Becoming (Winner Of The British Book Award 2019 (Uk)

Description: THE NO. 1 BESTSELLER - AND THE BOOK WE'LL BE GIFTING TO EVERY FAMILY MEMBER AND FRIEND THIS CHRISTMAS! BRITISH BOOK AWARDS, NON-FICTION BOOK OF THE YEAR THE SUNDAY TIMES, MEMOIR OF THE YEAR BOOKS OF THE YEAR: THE TIMES, OBSERVER, GUARDIAN, EVENING STANDARD Now in paperback featuring a new introduction by Michelle Obama, a letter from the author to her younger self, and a book club guide with 20 discussion questions and a 5-question Q&A, the intimate, powerful, and inspiring memoir by the former First Lady of the United States In her memoir, a work of deep reflection and mesmerizing storytelling, Michelle Obama invites readers 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. Review: A literary phenomenon * Guardian * Intimate, inspiring and set to become hugely influential * Sunday Times * Inspirational without trying to be . . . a coming-of-age tale, a love story and a family saga all in one -- Angie Thomas * TIME * This revealing memoir offers new insights into her upbringing on the south side of Chicago and the highs and lows of life with Barack Obama. . . Becoming is a 400-page expansion of this essential doctrine ['when they go low, we go high'], without compromising a refreshing level of honesty -- Afua Hirsch * Guardian * An inspirational memoir that also rings true -- Gaby Wood * Daily Telegraph, Five Stars * This is a rich, entertaining and candid memoir. And overall she's a fun person to sit alongside as she tells you the story of her life, warts and all. . . it is as beautifully written as any piece of fiction -- Viv Groskop * i, Five Stars * In the best moments of Becoming, the miracle of Michelle Obama arises * Vanity Fair * Obama's memoir is a genuine page-turner, full of intimacies and reflections. . . Allied to this candour is a steeliness of purpose. It is no exaggeration to say that every page of this book is, explicitly or otherwise, a reproach to Donald Trump, and a call-to-arms to those who would defeat the 45th President and all that he stands for -- Matt D'Ancona * Evening Standard * I found myself lifting my jaw from my chest at the end of every other chapter, not because of any seedy insight into stories I'd always wondered about, but because, armed as I was with knowledge about her career, her mannerisms, and even her elbow-heavy dancing, this was not the Obama I thought I knew. She was more -- Kuba Shand-Baptiste * Independent * Inspiring. . . After 421 pages of Becoming, I closed the book hoping that one day she would use her formidable intelligence, humanity - and humour - to offer a more tangible vision for how America might fight the rising tides of polarisation and hate * Financial Times * Open and engaging. . . Obama writes with candour about the good times and bad * Daily Express * Of course, Becoming is Michelle Obama's story, of how she moved from a girl on the South Side of Chicago to becoming one of the most powerful women in the world. But in the final pages of the book, Obama writes, "It's all a process, steps along a path. Becoming requires equal parts patience and rigor." Here, Obama is pushing us to reckon with our own becomings - to realise our own story and to have the power to tell it * The Pool * She's a woman we've all fallen in love with because she radiates joy and wisdom, and Becoming encapsulates this perfectly. It's also deeply honest - reading it makes you feel as though she's your close friend opening up to you * Red Online * [A] polished pearl of a memoir * New York Times * Obama writes with a refreshing candor * The Atlantic * This beautifully written memoir... Twenty-five years ago she fell in love with a driven idealist, a man determined not to accept the world as it was. She feared his forceful intellect and ambition might swallow hers; instead, she found her voice * Sunday Times * Becoming serenely balances gravity and grace, uplift and anecdote.... Becoming is frequently funny, sometimes indignant or enraged, and when Michelle describes her father's early death from multiple sclerosis it turns rawly emotional * Observer * This is a vivid and interesting account and all of that is to her credit. I certainly thought better of her by the end: she has put her heart into this * The Times * This is undeniably a political book, both a fierce critique of Donald Trump's administration's politics of hatred and a powerful remind of a better, more compassionate America * Metro * Candid, engaging. . . To read her reflections is to recall and hope for a better America. Mrs Obama pulls back the curtains around their lives in a way she could not while Mr Obama was in office. Besides her lovely turn of phrase, she is a gifted and empathetic observer * The Economist * Deeply moving. . . Becoming is fundamentally about how to be a person in the world, how to live a purposeful life, and how to use the chances you have been given * New Stateman * Her wonderful candid and affecting autobiography, Becoming. . . brims over with such emotional truthfulness. . .what a tale. With its generosity of spirit, self-knowledge and hope, it is the perfected antidote to the man who now lives in the White House. A plangent, defiant, honest and uplifting book * Sunday Telegraph, Five Stars * What a memoir. What a woman. * Spectator * This brilliantly written and emotionally authentic memoir fills in some important gaps...not just a fascinating read but a genuinely moving one too * Mail on Sunday, Five Stars * Prizes: Winner of The British Book Award 2019 (UK) and The British Book Award 2019 (UK). Author Biography: Michelle Robinson Obama served as First Lady of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A graduate of Princeton University and Harvard Law School, Mrs. Obama started her career as an attorney at the Chicago law firm Sidley & Austin, where she met her future husband, Barack Obama. She later worked in the Chicago mayor's office, at the University of Chicago, and at the University of Chicago Medical Center. Mrs. Obama also founded the Chicago chapter of Public Allies, an organization that prepares young people for careers in public service. The Obamas currently live in Washington, D.C., and have two daughters, Malia and Sasha.