'Becoming' by Michelle Obama

I haven't read ("Finished") books in years and in general cannot be considered an avid reader. My daughter is one and i am grateful for that ! However, during my recent 3 month break from work, i read a couple of books. One gifted by a friend, another was a malayalam book, couple of Sudha Murthy's books and recently "Becoming" which we bought from Sapna books recently.

It took me a month or so to finish " Becoming" as i read after work hours, post dinner while on my medicines which means before long i get into deep slumber. I literally fall on the book asleep , so before that happens i try to bookmark , keep it safe on the side table and then go to bed.

"Becoming" by Michelle Obama is a neat narration of a young Black girl's average middle class life , her innocent childhood with family and her rise to America's First lady. Though i am not the Indian President's wife, I could relate a lot to tis book. What i related most was the truth - the hardships of an average family whose past generations were slaves to whites, the complexes of a black woman, the warmth of her big brother's affection, perseverance to achieve the goals, courtship, juggling between children and job, trying to understand common man's struggles as a First Lady, understanding the important of healthy eating and so on. I have experienced many of these - bullying to some extend due to my size and complexion, hardship of my father to build a house and protect us, hardships of my mother who juggled between her transferrable job and household chores, my father's commitment to educate me and my brother, my determination to become financially independent in life and later on post marriage the circus between family and work. I could feel deeply the many instances where Michelle did not get Obama's time and support which was true in my case also. To a large extend, bringing up kids was kinda my responsibility while Sree was immersed in work and quitting the job was never an option for me because my earnings were significant to keep me financially independent. 

Overall i thoroughly enjoyed reading the book and treasure it for my daughter to read once she gets  a little older !

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