Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

I thought she did a good job of showing us the human side of who she and Barack were. If a buddy of yours grew up to become the president or first spouse, and it was sort of a fairy tale, a book like this would show the underside, or the real side, of the process. Just like Hillbilly Elegy by J.D. Vance, who was not at the time unhinged, this book shows us how some Americans "make it" from the ground up, but that it's not easy. Making it is a quicksilver process, requiring such ingredients as intelligence, timing, hard work, luck, happenstance....it's scary how many things can impede the chances of good, smart kids. Michelle Obama chronicles how she managed to make it, and she deserved her good fortune, but she would be the first to tell you a lot of it wasn't up to her. Which makes you sad about all the kids left behind. Obama is frank with kids who're struggling against the odds, but in this as in so many other issues, she doesn't get down and helpless over the burdens. She encourages us to accept what is and work around the challenges. I found that empowering. Her description of meeting and getting to know, then falling in love with, Barack, is really interesting. It was not love at first sight! They became friends, and then sweethearts, and then, over time, deeply in love. We get to see what Barack is like--truly, that's the stellar aspect of this book, it's so candid! Michelle isn't afraid to complain and speak honestly; she struggles as a young adult and a working mother, then as a political spouse. You really see the sausage-works of political campaigns. The book wasn't gripping, but it was interesting. I've always thought she was super-smart and clever, and when she said publicly that she's not overly introspective, I didn't believe her. However, by the end of the book, I wondered if it was true, because she minimized some events in her life that would have been compelling had she gone deeper. She was the first / only black woman to do X, Y, and Z. I feel quite sure she ran into a hell of a lot more obstacles than she shares, and in that sense, she kind of minimizes her astronomical climb. How many kids from less-privileged circumstances get into Princeton and Harvard, and then succeed as well as she did? And when she got hired at the white-shoe law firm, what did that really feel like? She doesn't say. A missed opportunity. There is so much to like about this book, the little vignettes about life in the White House, for example. The policy issues were less interesting; the human issues more so. All in all, a worthwhile and enjoyable read.