In a life filled with meaning and accomplishment, Michelle Obama has emerged as one of the most iconic and compelling women of our era. As first lady of the United States of America - the first African American to serve in that role - she helped create the most welcoming and inclusive White House in history while also establishing herself as a powerful advocate for women and girls in the US and around the world, dramatically changing the ways that families pursue healthier and more active lives, and standing with her husband as he led America through some of its most harrowing moments. Along the way, she showed us a few dance moves, crushed Carpool Karaoke, and raised two down-to-earth daughters under an unforgiving media glare.

In her memoir, a work of deep reflection and mesmerizing storytelling, Michelle Obama invites listeners into her world, chronicling the experiences that have shaped her - from her childhood on the South Side of Chicago to her years as an executive balancing the demands of motherhood and work to her time spent at the world's most famous address. With unerring honesty and lively wit, she describes her triumphs and her disappointments, both public and private, telling her full story as she has lived it - in her own words and on her own terms. Warm, wise, and revelatory, Becoming is the deeply personal reckoning of a woman of soul and substance who has steadily defied expectations - and whose story inspires us to do the same.

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Listening Length	19 hours and 3 minutes
Author	Michelle Obama
Narrator	Michelle Obama
Whispersync for Voice	Ready
Audible.com Release Date	November 13, 2018
Publisher	Random House Audio
Program Type	Audiobook
Version	Unabridged
Language	English
ASIN	B07B3JQZCL
Best Sellers Rank	#15 in Audible Books & Originals (See Top 100 in Audible Books & Originals) #1 in Biographies of Politicians #1 in Political Leader Biographies #1 in Biographies of Women

Customer reviews

5 star		90%
4 star		6%
3 star		2%
2 star 0% (0%)		0%
1 star		2%

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Top reviews from the United States

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Mountain-man

Disappointed

Reviewed in the United States on December 13, 2018

Verified Purchase

Slow and boring and self boasting.

4,576 people found this helpful

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Anthony Edwards

Not worth the time if you actually want anything from the read

Reviewed in the United States on December 11, 2018

The last thing I wanted to read was a shallow minded patting on the back. I thought with the education, the time would be well spent. I was wrong.

4,326 people found this helpful

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The World’s First Lady

Reviewed in the United States on November 13, 2018

I believe I always loved Michelle Obama. Her grace and dignity always seemed to come as a gift from above. Her spirit is so incredibly deep and strong. The stories from her childhood, her brother, her neighborhood, her family, inform us in a brilliant voice about what it was like in the place and time she grew up.

Michelle Obama has the empathy and the depth of character so missing in her media portrayal. I always felt worried that we were suffocating her. But there is a Michelle Obama who is bigger than the words on a page. She knows our pains, and she understands our lives. And we know her in this book. In this most private book, we know her in a way we could not have otherwise. Interesting that nothing here surprises me, it only affirms what I felt like I know: Michelle Obama is a person like us. She worked and suffered and overcame.

Her storytelling skills are exquisite. It left me a little breathless to hear her voice, unfettered and real.

I love the photographs.

3,048 people found this helpful

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Savvy shopper

Don’t waste your money

Reviewed in the United States on December 11, 2018

Worst piece of crap ever

3,597 people found this helpful

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Deborah

A Birthday Gift

Reviewed in the United States on December 11, 2018

If you are an insomniac this book will definitely help that. A real snoozer.

3,231 people found this helpful

Helpful

DivaSoul

An Amazing Book!! Buy it now.. #Oprahsbookclub

Reviewed in the United States on November 13, 2018

Michelle Obama is my voice, a voice that may never be heard with thoughts, feelings and experiences similar to mine yet they don’t matter until now. Thank you Mrs. Obama! For being the voice of this African American woman❤️ Everyone should buy this book!

2,135 people found this helpful

Helpful

Vicki L. Dorsey

Terrible book

Reviewed in the United States on December 11, 2018

Poorly written, silly comments in bad taste, this is not a good book for a lady to read

2,443 people found this helpful

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Brenda Nelson

Great Read!!

Reviewed in the United States on November 13, 2018

Verified Purchase

I read a lot of negative reviews, but I don’t understand why. I enjoyed reading her story from her perspective. Some parts made me sad; however, I’ll always view Michelle Obama as a role model.

1,945 people found this helpful

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Top reviews from other countries

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Slipknot

Wonderful

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on November 15, 2018

Verified Purchase

I thought I couldn't love this family more, but after reading this beautiful, moving story, I know that I and millions of others were so right to have faith in these genuinely good people. I am glad that Michelle gets to have her Barack back again, but oh, how very much they are missed - especially in contrast to what came after...

168 people found this helpful

LiamKincaid

The Case for the Defense - Part 1

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 14, 2019

Verified Purchase

Michelle and her husband accomplished and overcame a lot, even before they became the First Family. I think Obama's 2008 candidacy had a lot of energy and purpose. However, after he was in office, a lot of that energy dissipated and he failed to sufficiently differentiate himself from policies left down by his predecessors in many areas. What is good about Michelle's book is most of it does not focus on each and every cranny of every year in the Presidency. Most of it is her earlier life and events. The big events in the Presidency occupy very little space. I give this book one star because of the ending. Michelle clearly is very devoted and defensive of her husband and his achievements.

As much as we may not like it or agree with it, political office holders normally pave the way for their successors (whether they intend to or not). Obama's choices paved the way for Trump to campaign and to win the Presidency, much like G W Bush's choices paved the way for Obama. Michelle is content to not interpret the results, but bash some of the electorate for not voting for a woman and for voting for someone she describes in insults. For a family that is normally revered for deep analysis of complicated issues, Michelle's writing style and choice of words on this was very disappointing and in my opinion, narrow-minded. Michelle comes across as believing America was best and meaningful when her husband was it's President. She has a hard time seeming to come to terms with the fact that people might make different choices or that she and her husband will have to leave behind the mantle of being responsible for the nation, in their respective areas.

It was a disappointing and short handed book in my mind. Fans of the Obama's will find much to enjoy, I am sure. But those who enjoy deep analysis of history, will be disappointed. I hope that Barrack's book will be more insightful and deeper (The Case for the Defense - Part 2).

145 people found this helpful

absg

Tedious to read

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on May 24, 2020

Verified Purchase

Of course, many people want to know about Michelle Obama. However, I was disappointed by this book. She writes so much about her ambition, she really got on my nerves with that. All the details where and with whom she worked on what, it was really tedious, I must say. There are many interesting bits about her private life, too. I loved reading about her childhood.
But it's not my favourite book. When I had finished it I was glad to get rid of it and pass it on to a friend.

81 people found this helpful

A. Ch Lanz

Ausdrucks- und Inhaltsstark . . . . trotzdem (oder gerade deshalb) super zu lesen

Reviewed in Germany on November 18, 2018

Verified Purchase

Michelle Obama authentisch wie eh und je ! Obwohl im Buch naturgemäß ihre optische / mimische Präsenz fehlt, schafft sie es durch Ausdruck, Inhalt, Tiefe und dem ihr eigenen gehörigen Schuß Humor und Selbstironie auf jeder Seite des Buches total präsent zu sein. Kein blablabla, kein "ach-bin-ich-wichtig" - pure Ehrlichkeit, Intelligenz und Reflektion ihres bisherigen Werdeganges . . . . . allerdings durchaus gepaart mit Reflektion der amerikanischen (und oft globalen) Wirklichkeit. Das Buch hat mir nicht nur beim Lesen wissenswerte Einblicke und viel Freude bereitet, vielmehr bin ich sicher, dass es auch mein zukünftiges Leben beeinflussen wird.

PS: Schlechte "Rezension" für reine Auslieferungsprobleme, die absolute nichts - aber auch gar nichts - mit dem Inhalt des betreffenden Buches zu tun haben sollten von Amazon vielleicht in einer Sonderrubrik gesammelt werden. Weder das Buch noch interessierte Rezension-Leser haben einen solchen Schwachsinn verdient. Wenn ein Buch durchnässt ankommt, sollte eventuell der betreffende Briefkasten / Ablageort negativ rezensiert werden, nicht aber das Buch ! ! !

172 people found this helpful

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Kitabi Keeda

It is a book that should be read by every generation to know that anything is possible.

Reviewed in India on December 11, 2018

Verified Purchase

When you read a book, a good book, you get fully engrossed in the lives of the characters. It is like a short but powerful relationship that you have with them. When you pick up a memoir by Michelle Obama, there is a lot of expectation baggage at the beginning itself.

I am a fan of team Obama. I have seen all possible YouTube videos of them; speeches, campaign footage, interviews, dances, karaoke performances, dinners, street interactions; I follow them on social media and a couple of years back I read Dreams From My Father by Barack Obama which was quite insightful as well. Despite these impressions already formed, this book made me admire and respect them even more.

In her memoir, Michelle Obama talks about the experiences in her life that made her what she is. How she became.

While political experiences are obviously a part of her narration, she does not write about politics or advocate a side. Instead, she writes about values, people, reactions, thoughts. It is really a mesmerizing story about a remarkable woman. Her not-so-privileged childhood, her struggle to balance work and motherhood and her life as the First Lady. She writes about the achievements and failures in all aspects of her life. She talks about larger issues like discrimination as well as the supposedly little things like family and love which make a difference. Surprisingly, it is relatable.

The writing is eloquent, honest and simple. It feels intimate and warm. It is a story of a woman of character and strength.

Some might say that good PR will ensure that this is how she is projected. I say. Read the book for the writing, the inspiration that comes from it. It is a book that should be read by every generation to know that anything is possible. That you must own your story. That you matter.

169 people found this helpful

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