Enter your mobile number or email address below and we'll send you a link to download the free Kindle App. Then you can start reading Kindle books on your smartphone, tablet, or computer - no Kindle device required.

  • Apple
  • Android
  • Windows Phone
  • Android

To get the free app, enter your email address or mobile phone number.

Buy Used
$4.36
FREE Shipping on orders over $25.
Condition: Used: Very Good
Comment: A well-cared-for item that has seen limited use but remains in great condition. The item is complete, unmarked, and undamaged, but may show some limited signs of wear. Item works perfectly. Pages and dust cover are intact and not marred by notes or highlighting. The spine is undamaged.

Sorry, there was a problem.

There was an error retrieving your Wish Lists. Please try again.

Sorry, there was a problem.

List unavailable.
Have one to sell? Sell on Amazon
Flip to back Flip to front
Listen Playing... Paused   You're listening to a sample of the Audible audio edition.
Learn more
See this image

Michelle: A Biography Hardcover – October 7, 2008

3.1 out of 5 stars 61 customer reviews

See all 11 formats and editions Hide other formats and editions
Price
New from Used from
Kindle
"Please retry"
Hardcover
"Please retry"
$0.71 $0.01

Bobby Kennedy: The Making of a Liberal Icon by Larry Tye
Bobby Kennedy
The popular new release from Larry Tye. Learn more | See related books
click to open popover

Customers Viewing This Page May Be Interested In These Sponsored Links

  (What's this?)

NO_CONTENT_IN_FEATURE
New York Times best sellers
Browse the New York Times best sellers in popular categories like Fiction, Nonfiction, Picture Books and more. See more

Product Details

  • Hardcover: 224 pages
  • Publisher: Simon & Schuster; 1st Simon & Schuster Hardcover Ed edition (October 7, 2008)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 1416599436
  • ISBN-13: 978-1416599432
  • Product Dimensions: 6.1 x 0.9 x 9.2 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 15.5 ounces
  • Average Customer Review: 3.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (61 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,680,765 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customers Viewing This Page May Be Interested In These Sponsored Links

  (What's this?)

Customer Reviews

Top Customer Reviews

By M. Kooiman VINE VOICE on December 8, 2008
Format: Hardcover Vine Customer Review of Free Product ( What's this? )
I was really excited to have an opportunity to read about Michelle Obama's life. How did she get to Princeton? Harvard? As a woman and an African American she's an amazing person and I wanted to know more. This book did not answer my questions. Instead, it started with a history of Chicago. The author speculated in this portion of the book that Michelle's family lived in this house or neighborhood "according to voter registration" records. It moves (slowly) into Michelle's younger years and gives a history of the high school she attended but, again, doesn't tell you much more about Michelle than you could get from public records. There are a few quotes from students who attended the same school but not much from people who actually knew her.

The section about her college years was more about the history of African Americans at Princeton and Harvard. People interviewed for these chapters weren't Michelle Robinson Obama's friends and the chapters were actually rather negative - talking mostly about how she stuck with the other African American students. It really read more like the author had an agenda to put Michelle Obama down as someone who was extremely prejudiced instead of the amazing, intelligent woman who overcame racism to get an ivy league law degree.

The final chapters talk a lot about Barack Obama and how the two used their careers and connections to help each other. I still have most of the last chapter left to read and, honestly, I don't know if I can force myself to finish it. I'm tired of reading lines like "according to voter registration records" and "according to someone who has a website about black Americans, they think...". The author was not granted interviews with friends and family and especially not the Obama's but she chose to write the book anyway and it shows. There's very little first hand information to tell you who Michelle Obama really is.

I don't recommend this book.
Comment 18 people found this helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No Sending feedback...
Thank you for your feedback.
Sorry, we failed to record your vote. Please try again
Report abuse
Format: Hardcover Vine Customer Review of Free Product ( What's this? )
This is not the definitive biography of Michelle Obama. But it will do for now, at least until the next bio, Michelle Obama: Grace and Intelligence in a Time of Change, comes out at the end of November. (Actually, if you have Kindle you can download the newer biography now.) Liza Mundy's biography is short and padded, but I can't blame her for that. Michelle Obama is only 44 years old and while she is smart, ambitious, determined, and full of admirable qualities, the most remarkable thing she has done so far is to marry Barack Obama. It's hard to make much of a biography out of that. But Mundy has buckled down and done what she can, considering the lack of material and the fact that she wasn't able to interview Michelle Obama for this book.

Michelle and her older brother Craig grew up in Chicago and because their parents emphasized the importance of education, both of them ended up graduating from Princeton. Michelle continued on to Harvard Law School and took her law degree to various jobs in Chicago. She did well at all her jobs, but left others with the impression that she was restless and bored with those jobs, although she did quite well at all of the jobs.

I think I learned more about Barack Obama from this book than I did about Michelle. That's okay. My impression from this book is that while Michelle still hasn't found a job that she is passionate about, other than being a mother of course, she recognizes that Barack has focus and passion and wants to do what she can to help him realize his goals, for himself and for the country.

Before reading this book, I hadn't read either of Barack Obama's books, (Dreams from My Father and The Audacity of Hope), or any of the books about his life.
Read more ›
Comment 35 people found this helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No Sending feedback...
Thank you for your feedback.
Sorry, we failed to record your vote. Please try again
Report abuse
Format: Hardcover
I was so excited to read this book, but could not have been more disappointed. Unfortunately, the best part of this book was the cover. I appreciate the fact that the author did not have direct access to Michelle Obama, but what I found distasteful, were Liza Mundy's personal negative comments and conclusions that she made based on the snippets of information that she accumulated. She presented these conclusions as if they were logical, with the assurance that her readers were not bright enough to see the fallacy in her thinking and writing. I am sure that many of the people she interviewed wished they had never spoken to her. In addition to the content, the chapters were long and boring. I will recommend this book to no one, and will actively discourage readers from wasting their time on this trivia.
Comment 10 people found this helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No Sending feedback...
Thank you for your feedback.
Sorry, we failed to record your vote. Please try again
Report abuse
Format: Hardcover
The book seems like an opinion piece on Michelle, set on pointing out as many contradictions that the author can drum up. Time after time, the author points out an opinion that Michelle holds, then "innocently" sets out to prove that it is not true. It's an opinion, so it's neither true or false but the author somehow manages to note that Michelle's opinions, perceptions, or point of views are off the mark. Like another reviewer, I am forcing myself through the last pages. I am really excited about a book that actually captures Michelle's childhood and her real drive on what got her to where she is today.

On a positive note, the author does manage to piece little bits of data into an easy read.
Comment 7 people found this helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No Sending feedback...
Thank you for your feedback.
Sorry, we failed to record your vote. Please try again
Report abuse

Most Recent Customer Reviews