you. Apologies for being so candid, but that is the truth!
That changed after reading Dreams from My Father: A Story of Race and Inheritance and I learned how the two of you met (you were his boss!) and of your own very impressive professional and academic accolades. Suddenly I started to get the feeling you were going to be a very different kind of First Lady.
As an immigrant who identifies herself as a Black Latina, I don't share the same social, cultural or historical background many black Americans, including you and your family have in common.
In July 2015 the First Lady posed and was guest editor for More Magazine
For me then, my sense of kinship came from things we do share: we both grew up in tumultuous times, our parents were poor but worked hard to provide a good education for their children and we faced the challenges of raising young children while balancing the demands of a career. Admittedly the similarities end there, but it was wonderful to know that someone with whom I share these experiences was now our First Lady!
So please allow me to tell you a few other reasons why I'm so grateful for having you in the White House these last eight years:
* I recently learned that you are only one of four First Ladies with graduate degrees and only the second to have attended an Ivy League institution. Thank you for the sacrifice of putting your own successful and promising career aside to be the partner our President and our country needed.
* Both my boys (now 20 & 13) have come of age watching Malia and Sasha growing up in the White House so they kind of take that for granted. But I realize how fortunate we were for having a First Family that looks a lot like our own.
* I will be forever grateful to both you and the President for celebrating arts and culture in all its forms and for opening the White House to artists from all walks of life, races, and sexual orientation.
* Thank you for being so gracious in the face of so much hatred thrown at you. You were certainly not the First Lady to encounter this, but it seems to me that you were the target of an unusual amount of hostility and antagonism.
* Lastly, it was a joy to watch as you develop your very unique and classy sense of fashion. Thank you for being so damn confident in your own skin and for showing us that beauty comes in all different shapes, shades, ages and sizes.
Many people are speculating about whether or not you might decide to pursue your own political career. I am sure you'll be wildly successful in whatever path you choose for yourself. Until then, I wish you and your family the very best.
With a grateful but heavy heart,
Your fellow citizen,
Iris Pereyra
I received a free advance e-copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review, thank you!
***********************************************
When I first heard of this book I admit that I wasn't particularly excited about it, you see, although I have a profound sense of respect and admiration for Michelle Obama, reading these days is my gate to escape politics not to engage in it.
After reading a few positive reviews by some of my friends on Goodreads, I decided to find out what the book was about. My expectations were that this would basically be a nostalgic, if not too deep send-off to our First Lady.
To my surprise, what I found instead was a compelling collection of essays written by a bright and fascinating group of contributors. Their views on how Michelle Obama inspired them are as diverse and unique as you can expect from such a heterogeneous group of people.
When you read The Meaning of Michelle, what emerges is a picture of a woman who successfully challenged any preconceived notions of what her role as FLOTUS was supposed to look like and created one of her own. That she accomplished that while holding one of the most visible positions in the world speaks volumes about her character and her sense of confidence.
So, in the spirit of this well-deserved celebration, I am joining these writers with my own note to our soon to be former First Lady.
An open letter of appreciation to Michelle Obama
Dear Michelle,
First of all, I should mention that you came into my consciousness very gradually. During your husband's widely praised 2004 DNC keynote address, I was too smitten by his charisma and oratory skills to put attention to anybody else, including you. Apologies for being so candid, but that is the truth!
That changed after reading Dreams from My Father: A Story of Race and Inheritance and I learned how the two of you met (you were his boss!) and of your own very impressive professional and academic accolades. Suddenly I started to get the feeling you were going to be a very different kind of First Lady.
As an immigrant who identifies herself as a Black Latina, I don't share the same social, cultural or historical background many black Americans, including you and your family have in common.
In July 2015 the First Lady posed and was guest editor for More Magazine
For me then, my sense of kinship came from things we do share: we both grew up in tumultuous times, our parents were poor but worked hard to provide a good education for their children and we faced the challenges of raising young children while balancing the demands of a career. Admittedly the similarities end there, but it was wonderful to know that someone with whom I share these experiences was now our First Lady!
So please allow me to tell you a few other reasons why I'm so grateful for having you in the White House these last eight years:
* I recently learned that you are only one of four First Ladies with graduate degrees and only the second to have attended an Ivy League institution. Thank you for the sacrifice of putting your own successful and promising career aside to be the partner our President and our country needed.
* Both my boys (now 20 & 13) have come of age watching Malia and Sasha growing up in the White House so they kind of take that for granted. But I realize how fortunate we were for having a First Family that looks a lot like our own.
* I will be forever grateful to both you and the President for celebrating arts and culture in all its forms and for opening the White House to artists from all walks of life, races, and sexual orientation.
* Thank you for being so gracious in the face of so much hatred thrown at you. You were certainly not the First Lady to encounter this, but it seems to me that you were the target of an unusual amount of hostility and antagonism.
* Lastly, it was a joy to watch as you develop your very unique and classy sense of fashion. Thank you for being so damn confident in your own skin and for showing us that beauty comes in all different shapes, shades, ages and sizes.
Many people are speculating about whether or not you might decide to pursue your own political career. I am sure you'll be wildly successful in whatever path you choose for yourself. Until then, I wish you and your family the very best.
With a grateful but heavy heart,
Your fellow citizen,
Iris Pereyra
January 5, 2017
What a wonderful and well deserved tribute to First Lady Michelle Obama! I don't remember exactly when I became so captivated with this amazing woman . Even though I was stuck with how drop dead gorgeous she looked at the inaugural ball in 2008, I didn't take a lot of notice of who Michelle Obama really was until into President Obama's first term. At some point it became obvious to me how fortunate we are to have had this smart, elegant, down to earth woman grace the White House and our country, if not the world with her presence.
She is so many things to so many of us but what struck me in reading this collection was what she represented to Black women and children and reading this gave me a perspective that I could never really know. One of the things that was apparent in just about all of these essays was how Michelle caused people to reflect on their own lives. I look forward to seeing what she will do in the future. No doubt, she will continue to inspire us. Highly recommended !
I received an advanced copy of this book from St. Martin's Press through NetGalley.
July 11, 2017
I loved this book! When I grow up I'd like to be like Michelle!
December 23, 2017
When I was a very lonely, shy, friendless, ugly (braces, glasses, acne, rail-thin skinny) young white kid in grade school, two new students arrived: two black girls, Rachel and Clara W, (I don't have permission to tell this story). They were sisters, perhaps twins. I was last in the alphabet, last in line (often sitting alone in the cafeteria or often alone on a line of seats in the auditorium) last in everything with a last name starting with Z. But the teacher simply put Clara W. and Rachel W. after me as far as the alphabet was concerned. Out of laziness or racism, I don't know. Anyway, I never had to worry anymore about being the only person at a cafeteria table, etc. And they were the first black people I got to know in my life. They were nervous, attending an all white school way back in the 1960s. They were, ultimately, funny and kind and friendly and we made quite the odd threesome, always the last three chosen for outdoor games, for example. I sorta saw the world the way they did (but it's true I could never fully understand all they saw and felt), and they truly changed my outlook on Black Americans. Later, I enjoyed dating a few black girls (and a few black guys) and get this: I'm talking about the period of my life I spent in North Carolina, a state in which politicians would have us believe it is about 1850 and not 2017. (There are some wonderful people there I must add.) Why am I telling this story? Because Veronica Chambers, with this book, is truly "preaching to the choir", as I would think, unfortunately, only those who admire Michele Obama (and that includes me) would read this. And that's too bad, as this book is illuminating in many ways. The pivotal point in this book, to me, is when Damon Young points out that the Obama's ascension to the White House caused a psychic impact to America. For Black Americans, this was a cathartic experience, as Young writes. But for many White Americans, this was a call to arms to ensure the next President was, well, the polar opposite of Obama. Yes, the psychic impact was huge. For a while, for 8 years, America had the respect of the world. It was a wonderful time for some, a horrible time for others. The only flaw of this book is that we get repetitive chapters about Michele's fashion sense, about her great physique, her beauty inside and out. All wonderful things, but we all have flaws naturally, and I have a sense Michele's were overlooked here. Surely, she isn't that perfect! We'll see more of Michelle, and Barack. We will also see more of Hillary and Bill Clinton. And as Trump tries to destroy the Obama legacies, its up to all of us to watch carefully and do the right thing in the next election. Let's do our research! And a high point of my life thus far: in my senior year of grade school, Rachel W. signed my annual with something like: "Greg, you're no boy, you're a man, a good man, and it's been great getting to know you." I do know what the derogative term "boy" means in the southern states of America, making Rachel's words all the more powerful. They were heartfelt, respectful words from a wonderful, kind Black friend. Rachel's sincere words have stayed with me ever since. Rachel and Clara taught me to respect everyone (yes, that includes people who have different opinions from me), to treat everyone equally, to see racism in action (it is easy to turn away and not think about it), to understand the hurt, but most importantly they taught me to stand up and do the right things in life, or at least try my best. This is a lovely book about a lovely, strong, heroic woman who has impressed me every day with her ability to remain calm and cool and classy. just think, not a single bit of ugliness or anger or outrageous and disgusting behavior from the White House for 8 years. That's the polar opposite of what we are seeing now.
February 23, 2017
It really does took a while to finish this book, because it was an eBook copy. I wished I have a physical copy instead, because I have been highlighting many parts of this book that deserves to be brought to the surface.
I'm not Black, nor American. But my admiration to Michelle Obama is valid and solid.
The first half of this book consists of love letters to Michelle Obama (as pointed out by some reviews on Goodreads) but the latter half began weighting on personal experiences of these writers, and how they found the First Lady to be uplifting, inspiring and relatable. Michelle is highly celebrated for her intelligence, as we know it, but her being a mother in the White House, managing a home and a political persona combats all stereotypes of a) the image of a First Lady; and b) the image of Black women. In her 8 years of being a Black First Lady, she resonates with us in personal levels, and becomes the reason for us to give ourselves permissions of the rights we are entitled to, be it as a woman in the education field, or as a woman of fitness, or as a mother and wife, or as a lawyer or an intellect in our profession, and most of all, as a Black woman.
I think my favourite quote of Michelle's own empowerment to her heritage and rights is this, during a speech in City College of New York in 2016:
"I wake up every day in a house built by slaves. I watch my daughters (two beautiful Black young women) head off to school waving goodbye to their father, the president of the United States, the son of a man from Kenya, who came here to America."
She is a living proof that her people have fought a long and hard journey, to become successful, intelligent and respectable.
I'm not Black, nor American. But my admiration to Michelle Obama is valid and solid.
The first half of this book consists of love letters to Michelle Obama (as pointed out by some reviews on Goodreads) but the latter half began weighting on personal experiences of these writers, and how they found the First Lady to be uplifting, inspiring and relatable. Michelle is highly celebrated for her intelligence, as we know it, but her being a mother in the White House, managing a home and a political persona combats all stereotypes of a) the image of a First Lady; and b) the image of Black women. In her 8 years of being a Black First Lady, she resonates with us in personal levels, and becomes the reason for us to give ourselves permissions of the rights we are entitled to, be it as a woman in the education field, or as a woman of fitness, or as a mother and wife, or as a lawyer or an intellect in our profession, and most of all, as a Black woman.
I think my favourite quote of Michelle's own empowerment to her heritage and rights is this, during a speech in City College of New York in 2016:
"I wake up every day in a house built by slaves. I watch my daughters (two beautiful Black young women) head off to school waving goodbye to their father, the president of the United States, the son of a man from Kenya, who came here to America."
She is a living proof that her people have fought a long and hard journey, to become successful, intelligent and respectable.
December 3, 2016
'When they go low, we go high.'
I love and admire Michelle Obama. She is a magnificent First Lady and has taken the role and made it her own with dignity, grace and a deep intelligence.
All of these essays reflect that. Each is a very personal reflection from a range of authors, some of whom have never met the First Lady, but who have been deeply touched by her life in some way. I think it is this personal touch that makes this volume of essays so beautiful. Each if them testifies to the way Michelle Obama has touched lives and influenced ordinary people during her eight years in the White House.
And it has not been easy.
Even in these last days of President Obama's term in office, stories abound about the racist comments and abuse directed about the Obama's and particularly Michelle Obama. As someone who lives in Europe, America appears to be rather backwards, overflowing with racism, gun violence, poverty, greed and a superficial Christian faith. Superficial because faith in America doesn't seem to bring life to people, rather it is used to build walls and justify racism and abuse.
So much for the land of the free.
When we open the tin, the contents are not what the package describes.
But the Obamas and Michelle Obama in particular have shown us the possibilities and potential that still flourishes in this great country. And as these essays show Michelle Obama has touched children, men and women through her actions as First Lady.
Not just as First Lady, but as wife, mother, daughter, friend and colleague, she shows us all how to live with grace and to soar when people seek to drag us down to their level.
These essays also testify to the intelligence of the First Lady and her intellectual capacity. By developing campaigns and seeking the right support for these campaigns and the right channels of communication, Michelle Obama has spoken to the world.
The one message that threads through all these essays is that Michelle Obama is herself. She is authentic. What we have seen is who she really is and in these days of social media, political imagery and false news, it is quite refreshing to see this. Refreshing and challenging because she sets a high bar for all the other First Ladies to come.
This book is a pleasure to read and each essay is very different and touches on so many different themes: politics, media, professionalism, racism, history, family, love and the list goes on and on. It is simply a great volume of essays and I think everyone who reads it will find aspects that will resonate with them. This is simply because Michelle Obama is very human in the way she approaches life.
Each essay recognises the challenge of being First Lady and the explores what it means to watch as an observer as Michelle navigates the challenge in her own way. The essays make me wish I had followed the First Lady from the first day of President Obama's first term. Having said this the essays in a collective voice clearly show the reader that as Michelle Obama leaves the White House the journey continues and there is more to come, and this is an exciting and encouraging thought.
As someone who works in a sector dominated by white men I realise that the challenge of navigating race and gender in the work place is one that is common to all women of colour who go out to work each day. These essays bring this home for us and emphasise the challenge, but they also explore the potential of being a game changer and Michelle Obama is certainly not just mom-in-chief but also game-changer-in-chief.
Although each essay highlights similar characteristics about Michelle Obama, it is the impact on the authors that is very different but truly engaging to read. I am not sure I have a favourite essay because each one is special but the essay that resonated the most with me is 'The Freedom to Be Yourself' by Karen Hill Anton. Written by a woman who is raising her family in Japan I think she touches on a key aspect of Michelle Obama's way of life, which is simply freedom and selfhood and also living life abundantly and refusing to be cowed by the opinions of others.
This is an excellent volume of interesting and engaging essays that capture the way in which the First Lady has touched the lives of millions.
A real pleasure to read.
Copy provided by St. Martin's Press via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
I love and admire Michelle Obama. She is a magnificent First Lady and has taken the role and made it her own with dignity, grace and a deep intelligence.
All of these essays reflect that. Each is a very personal reflection from a range of authors, some of whom have never met the First Lady, but who have been deeply touched by her life in some way. I think it is this personal touch that makes this volume of essays so beautiful. Each if them testifies to the way Michelle Obama has touched lives and influenced ordinary people during her eight years in the White House.
And it has not been easy.
Even in these last days of President Obama's term in office, stories abound about the racist comments and abuse directed about the Obama's and particularly Michelle Obama. As someone who lives in Europe, America appears to be rather backwards, overflowing with racism, gun violence, poverty, greed and a superficial Christian faith. Superficial because faith in America doesn't seem to bring life to people, rather it is used to build walls and justify racism and abuse.
So much for the land of the free.
When we open the tin, the contents are not what the package describes.
But the Obamas and Michelle Obama in particular have shown us the possibilities and potential that still flourishes in this great country. And as these essays show Michelle Obama has touched children, men and women through her actions as First Lady.
Not just as First Lady, but as wife, mother, daughter, friend and colleague, she shows us all how to live with grace and to soar when people seek to drag us down to their level.
These essays also testify to the intelligence of the First Lady and her intellectual capacity. By developing campaigns and seeking the right support for these campaigns and the right channels of communication, Michelle Obama has spoken to the world.
The one message that threads through all these essays is that Michelle Obama is herself. She is authentic. What we have seen is who she really is and in these days of social media, political imagery and false news, it is quite refreshing to see this. Refreshing and challenging because she sets a high bar for all the other First Ladies to come.
This book is a pleasure to read and each essay is very different and touches on so many different themes: politics, media, professionalism, racism, history, family, love and the list goes on and on. It is simply a great volume of essays and I think everyone who reads it will find aspects that will resonate with them. This is simply because Michelle Obama is very human in the way she approaches life.
Each essay recognises the challenge of being First Lady and the explores what it means to watch as an observer as Michelle navigates the challenge in her own way. The essays make me wish I had followed the First Lady from the first day of President Obama's first term. Having said this the essays in a collective voice clearly show the reader that as Michelle Obama leaves the White House the journey continues and there is more to come, and this is an exciting and encouraging thought.
As someone who works in a sector dominated by white men I realise that the challenge of navigating race and gender in the work place is one that is common to all women of colour who go out to work each day. These essays bring this home for us and emphasise the challenge, but they also explore the potential of being a game changer and Michelle Obama is certainly not just mom-in-chief but also game-changer-in-chief.
Although each essay highlights similar characteristics about Michelle Obama, it is the impact on the authors that is very different but truly engaging to read. I am not sure I have a favourite essay because each one is special but the essay that resonated the most with me is 'The Freedom to Be Yourself' by Karen Hill Anton. Written by a woman who is raising her family in Japan I think she touches on a key aspect of Michelle Obama's way of life, which is simply freedom and selfhood and also living life abundantly and refusing to be cowed by the opinions of others.
This is an excellent volume of interesting and engaging essays that capture the way in which the First Lady has touched the lives of millions.
A real pleasure to read.
Copy provided by St. Martin's Press via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
November 10, 2016
15 essays...15 unique point of views...All of them perfectly describe how Mrs. Obama has broken the mold and stereotype to become a champion for us and probably our most favorite member of the dynamic Obama duo. Full review to come!
March 15, 2017
Did I give this book five stars for the subject matter or its innate merits?Who knows.
I loved reading about Michelle Obama's influence and place in several writers' (including some new to me!) lives and learning more about and from FLOTUS.
Highly recommend for those reading for self-care and those still grappling with a post-Obama presidency.
I loved reading about Michelle Obama's influence and place in several writers' (including some new to me!) lives and learning more about and from FLOTUS.
Highly recommend for those reading for self-care and those still grappling with a post-Obama presidency.
March 28, 2017
What a great book! The 16 writers mentioned in the title are a varied group, and include a couple of men. Powerful, confidence building. Every time it mentioned a speech or an appearance on TV, I looked it up on You Tube.
April 5, 2020
This is a very inspirational book with 16 different writers, having their own views and opinions on Michelle.
They talk about her up bringing, her family values, education, career, and her role as a mother and wife of the President. The various changes she initiated and the impact it had on the people.
It talks about the various friends she made in the entertainment industry and how they came together for a common purpose.
Writers have discussed her dressing sense, and her ability to carry carry her self with pride.
They have talked about how shes a strong woman and together with the president and their daughters, replicate a perfect family.
I read this book, only because I loved everything about Becoming and wanted to know more about her.
They talk about her up bringing, her family values, education, career, and her role as a mother and wife of the President. The various changes she initiated and the impact it had on the people.
It talks about the various friends she made in the entertainment industry and how they came together for a common purpose.
Writers have discussed her dressing sense, and her ability to carry carry her self with pride.
They have talked about how shes a strong woman and together with the president and their daughters, replicate a perfect family.
I read this book, only because I loved everything about Becoming and wanted to know more about her.
February 10, 2017
The Many Facets of Michelle Obama
Like the majority of the globe, I've been enchanted by the Obamas since they arrived on the national stage and have greeted the end of the Obama era with sadness, anger, and a deep respect for the President and the First Family. Watching Michelle Obama find her voice on the national and then international stage has been wondrous to behold, and as a historian of American history, I am well aware that what the Obamas together created and achieved is a once in a generation (if not longer) set of accomplishments. Michelle's style, grace, humor, and steely resolve have helped me, a white woman, become better acquainted with myself and establish my own voice and vision with confidence.
But I did not see Michelle as the black community did. I mean, I assumed that her mere existence has been inspirational for black and brown women and girls around the world, but I didn't dwell much on the specificities of her achievements or the very personal ways in which the black community related to Michelle. This volume, a collection of essays written by various esteemed members of the black community (most of them female), brought me face to face with the reality of what she has done and will continue to do for African-American women and girls. I closed the book knowing a few things absolutely:
1. We will be discussing, defining, debating, and revising the importance of Michelle for many years to come.
2. Her presence and persistence in working to become and to live her most authentic self truly made an impact across so many fields and areas, from fashion and music to parenthood and political culture.
3. Many of those who admire Michelle do so, at least in part, because she's "flawlessly imperfect," unwilling to jettison her background, her blackness, her womanhood, her brilliant mind in order to appeal to one group or another (but this is not to say that she isn't constantly striving to better herself and her myriad of messages); they also feel as though she is imminently real and relatable. Almost every single essay featured a section in which the writer almost sheepishly declared something like, "I know I'm not as important or transcendent as Michelle and her husband are, but our lives have parallels and her experiences in some way match my own." That was what really struck me the most, the way in which the essayists felt somehow connected or even embraced by Michelle.
4. Michelle is just getting started.
This was an excellent read. I've spent so much time focusing on Obama and what he was able to accomplish, the way in which he wore his duties easily, his elegance, his style, his brilliance and confidence. So to be awakened to the lives Michelle touched as "mom in chief," First Lady, consummate hugger, and public figure was a delight. Her grace, humor, and resolve in the face of truly disgusting criticism and endless attempts to figuratively constrain her as a woman (and an unrepentant Black woman at that) has been truly and utterly amazing, a feat that few could manage successfully. Michelle is a revelation.
Like the majority of the globe, I've been enchanted by the Obamas since they arrived on the national stage and have greeted the end of the Obama era with sadness, anger, and a deep respect for the President and the First Family. Watching Michelle Obama find her voice on the national and then international stage has been wondrous to behold, and as a historian of American history, I am well aware that what the Obamas together created and achieved is a once in a generation (if not longer) set of accomplishments. Michelle's style, grace, humor, and steely resolve have helped me, a white woman, become better acquainted with myself and establish my own voice and vision with confidence.
But I did not see Michelle as the black community did. I mean, I assumed that her mere existence has been inspirational for black and brown women and girls around the world, but I didn't dwell much on the specificities of her achievements or the very personal ways in which the black community related to Michelle. This volume, a collection of essays written by various esteemed members of the black community (most of them female), brought me face to face with the reality of what she has done and will continue to do for African-American women and girls. I closed the book knowing a few things absolutely:
1. We will be discussing, defining, debating, and revising the importance of Michelle for many years to come.
2. Her presence and persistence in working to become and to live her most authentic self truly made an impact across so many fields and areas, from fashion and music to parenthood and political culture.
3. Many of those who admire Michelle do so, at least in part, because she's "flawlessly imperfect," unwilling to jettison her background, her blackness, her womanhood, her brilliant mind in order to appeal to one group or another (but this is not to say that she isn't constantly striving to better herself and her myriad of messages); they also feel as though she is imminently real and relatable. Almost every single essay featured a section in which the writer almost sheepishly declared something like, "I know I'm not as important or transcendent as Michelle and her husband are, but our lives have parallels and her experiences in some way match my own." That was what really struck me the most, the way in which the essayists felt somehow connected or even embraced by Michelle.
4. Michelle is just getting started.
This was an excellent read. I've spent so much time focusing on Obama and what he was able to accomplish, the way in which he wore his duties easily, his elegance, his style, his brilliance and confidence. So to be awakened to the lives Michelle touched as "mom in chief," First Lady, consummate hugger, and public figure was a delight. Her grace, humor, and resolve in the face of truly disgusting criticism and endless attempts to figuratively constrain her as a woman (and an unrepentant Black woman at that) has been truly and utterly amazing, a feat that few could manage successfully. Michelle is a revelation.
November 2, 2016
"The Meaning of Michelle" is a collection of essays on First Lady Michelle Obama. The essays in this book discuss race, class, marriage, creativity, fashion, fitness, womanhood and what it means to be American today. Some are very well written, others less so. But all in all, this was an interesting look into the effect Michelle Obama has had on our consciousness.
Michelle is an American Icon, not just because she is First Lady, but because she has redefined womanhood for American women. She is intelligent, well educated, outspoken, fashionable, and strong... and perhaps most important, down to earth and relatable. She likes to call herself "mom-in-chief" rather than First Lady, because being a mom is at the core of who she is.
I feel Michelle has broken the mold as First Lady. Not only because she is the first Black woman to be First Lady (though that is certainly historic!), but also because she is one of the most educated women to take on that role. But even more than that, she is has redefined the role of first lady in a very modern way. It is obvious her marriage to Barack is one of equality and respect-- they stand on equal footing, eye to eye. (literally!)
For me personally, she is the first of my generational "peers" to be First Lady. Michelle and I are mere months a part in age. I have friends who attended school with her.
This book is a quick read and one I enjoyed. I would most definitely recommend it to friends. Thank you, NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for allowing me to read an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Michelle is an American Icon, not just because she is First Lady, but because she has redefined womanhood for American women. She is intelligent, well educated, outspoken, fashionable, and strong... and perhaps most important, down to earth and relatable. She likes to call herself "mom-in-chief" rather than First Lady, because being a mom is at the core of who she is.
I feel Michelle has broken the mold as First Lady. Not only because she is the first Black woman to be First Lady (though that is certainly historic!), but also because she is one of the most educated women to take on that role. But even more than that, she is has redefined the role of first lady in a very modern way. It is obvious her marriage to Barack is one of equality and respect-- they stand on equal footing, eye to eye. (literally!)
For me personally, she is the first of my generational "peers" to be First Lady. Michelle and I are mere months a part in age. I have friends who attended school with her.
This book is a quick read and one I enjoyed. I would most definitely recommend it to friends. Thank you, NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for allowing me to read an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
October 15, 2017
Ugh, Michelle Obama, we didn't deserve you. 😭
I'd been looking forward to reading this book for months and I finally got my hands on a library copy. I enjoyed reading most of these essays. A majority of them were written by black women, bringing an important perspective to the conversation and voices we need more of in general. A few of the essays were a miss for me (Marcus Samuelsson's was probably my least favorite—it seemed so out of place and felt like it was just about him rather than Obama) but the book is still worth reading.
I'd been looking forward to reading this book for months and I finally got my hands on a library copy. I enjoyed reading most of these essays. A majority of them were written by black women, bringing an important perspective to the conversation and voices we need more of in general. A few of the essays were a miss for me (Marcus Samuelsson's was probably my least favorite—it seemed so out of place and felt like it was just about him rather than Obama) but the book is still worth reading.
March 10, 2017
Long live Michelle. ❤️
May 17, 2017
Fascinating variety of ideas.
December 14, 2016
A bittersweet love letter to the outgoing FLOTUS.
(Full disclosure: I received a free electronic ARC for review through NetGalley. Trigger warning for discussions of racism and misogyny.)
Barack and Michelle Obama served this country for two terms as President and First Lady of the United States of America. Imagine that. America shaped in the image of a black man—with a black woman by his side. Even after eight years of watching them daily in the press, the fact that the most powerful man in the world is a Black man is still breathtaking to me. The fact that he goes home to a tight-knit, loving family headed by a Black woman is soul-stirring. That woman is Michelle. Michelle! That name now carries a whole world of meaning. And a whole world of memory. And a whole world of a magic.
("Preface," Ava Duvernay)
Thank you, Michelle, for showing a generation of women, including me and my daughter, what it means to dwell in possibility.
(“Acknowledgements,” Veronica Chambers)
For all of my adult life - the entire time I've been paying attention to politics, really - I've vastly preferred our president's wives over their husbands: Hillary Clinton, Laura Bush, and now Michelle Obama. (The same will probably hold true of Melania, but it's an impossibly low bar, okay.) No matter their political allegiances, the FLOTUSes (FLOTI?) tend to be a least a shade more progressive than their men, especially when it comes to "women's issues" like reproductive freedom. Not that they're allowed to voice these views: American prefers its First Ladies be seen, not heard, functioning as little more than their husbands' appendages or cheerleaders. "Stepford Wives-in-Chief," Tiffany Dufu puts it. Remember how viciously then-FLOTUS Hillary was shot down for daring to advance health care reform?
Michelle Obama is in a league of her own, though. Like many Americans, I was captivated with her from Day 1. I loved that she refused to play the role of the bland, devoted wife; a blank canvas onto which Americans/voters could project their versions of ideal femininity. She spoke of Barack like he was a regular guy, rather than an up-and-coming rockstar politician. Yet it was evident that these two crazy kids were deeply in love. She (and her family) was a lightning rod for every bit of racist and sexist excrement the right could throw at her, yet Michelle handled it with grace and finesse. We watched as Lady O. - and her style - evolved from first to second term; she went from high-power lawyer to high-fashion mom, as described by Tanisha C. Ford ("She Slays"). She had fun, was comfortable in her skin, and was perfectly imperfect.
My love for her grew in leaps and bound when she hit the campaign trail for Hillary Clinton. Her emotional speech at the DNC brought tears to my eyes; a few months later, her astute and impassioned commentary on Drumpf's misogyny - including multiple allegations of sexual assault, spanning decades - had me pumping my fist in the air and shouting words of support at the screen. I found myself wishing that Michelle would run for president one day - except that, seeing how horribly Hillary was treated, I wouldn't wish that on my worst enemy, let alone a BAMF like Michelle.
Reading The Meaning of Michelle was a bittersweet experience. The thing is, though, the bitterness is something I projected onto it: Most of these essays were written prior to the election, when a Clinton victory seemed all but assured. While it's sad to see the first black family to ever occupy the White House go, this disappointment might have been tempered by another first: the inauguration of a woman. But nope. Instead we're stuck with a dangerously unqualified and possibly unstable candidate who traded on racism, xeonohobia, misogyny, and white supremacy, all disguised as "populism" - and rode the wave of a backlash against the first black president, to boot. I'm really curious to see if any of these pieces will be updated for the final copy - or whether the tone of Roxane Gay's last-minute addition will be noticeably different in tone from the other essays.
The fifteen essays I read run the gamut; in the intro, editor Veronica Chambers describes the anthology as "less an intellectual analysis of Michelle Obama as First Lady and more a series of musings, reminiscences, and pash notes to Michelle Obama as homegirl, the woman who (alongside Mindy Kaling) we all want to be friends with." Some of the contributors have had the pleasure of meeting (or even cooking or performing for) Michelle Obama, while others have (like most of us) only admired her from afar. Fashion, motherhood, her working-class roots in Chicago, her friendship with Beyoncé, her anti-childhood obesity campaign Let’s Move!, even her iconic arms - all are topics rife for discussion. (It always comes back to the arms!)
Perhaps unsurprisingly, the essays are quite personal, with some saying more about the writer than Michelle herself; sometimes this works quite well, other times not so much.
An example of the former is "The Freedom to Be Yourself," in which Karen Hill Anton addresses Michelle directly, as one American to another: an expatriate who relocated to Japan forty years ago and 'just never left,' and the First Lady who reminded her of the promise - and peril - of her birth land. In Michelle's vegetable garden - "the first garden on those grounds since the Victory Gardens of World War 2" - Hill Anton is reminded of the Japanese approach to eating, and of preparing her children's obento boxes for school. ("My children held me to a strict standard, and youngest daughter Lila would often draw diagrams for the obento layout!") Yet she's also reminded of the price Americans pay for their freedoms, every time the echoes of the latest mass shooting reverberate in her community, some 6,296 miles away. And she sees a kinship between Michelle Obama and Crown Princess Masako, who's also expected to conform to the narrow limits of her role.
On the other end of the spectrum, Cathi Hanauer (aka "Mrs. Modern Love") likens her career trajectory - which includes opting out to take care of the kids and "Becoming the Wife" in the relationship - to that of Michelle's, with so-so results. (The comparison felt like a bit of a stretch for me.)
Thankfully, the duds are mostly few and far between; I enjoyed most of the essays, including those written by folks who maybe don't write professionally for a living. See, e.g., "Cooking with a Narrative." Penned by Marcus Samuelsson - who helped plan and prepare the first state dinner - the essay is an interesting and unexpected look at the importance of food to setting the tone and telling a story. Every item on the menu, from the collard greens and cornbread to the chapati and chickpeas, was chosen with a certain narrative in mind: "There were a lot of things that had never happened before. There’s never been a bread course. I thought: What would be better than for 400 people who really didn’t know each other to be able to pass the bread? Now we’re breaking bread."
Likewise, Tanisha C. Ford's "She Slays: Michelle Obama & the Power of Dressing Like You Mean It" offers myriad insights into the power of fashion to shape public perception and advance certain narratives. As someone whose closet is stuffed mostly with cotton pants, t-shirts, and hoodies, fashion isn't something I spend a whole lot of time thinking about. But Ford challenges us to view Michelle's evolution over the past eight years through the lens of fashion. Her clothing choices, Ford argues, reflect the changing roles Michelle has assumed as FLOTUS, and reflect her comfort in her own (black) skin.
Also worth a mention is Damon Young's "Crushing on Michelle: Or the Unapologetic Power of Blackness," in which he relates how Michelle's love of Barack won him over to the then-Senator's camp: "We weren’t just voting for Barack. We desired to see Barack and Michelle (and Sasha and Malia) in the White House." Elsewhere, Brittney Cooper turns her lens on Michelle and Beyoncé's mutual appreciation, examines why this friendship veers a little toward the unconventional, and explores how both women's images flip to script ("Lady O and King Bey"). And of course the preface by Ava Duvernay is just excellent.
BookRiot named The Meaning of Michelle one of "11 Books to Help Us Make It Through a Drumpf Presidency," a designation that's fitting AF. (Pro tip: The Fire This Time is a must as well!) More than once I found myself diving for the Kleenex and wishing that the U.S. didn't have term limits.
Karen Hill Anton captured it best (in calligraphy, no less): Ichi go ichi e. Treasure this moment, it will never come again.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Preface AVA DUVERNAY
Introduction: Homegirls VERONICA CHAMBERS
Michelle in High Cotton BENILDE LITTLE
Crushing on Michelle: Or the Unapologetic Power of Blackness DAMON YOUNG
The Composer and the Brain: A Conversation about Music, Marriage, Power, Creativity, Partnership … and the Obamas ALICIA HALL MORAN AND JASON MORAN
Lady O and King Bey BRITTNEY COOPER
We Go Way Back YLONDA GAULT CAVINESS
Two Black First Ladies Walk into a Room CHIRLANE MCCRAY
Becoming the Wife CATHI HANAUER
On Being Flawlessly Imperfect TIFFANY DUFU
She Slays: Michelle Obama & the Power of Dressing Like You Mean It TANISHA FORD
Cooking with a Narrative MARCUS SAMUELSSON
Michelle Obama: Representational Justice SARAH LEWIS
The Freedom to Be Yourself KAREN HILL ANTON
She Loves Herself When She Is Laughing: Michelle Obama, Taking Down a Stereotype and Co-Creating a Presidency REBECCA CARROLL
The Best of Wives and Best of Women PHILLIPA SOO
Essay TK ROXANE GAY
Contributor
Biographies
Acknowledgments
Notes
(Full disclosure: I received a free electronic ARC for review through NetGalley. Trigger warning for discussions of racism and misogyny.)
Barack and Michelle Obama served this country for two terms as President and First Lady of the United States of America. Imagine that. America shaped in the image of a black man—with a black woman by his side. Even after eight years of watching them daily in the press, the fact that the most powerful man in the world is a Black man is still breathtaking to me. The fact that he goes home to a tight-knit, loving family headed by a Black woman is soul-stirring. That woman is Michelle. Michelle! That name now carries a whole world of meaning. And a whole world of memory. And a whole world of a magic.
("Preface," Ava Duvernay)
Thank you, Michelle, for showing a generation of women, including me and my daughter, what it means to dwell in possibility.
(“Acknowledgements,” Veronica Chambers)
For all of my adult life - the entire time I've been paying attention to politics, really - I've vastly preferred our president's wives over their husbands: Hillary Clinton, Laura Bush, and now Michelle Obama. (The same will probably hold true of Melania, but it's an impossibly low bar, okay.) No matter their political allegiances, the FLOTUSes (FLOTI?) tend to be a least a shade more progressive than their men, especially when it comes to "women's issues" like reproductive freedom. Not that they're allowed to voice these views: American prefers its First Ladies be seen, not heard, functioning as little more than their husbands' appendages or cheerleaders. "Stepford Wives-in-Chief," Tiffany Dufu puts it. Remember how viciously then-FLOTUS Hillary was shot down for daring to advance health care reform?
Michelle Obama is in a league of her own, though. Like many Americans, I was captivated with her from Day 1. I loved that she refused to play the role of the bland, devoted wife; a blank canvas onto which Americans/voters could project their versions of ideal femininity. She spoke of Barack like he was a regular guy, rather than an up-and-coming rockstar politician. Yet it was evident that these two crazy kids were deeply in love. She (and her family) was a lightning rod for every bit of racist and sexist excrement the right could throw at her, yet Michelle handled it with grace and finesse. We watched as Lady O. - and her style - evolved from first to second term; she went from high-power lawyer to high-fashion mom, as described by Tanisha C. Ford ("She Slays"). She had fun, was comfortable in her skin, and was perfectly imperfect.
My love for her grew in leaps and bound when she hit the campaign trail for Hillary Clinton. Her emotional speech at the DNC brought tears to my eyes; a few months later, her astute and impassioned commentary on Drumpf's misogyny - including multiple allegations of sexual assault, spanning decades - had me pumping my fist in the air and shouting words of support at the screen. I found myself wishing that Michelle would run for president one day - except that, seeing how horribly Hillary was treated, I wouldn't wish that on my worst enemy, let alone a BAMF like Michelle.
Reading The Meaning of Michelle was a bittersweet experience. The thing is, though, the bitterness is something I projected onto it: Most of these essays were written prior to the election, when a Clinton victory seemed all but assured. While it's sad to see the first black family to ever occupy the White House go, this disappointment might have been tempered by another first: the inauguration of a woman. But nope. Instead we're stuck with a dangerously unqualified and possibly unstable candidate who traded on racism, xeonohobia, misogyny, and white supremacy, all disguised as "populism" - and rode the wave of a backlash against the first black president, to boot. I'm really curious to see if any of these pieces will be updated for the final copy - or whether the tone of Roxane Gay's last-minute addition will be noticeably different in tone from the other essays.
The fifteen essays I read run the gamut; in the intro, editor Veronica Chambers describes the anthology as "less an intellectual analysis of Michelle Obama as First Lady and more a series of musings, reminiscences, and pash notes to Michelle Obama as homegirl, the woman who (alongside Mindy Kaling) we all want to be friends with." Some of the contributors have had the pleasure of meeting (or even cooking or performing for) Michelle Obama, while others have (like most of us) only admired her from afar. Fashion, motherhood, her working-class roots in Chicago, her friendship with Beyoncé, her anti-childhood obesity campaign Let’s Move!, even her iconic arms - all are topics rife for discussion. (It always comes back to the arms!)
Perhaps unsurprisingly, the essays are quite personal, with some saying more about the writer than Michelle herself; sometimes this works quite well, other times not so much.
An example of the former is "The Freedom to Be Yourself," in which Karen Hill Anton addresses Michelle directly, as one American to another: an expatriate who relocated to Japan forty years ago and 'just never left,' and the First Lady who reminded her of the promise - and peril - of her birth land. In Michelle's vegetable garden - "the first garden on those grounds since the Victory Gardens of World War 2" - Hill Anton is reminded of the Japanese approach to eating, and of preparing her children's obento boxes for school. ("My children held me to a strict standard, and youngest daughter Lila would often draw diagrams for the obento layout!") Yet she's also reminded of the price Americans pay for their freedoms, every time the echoes of the latest mass shooting reverberate in her community, some 6,296 miles away. And she sees a kinship between Michelle Obama and Crown Princess Masako, who's also expected to conform to the narrow limits of her role.
On the other end of the spectrum, Cathi Hanauer (aka "Mrs. Modern Love") likens her career trajectory - which includes opting out to take care of the kids and "Becoming the Wife" in the relationship - to that of Michelle's, with so-so results. (The comparison felt like a bit of a stretch for me.)
Thankfully, the duds are mostly few and far between; I enjoyed most of the essays, including those written by folks who maybe don't write professionally for a living. See, e.g., "Cooking with a Narrative." Penned by Marcus Samuelsson - who helped plan and prepare the first state dinner - the essay is an interesting and unexpected look at the importance of food to setting the tone and telling a story. Every item on the menu, from the collard greens and cornbread to the chapati and chickpeas, was chosen with a certain narrative in mind: "There were a lot of things that had never happened before. There’s never been a bread course. I thought: What would be better than for 400 people who really didn’t know each other to be able to pass the bread? Now we’re breaking bread."
Likewise, Tanisha C. Ford's "She Slays: Michelle Obama & the Power of Dressing Like You Mean It" offers myriad insights into the power of fashion to shape public perception and advance certain narratives. As someone whose closet is stuffed mostly with cotton pants, t-shirts, and hoodies, fashion isn't something I spend a whole lot of time thinking about. But Ford challenges us to view Michelle's evolution over the past eight years through the lens of fashion. Her clothing choices, Ford argues, reflect the changing roles Michelle has assumed as FLOTUS, and reflect her comfort in her own (black) skin.
Also worth a mention is Damon Young's "Crushing on Michelle: Or the Unapologetic Power of Blackness," in which he relates how Michelle's love of Barack won him over to the then-Senator's camp: "We weren’t just voting for Barack. We desired to see Barack and Michelle (and Sasha and Malia) in the White House." Elsewhere, Brittney Cooper turns her lens on Michelle and Beyoncé's mutual appreciation, examines why this friendship veers a little toward the unconventional, and explores how both women's images flip to script ("Lady O and King Bey"). And of course the preface by Ava Duvernay is just excellent.
BookRiot named The Meaning of Michelle one of "11 Books to Help Us Make It Through a Drumpf Presidency," a designation that's fitting AF. (Pro tip: The Fire This Time is a must as well!) More than once I found myself diving for the Kleenex and wishing that the U.S. didn't have term limits.
Karen Hill Anton captured it best (in calligraphy, no less): Ichi go ichi e. Treasure this moment, it will never come again.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Preface AVA DUVERNAY
Introduction: Homegirls VERONICA CHAMBERS
Michelle in High Cotton BENILDE LITTLE
Crushing on Michelle: Or the Unapologetic Power of Blackness DAMON YOUNG
The Composer and the Brain: A Conversation about Music, Marriage, Power, Creativity, Partnership … and the Obamas ALICIA HALL MORAN AND JASON MORAN
Lady O and King Bey BRITTNEY COOPER
We Go Way Back YLONDA GAULT CAVINESS
Two Black First Ladies Walk into a Room CHIRLANE MCCRAY
Becoming the Wife CATHI HANAUER
On Being Flawlessly Imperfect TIFFANY DUFU
She Slays: Michelle Obama & the Power of Dressing Like You Mean It TANISHA FORD
Cooking with a Narrative MARCUS SAMUELSSON
Michelle Obama: Representational Justice SARAH LEWIS
The Freedom to Be Yourself KAREN HILL ANTON
She Loves Herself When She Is Laughing: Michelle Obama, Taking Down a Stereotype and Co-Creating a Presidency REBECCA CARROLL
The Best of Wives and Best of Women PHILLIPA SOO
Essay TK ROXANE GAY
Contributor
Biographies
Acknowledgments
Notes
Read
February 22, 2018This was for book club. Didn’t get all the way thru it. I never want to read 40 think pieces on Mrs Obama ever again.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 21, 2018
It was a nice read, a collection of essays in which 16 different author tell they inspiration and meaning of Michelle Obama.
Michelle Obama-wife, mother, lawyer, first lady, woman.
In no particular order I see her as all of these things at once and sometimes as just one, and at all times as inspiration.
It was nice to read how and what she means the other people. It has NOT change mine opinion about her, I already liked her.
Maybe to me she was and is more then just first lady( I am not an American). To me she means a woman, a strong woman, a strong smart woman. She never was a wife of Barack, or just that. She is her own force. It was a joy to watch and learn from her while she was at the White House. I am looking forward to greatness in the future she will bring to all of us.
"Let's be very clear: Strong men - men who are truly role models - don't need to put down women to make themselves feel powerful. People who are truly strong lift others up. People who are truly powerful bring others together."
"I have learned that as long as I hold fast to my beliefs and values - and follow my own moral compass - then the only expectations I need to live up to are my own."
"You don't have to be somebody different to be important. You're important in your own right."
Michelle Obama-wife, mother, lawyer, first lady, woman.
In no particular order I see her as all of these things at once and sometimes as just one, and at all times as inspiration.
It was nice to read how and what she means the other people. It has NOT change mine opinion about her, I already liked her.
Maybe to me she was and is more then just first lady( I am not an American). To me she means a woman, a strong woman, a strong smart woman. She never was a wife of Barack, or just that. She is her own force. It was a joy to watch and learn from her while she was at the White House. I am looking forward to greatness in the future she will bring to all of us.
"Let's be very clear: Strong men - men who are truly role models - don't need to put down women to make themselves feel powerful. People who are truly strong lift others up. People who are truly powerful bring others together."
"I have learned that as long as I hold fast to my beliefs and values - and follow my own moral compass - then the only expectations I need to live up to are my own."
"You don't have to be somebody different to be important. You're important in your own right."
December 29, 2017
From 2008 through 2017 Michelle Obama became an American icon. Not only by being FLOTUS, but because she somehow redefined womanhood for American women of all races and colors. The essays between these pages discuss how Michelle Obama affected the collective American and international consciousness on American women. Particularly American women of color. All these essays deliver a unique view on how Michelle's position has affected the writer. Essays on race, class, marriage, art, food, fashion, fitness, education, womanhood, citizenship, and being true to yourself all lay between these covers. My own personal journey in relationship to Michelle Obama is reflected within fragments of these texts here and there. I can relate to all the words being said here on some level. But what astounds me the most are the differing perspectives and viewpoints which I am finding I can relate to!
Throughout their essays our writers cover the gamut. There is so much to learn within these pages, both about Michelle Obama and the affections and reflections she directly or indirectly caused in the essayists lives. We are treated to personal stories about the postponement of ambitions and dreams women often give to support their spouses. We better understand what it means to be a black woman and why Michelle Obama's "flawlessly imperfect" ability to be herself was so critical to women of all colors. We are treated to the emotional anxiety and exactness required to prepare a state dinner. We begin to understand the hope the Obama presidency gave our country, particularly towards a future where racial injustices are rare. The feelings of hope, pride, and empowerment radiate through these pages in an addicting pattern.
Reading this collection now, as we near the end of Donald Trump's first year in office as President of the United States was a bit bittersweet. This was certainly a walk down memory lane for me. There are so many ways in which Michelle Obama affected and inspired me personally! I loved getting lost in the hope and nostalgia during a time where I rarely can find such tied together, particularly when it comes to politics. But, closing these pages also reminded me of the current state of my country. There is no one I currently feel is a role model for me in our political leadership. But I have hope. That's the whole point, isn't it? Michelle Obama's journey is hardly over. I cannot wait to see what she does next.
Throughout their essays our writers cover the gamut. There is so much to learn within these pages, both about Michelle Obama and the affections and reflections she directly or indirectly caused in the essayists lives. We are treated to personal stories about the postponement of ambitions and dreams women often give to support their spouses. We better understand what it means to be a black woman and why Michelle Obama's "flawlessly imperfect" ability to be herself was so critical to women of all colors. We are treated to the emotional anxiety and exactness required to prepare a state dinner. We begin to understand the hope the Obama presidency gave our country, particularly towards a future where racial injustices are rare. The feelings of hope, pride, and empowerment radiate through these pages in an addicting pattern.
Reading this collection now, as we near the end of Donald Trump's first year in office as President of the United States was a bit bittersweet. This was certainly a walk down memory lane for me. There are so many ways in which Michelle Obama affected and inspired me personally! I loved getting lost in the hope and nostalgia during a time where I rarely can find such tied together, particularly when it comes to politics. But, closing these pages also reminded me of the current state of my country. There is no one I currently feel is a role model for me in our political leadership. But I have hope. That's the whole point, isn't it? Michelle Obama's journey is hardly over. I cannot wait to see what she does next.
May 12, 2017
Overall this collection of essays about Michelle Obama is great and wonderful........but there are two writers who I can't help but point out how terrible they were for this collection. Both of them, instead of writing about Michelle Obama seemed to get high off the aroma of their own farts while patting themselves on the back.
Cathi Hanauer- She actually starts her essay but stating "The truth is, I don't know much about Michelle Obama." Boy does that show. As if her mediocre writing isn't painful enough, we're treated to a woman rambling endlessly about meeting her husband and the struggles they go through. I get the sense that she was just rambling endlessly about herself, looked at the cover for this book and at the end mumbles something about Michelle and Barack and the struggles they've come up against. Awful awful. If you're dull enough to the point where you laugh at reruns of Ellen, you might like this one.
Karen Hill Anton- O boy this condescending cunt......
To start off Karen rambles endlessly about being born in America and living in Japan for the last 30-35 years of her life to the point where something as cool as living in Japan loses all its appeal and originality. She is such a dull and boring human being that this "Oh my god I lived in America.......but now I live in Japan" is such a crutch for her. As if this wasn't painful enough she has a real high and mighty attitude about living in a country that has gun control, where a handgun is illegal, where there were 0 gun deaths in 2013. This part where she rambles about gun control was last relevant and tolerable in 2012 and is just painfully annoying in a time where Donald Trump is president and you'd welcome being in a room where a mass shooting is apart to go down.
Overall great book, and if you avoid these two women who seem to only want to speak of themselves and not Michelle Obama, perfect.
Cathi Hanauer- She actually starts her essay but stating "The truth is, I don't know much about Michelle Obama." Boy does that show. As if her mediocre writing isn't painful enough, we're treated to a woman rambling endlessly about meeting her husband and the struggles they go through. I get the sense that she was just rambling endlessly about herself, looked at the cover for this book and at the end mumbles something about Michelle and Barack and the struggles they've come up against. Awful awful. If you're dull enough to the point where you laugh at reruns of Ellen, you might like this one.
Karen Hill Anton- O boy this condescending cunt......
To start off Karen rambles endlessly about being born in America and living in Japan for the last 30-35 years of her life to the point where something as cool as living in Japan loses all its appeal and originality. She is such a dull and boring human being that this "Oh my god I lived in America.......but now I live in Japan" is such a crutch for her. As if this wasn't painful enough she has a real high and mighty attitude about living in a country that has gun control, where a handgun is illegal, where there were 0 gun deaths in 2013. This part where she rambles about gun control was last relevant and tolerable in 2012 and is just painfully annoying in a time where Donald Trump is president and you'd welcome being in a room where a mass shooting is apart to go down.
Overall great book, and if you avoid these two women who seem to only want to speak of themselves and not Michelle Obama, perfect.
February 7, 2017
I'd probably rate this a 2 or 2.5, but being a bit more generous because of the subject matter. I think Michelle Obama deserves lots of thought and good writing, and I look forward to seeing more of it.
These essays are informational and mostly, not personal enough to demonstrate what we feel losing her as our First Lady. They fall a bit flat and seem superficial. A couple of them shone, though, and the book opens up with them.
Benilde Little's Michelle in High Cotton discusses how she relates to Michelle Obama by talking through how, "She's just like me." This lovely piece shares how she represents blackness, midwestern (Chicago) urban background, and her strength as a partner in marriage. Though the piece is fresh, it doesn't condescend to its readers.
In Crushing on Michelle, Damon Young, pays genuine tribute to Michelle Obama as a black woman and all the represents for him. His piece is touching and impactful, and I appreciate how he described Barack Obama as his type of president by his ability to make Michelle Obama fall in love and marry him.
The piece written by Alicia Hall Moran and Jason Moran makes up for in content what it lacks in style or structure. Their remembered experiences of the Obamas add to the idea that the Obamas are solid examples of marriage and partners for them.
Lady O and King Bey was written by Brittney Cooper. In it she talks about the respectability politics that were inherent in Michelle Obama's position as First Lady and juxtaposes that with her friendship and admiration for Beyoncé. This is a strong piece that demonstrates the importance, both personally and publicly, of this alliance.
The rest of the pieces are solid, but they just didn't resonate with me.
These essays are informational and mostly, not personal enough to demonstrate what we feel losing her as our First Lady. They fall a bit flat and seem superficial. A couple of them shone, though, and the book opens up with them.
Benilde Little's Michelle in High Cotton discusses how she relates to Michelle Obama by talking through how, "She's just like me." This lovely piece shares how she represents blackness, midwestern (Chicago) urban background, and her strength as a partner in marriage. Though the piece is fresh, it doesn't condescend to its readers.
In Crushing on Michelle, Damon Young, pays genuine tribute to Michelle Obama as a black woman and all the represents for him. His piece is touching and impactful, and I appreciate how he described Barack Obama as his type of president by his ability to make Michelle Obama fall in love and marry him.
The piece written by Alicia Hall Moran and Jason Moran makes up for in content what it lacks in style or structure. Their remembered experiences of the Obamas add to the idea that the Obamas are solid examples of marriage and partners for them.
Lady O and King Bey was written by Brittney Cooper. In it she talks about the respectability politics that were inherent in Michelle Obama's position as First Lady and juxtaposes that with her friendship and admiration for Beyoncé. This is a strong piece that demonstrates the importance, both personally and publicly, of this alliance.
The rest of the pieces are solid, but they just didn't resonate with me.
December 16, 2017
I enjoyed this book, and my main complaint is that I wish it had been longer. The reflections from most of the contributors matched my own feelings regarding what "Aunty" Michelle's tenure as FLOTUS meant. Roxanne Gay's essay was one of my faves. If I could pick and choose Michelle's next steps, I'd also choose to have her get involved in highlighting the emotional well-being of black girls and women. It's an oft-overlooked topic that will probably gain more publicity soon. Michelle has always seemed so confident in her own being that it would seem so natural for her focus on this.
I have so many other thoughts and feelings on what the past 8 years have meant to me. If I had to pick two things that really resonated with me about Michelle they would be:
Her honesty. She never seemed afraid to say what was on her mind even when she'd get vilified for it.
Secondly, she became my "mommy model" when she essentially admitted that she couldn't do it all when it came to the rigors of motherhood + being the FLOTUS. I think it's very challenging for women to reckon with the fact that we CANNOT do it all. I admired Michelle so much for this and it helped me understand that trying to do it all should not be something I strive for
I have so many other thoughts and feelings on what the past 8 years have meant to me. If I had to pick two things that really resonated with me about Michelle they would be:
Her honesty. She never seemed afraid to say what was on her mind even when she'd get vilified for it.
Secondly, she became my "mommy model" when she essentially admitted that she couldn't do it all when it came to the rigors of motherhood + being the FLOTUS. I think it's very challenging for women to reckon with the fact that we CANNOT do it all. I admired Michelle so much for this and it helped me understand that trying to do it all should not be something I strive for
November 20, 2016
Provided by NetGalley for an honest review
This is a brilliant anthology. The essays are diverse and insightful. A few are better than the others and all of them revolve around Michelle Obama.
Most of these essays are written by Black people and I write that this way because that's the way they are referred to in each of the essays. Their take is from the Black perspective and a lot of it will resonate with anyone who has grown up in a western country but is a minority. Straddling the two worlds is enormously hard and finding your identity within both is even more difficult. Michelle Obama has succeeded in this and has become a role model for all young girls out there. Know yourself, know your worth. Be you.
I loved reading about this amazing woman and would love to read something that she has penned herself about her life.
Well worth a read.
This is a brilliant anthology. The essays are diverse and insightful. A few are better than the others and all of them revolve around Michelle Obama.
Most of these essays are written by Black people and I write that this way because that's the way they are referred to in each of the essays. Their take is from the Black perspective and a lot of it will resonate with anyone who has grown up in a western country but is a minority. Straddling the two worlds is enormously hard and finding your identity within both is even more difficult. Michelle Obama has succeeded in this and has become a role model for all young girls out there. Know yourself, know your worth. Be you.
I loved reading about this amazing woman and would love to read something that she has penned herself about her life.
Well worth a read.
December 8, 2017
First of all, I definitely give 5 stars for Michelle! The book is maybe more like 4, but personally I needed it right now!
I really enjoyed reading this collection of essays by so many voices I admire. There was one or maybe two chapters towards the middle I could have skipped. I could also see that maybe there are a few moments that feel repetitive, but I could read about her all day and she’s so important so I embrace it.
Parts felt conversational, some moments felt obvious, some really blew me away.
Don’t miss Ava’s intro, the chapter which talks about my love Zora Neale Hurston, and Roxanne Gay’s concluding essay.
I can see this as one to come back to again. It feels like a complication of convos we’ve all been having, some new insights, and an invitation as that this is only the beginning.
I really enjoyed reading this collection of essays by so many voices I admire. There was one or maybe two chapters towards the middle I could have skipped. I could also see that maybe there are a few moments that feel repetitive, but I could read about her all day and she’s so important so I embrace it.
Parts felt conversational, some moments felt obvious, some really blew me away.
Don’t miss Ava’s intro, the chapter which talks about my love Zora Neale Hurston, and Roxanne Gay’s concluding essay.
I can see this as one to come back to again. It feels like a complication of convos we’ve all been having, some new insights, and an invitation as that this is only the beginning.
February 1, 2017
4.5 stars
The first half of the book was a love letter. The essays do put to words what so many feel about Michelle Obama, especially black women. Some essays were a little off mark - I thought Cathi Hanauer and Marcus Samuelson's essays were self-aggrandizing. (More so Hanauer, her essay could have been left out all together. At least Samuelson cooked at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave). The end of the books get real because they deal with race and issues with great attention and consideration - Sarah Lewis, Karen Hill Anton and Rebecca Carroll's essays are most noteworthy. The book ends with an essay from literary eeyore Roxane Gay, but she ends the book out with great consideration and champion for black women. Great book. Highly recommend it for any Michelle Obama fan or history enthusiast.
The first half of the book was a love letter. The essays do put to words what so many feel about Michelle Obama, especially black women. Some essays were a little off mark - I thought Cathi Hanauer and Marcus Samuelson's essays were self-aggrandizing. (More so Hanauer, her essay could have been left out all together. At least Samuelson cooked at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave). The end of the books get real because they deal with race and issues with great attention and consideration - Sarah Lewis, Karen Hill Anton and Rebecca Carroll's essays are most noteworthy. The book ends with an essay from literary eeyore Roxane Gay, but she ends the book out with great consideration and champion for black women. Great book. Highly recommend it for any Michelle Obama fan or history enthusiast.
December 29, 2017
I really enjoyed this book. It is a short anthropology on the life of Michelle Obama's pre-entry/entry into politics as the wife of a politician. The course of the book is 16 essays from a wide range of people, but in this you get to truly understand the brilliance, intellect, and truth that Michelle has embodied since Princeton. It's not often you get Michelle without Obama, but that's precisely why I enjoyed this book. As much as I love both Obamas' it was Michelle that I never really knew about. And this book fleshes her out really well with 16 distinct personalities that have each found an inkling and trait that has inspired or moved them.
April 7, 2017
This book is a very nice tribute to Michelle Obama. It shows how much she accomplished by being her true self. However, I would have liked to have known more and less about the various writer's lives. Still, the book offers a lot of reflection and inspiration and all that is good.
November 2, 2017
I thought some of the authors just wanted to talk about themselves and didn't really know anything about Michelle. However, some of the writers are such power women and I cannot wait to check out their writing! Michelle is an inspiration. So happy I read and learned.
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