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Tag: Memoirs

  • Becoming Michelle Obama: 5 Details Revealed in Her Memoir

    Becoming Michelle Obama: 5 Details Revealed in Her Memoir

    Becoming Michelle Obama: 5 Details Revealed in her Memoir - Book Cover

    Michelle Obama’s memoir Becoming just dropped onto bookshelves a couple of days ago, but it’s already become a #1 national bestseller. In fact, the highly anticipated book grabbed the most pre-order sales of any new release since 2015.

    So, what will you discover in the former first lady’s intimate book?

    Let’s take a peek inside the pages. Here are five personal details from Michelle Obama’s life before and after her time in the White House — all revealed inside Becoming.

     

    1. Michelle once snuck out of the White House.

    With her daughter Malia by her side, Michelle snuck out of their presidential home after the Supreme Court made the decision to legalize gay marriage. Why? They wanted to see the White House displayed in rainbow lights. The only problem was they couldn’t get past the locked doors until some staff members helped them find an exit.

     

    2. She has some opinions about President Donald Trump.

    Michelle shares several thoughts on Donald Trump, including the one thing she’ll never excuse: questioning Barack Obama’s birth certificate.  “Donald Trump, with his loud and reckless innuendos, was putting my family’s safety at risk. And for this, I’d never forgive him,” she explains.

     

    3. What wearing that custom-made Jason Wu gown to the inaugural ball meant to her:

    “The dress resurrected the dreaminess of my family’s metamorphosis, the promise of this entire experience, transforming me if not into a full-blown ballroom princess, then at least into a woman capable of climbing onto another stage. I was now FLOTUS — First Lady of the United States — to Barack’s POTUS. It was time to celebrate.”

     

    4. Michelle opens up about her painful struggle to have children.

    In her memoir, Michelle writes about the difficulty she faced in becoming pregnant and the IVF process that followed.

    “We were trying to get pregnant and it wasn’t going well. We had one pregnancy test come back positive, which caused us both to forget every worry and swoon with joy, but a couple of weeks later I had a miscarriage, which left me physically uncomfortable and cratered any optimism we felt.”

     

    5. Her marriage takes work too.

    Even though they might look like the perfect couple from afar, the Obamas are proof that every marriage has its ups and down. Michelle digs into the details about how she attended marriage counseling with her husband to work through some of their issues. Initially, he was against seeing a therapist and thought it seemed dramatic.

    But as Michelle tell us, it later turned out to be an incredible turning point in their relationship.

    It turns out they’re more like us than we thought.

    You might be wondering if the former first lady addresses her future in politics. Will Michelle ever run for the presidency? Well, if you’ve been waiting for a Michelle in 2020 campaign, we have some bad news to tell you.

    According to the Washington Post, “I’ve never been a fan of politics, and my experience over the last ten years has done little to change that. I continue to be put off by the nastiness,” she stated.

    In the meantime, you can pick up a copy of Michelle Obama’s memoir right here at Textbook Nova.

  • 5 Famous Memoir Books Worth Reading (At Least Once)

    5 Famous Memoir Books Worth Reading (At Least Once)

    5 Famous Memoir Books Worth Reading (At Least Once): Stepping In Leaves

    Why should we read memoirs in the first place?

    Because they connect us. Hearing the true experiences of people and cultures–many are vastly different from what we know in our lives–broadens our perspective.

    Memoirs are gritty, messy, and don’t always come with a happy ending. But they can help us understand each other better. Here are five memoirs to check out the next time you need to flip your outlook on life.

     

    I Am Malala: The Girl Who Stood Up for Education and Was Shot by the Taliban, by Malala Yousafzai and Christina Lamb

    5 Famous Memoir Books Worth Reading (At Least Once): I Am Malala cover

    This is the autobiography of Malala Yousafzi, and what happened after her hometown of Swat Valley, Pakistan, was taken over by the Taliban. The youngest person to ever win a Nobel Peace Prize, Malala risked her life for the right to be educated.

    She was shot in the head at point-blank range by a terrorist on her way home from school one afternoon. No one expected the 15-year old to survive the brain injuries sustained from the attack. Malala’s story is eye-opening but full of hope and insight.

     

    The Year of Less by Cait Flanders

    5 Famous Memoir Books Worth Reading (At Least Once): The Year of Less Cover

    What happens when one twenty-something woman decides to stop shopping for an entire year? This is the story of Cait Flanders, who threw out half of her belongings and vowed to quit spending money for 12 months.

    During this year-long challenge, Cait discovers what creating a meaningful life is really about. She runs into lessons about toxic relationships, the cycle of Netflix binges, and finding joy in our careers.

     

    Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? (And Other Concerns), by Mindy Kaling

    5 Famous Memoir Books Worth Reading (At Least Once): Mindy Kaling cover

    Looking for a book you can’t put down? Mindy Kaling’s memoir is full of laughs and authenticity. Her charismatic story makes you feel like you’re sitting down with an old friend, no matter what age you are.

    Even if you don’t know of Mindy’s work or you’re not a fan of her tv shows, this book is worth a read. She tells things like it is, with an inconvenient (but relatable) tendency to blurt out whatever is on her mind at any given moment.

     

    Men We Reaped by Jesmyn Ward

    5 Famous Memoir Books Worth Reading (At Least Once): Men We Reaped Cover

    Jesmyn Ward’s intensely personal story of race, poverty, and growing up in rural Mississippi is unforgettable. She wrote this memoir while grieving the death of five men in her life in less than five years.

    She weaves the stories of this five men in between her own. The result is raw, heartbreaking, and more timely than ever during the Black Lives Matter movement.

     

    Wave by Sonali Deraniyagala

    5 Famous Memoir Books Worth Reading (At Least Once): Wave cover

    December 26, 2004, would change Sonali’s life forever. That’s when Sri Lanka was struck by an earthquake and tsunami so devastating, it’s still named one of the top-ten deadliest natural disasters in history.

    This memoir is not an easy read by any means. It’s downright painful to get through many parts of the book. Sonali lost her parents, her husbands, and her two children in the tsunami. Somehow, she survived.