Michelle Obama’s Memoir Becoming
I’m almost halfway through Michelle Obama’s memoir, Becoming. She’s a wonderful, entertaining writer.
Michelle Obama’s memoir Becoming
As she shares stories about meeting Barack and then falling in love, she gives us insight into both her character and his. She’s unpretenious when she talks about meeting world leaders and visiting amazing places.
I loved her comments about the visit to Kenya with Barack before they were married. On page 160 she said, “I think I arrived there naively believing that I’d feel some visceral connection to the continent I’d grown up thinking of as a sort of mythic motherland. . . But Africa, of course, owed us nothing.”
She reflects: “It’s a curious thing to realize, the in-betweenness one feels being an African American in Africa. It gave me a hard-to-explain feeling of sadness, a sense of being unrooted in both lands.”
Michelle Obama at an earlier book tour stop (CNN)
In The New York Times I found an excellent and thought-provoking book review by Isabel Wilkerson. Wilkerson says, “Michelle Obama was a descendant of the very caste of people that some of the previous first ladies had owned. She knew, as she held the Lincoln Bible at her husband’s swearing-in that frigid day in Washington, that she would be held to a different standard from that moment forward, her every gesture scrutinized.”
The reviewer offers well-deserved praise for the memoir.
The New York Times also had an interview with Obama in its “By the Book” segment. The first question is usually about what the interviewee is reading. In Obama’s list of the books on her nightstand, I’ve read two of the six, and will add Zadie Smith’s White Teeth to my books-to-read list.
Adichie and Obama at Southbank London
Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
Michelle Obama is on a book tour promoting her memoir. I read about and mentioned here an event in London on December 3, a conversation between Chimamanda Adichie and Michelle Obama.
When tickets went on sale, they sold out immediately, with hundreds still waiting in the queue!
Vogue UK reported on the event, saying “it was a night that exceeded expectation.
“As Obama was introduced on the stage by Adichie – to a soundtrack of Alicia Key’s ‘Girl on Fire’ no less – the rock-concert style euphoria emanating from the frenzied audience caused Adichie to tease the crowd, ‘Alright everyone, deep breath. She is here for an hour’. ”
The event was full of “wit, camaraderie and mutual appreciation that existed between Obama and Adichie.”
Obama spoke about the push-back women of color face when they are successful and speak out. “People will literally take our voices, they will take the things from us they like – they will take our hips – because all of a sudden it’s in – our style, our swagger, it becomes co-opted but then we are penalised, we are ‘angry’ we are too loud, we are too everything.”
Michelle Obama has certainly met obstacles head-on and overcome them. We can all learn from her whether we are white or black, young or old. We who are white can also pay more attention to the way black women are disadvantaged in our society and speak out against this injustice whenever possible.
Kidnapping in Nigeria
Ambassador John Campbell got me in trouble this week! In his blog post on December 5th, he wrote about the increase in kidnapping in Nigeria.
Clem and I are planning to go to Nigeria for Christmas, leaving Dec. 21. When I read that blog post it made me realize that we need to be extra vigilant with our police escort. It didn’t mean to me that we shouldn’t go!
I sent the post to all three children. Our older son in Nigeria declared that we should not travel but rather wait until after the election in February.
Masquerade from 2009
Clem is totally determined that we will go. He will not hear of any denial of his pleasure at visiting Nanka, his own town, is unacceptable.
It is after all the time when many people return home to the village. If we were to wait until Easter, there would be fewer people around and a less festive atmosphere. There would probably be no masquerades!
Our younger son Sam said I should never have sent that post; I was inviting trouble! He’s right!
Clem called his cousin Christian in Nigeria who said he had just watched the news with reports of kidnapping related to the upcoming election.
Christian’s view was that the kidnappings were no worse than in the past. They were just being reported more frequently for political purposes.
If you don’t hear from me again after December 21, you’ll know what happened!
Well, you may not receive any blog posts between Dec. 21 and Jan. 10 or so, though if I can I’ll at least send some pictures.
Breaking Kola: An Inside View of African Customs
Breaking Kola An Inside View of African Customs (proof copy)
My book is out! Breaking Kola: An Inside View of African Customs is published and waiting for you! You can get it on Amazon. It’s ready for its first reviewer. Will that be you?
I’m hoping for a book launch in the next couple of months. My wonderful publicist Aline is on the case!
You can read more about the book and see other books by former Peace Corps volunteers at Peace Corps Writers.
The Kindle version will be out in a few days.
