Book Review | Becoming

Rating: 5 Stars

This will not be long. I adore Michelle Obama. The end.

Just kidding, sort of.

Michelle Obama is the epitome of grace, strength, class, and intelligence. She carried herself with dignity despite the virulent attacks on both herself and her husband while in the White House, and continues to do so in the wake of the mess we are currently dealing with. I can't imagine having to live day in and day out, knowing there were people out there who had burned effigies of your husband, had spread racist birther bullshit, who essentially wanted to shut your husband up forever. Yet President and First Lady Obama constantly rose above it all.

I enjoyed the book immensely, especially learning more of her early years, which nicely filled in the gaps where my knowledge was lacking. I especially enjoyed seeing how her relationship with her future-husband started, and I did not realize they actually met at the law firm Mrs. Obama was working for when she was assigned to mentor President Obama. Seeing that relationship go from working together, to dating, to marriage was very sweet and one of my favorite parts of the book.

I definitely cried a while around page 280 when President Obama won the '08 election. It brought back immense feelings of pride, knowing that his presidency was groundbreaking in so many ways. It gave hope to me as a teacher, who at the time taught in a classroom that was predominantly African-American, that my babies who I loved so much could see for themselves, they could truly do and be anything they set their mind too.

By page 342 I was turning into a hot mess again, for two reasons:

1) Before that, I had not known I could love Michele Obama any more than I already did

2) The book was coming to an end and I would soon be thrust back into reality.

So, here we are.

Michelle Obama is truly an inspiration. Highly, highly recommended.

First Ladies of the Republic: Martha Washington, Abigail Adams, Dolley Madison, and the Creation of an Iconic American Role

I received a free ARC from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

Rating: 2.5 Stars

The book is best summed up in this way: Martha didn't want to be First Lady, Abigail was mad at everyone who didn't like her husband, and Dolley liked to party.

I wanted to like this one. I was stoked when I saw it on NetGalley, because I am just as interested in the First Ladies as I am in reading a biography of every president. Unfortunately this one fell short for me and was disappointing. The main issue I have is that it became so repetitive once we moved into the sections about Abigail and Dolley. This was especially problematic because Abigail was given the most coverage. Each woman was not showcased on her own, and their stories did entwine throughout but there is a point when enough is enough. I felt like we are constantly being told about Dolley being social. We get it, she was social. SHE WAS SOCIAL.

Now, I did only read an ARC and not the final copy. I know the book has been published now, but perhaps in a future edition the repetitiveness can be curbed so we can have a clear picture of the women in their time. On a positive note, the use of primary sources was fantastic and helped to really flesh out the women to help us understand how they fit into their roles and supported their husband and his politics. 

The Obamas

FYI: I'm not going to debate anyone about my opinions on President Obama. Don't bother with that nonsense around here. If you want to talk about the book, cool. I'm not doing political debates on my book review blog.

Rating: 1 Star

So I wonder if, in an attempt to appear unbiased, the author realizes just how far she went out of her way to make the Obamas nearly unlikable. I absolute love the Obamas, and if Barack could have run for a third term, I'd have voted for him. Michelle is one of the top five people on my list for best shopping buddies. But if I did not know anything about them, and I had only this book for knowledge, I would think Michelle was angry all the time, super controlling and unwavering in her opinions, never one to compromise with anyone. And Barack - a pompous introvert? Really? The author's little play with his supposed 'I told you so" looks was ridiculous. I have never seen two people more in love, more electric, more everything. 

I guess the author thought she was being so sly with her 'sources' but ultimately this is poor writing at its best, or worst, however you want to look at it. The author tries the, "look at me with all the insider knowledge" garbage, and it comes off as abrasive and condescending. Do not bother with this one.

First Women: The Grace and Power of America's Modern First Ladies

Rating: 3 Stars

I finished this book back in July right before the Democratic National Convention began, and that much is obvious as I look back over my notes and my grumblings about Hillary Clinton at various points. This book and I were off to a rocky start immediately, when the introduction opened with a quote from Clinton, then went into a meeting between Jackie Kennedy and Hillary.

However, as the book went on, I was able to put some of that aside as the author relayed some very interesting stories about this exclusive club. In fact, she used an analogy that I feel is quite spot-on, saying that presidents are part of a lifelong club in the most selective fraternity in the world. As a result, First Ladies are members of the world's most elite sorority (And thus, it makes me want to vomit that Melania will get that membership. Gross.)

I was pleasantly surprised to find that even though I might have had a less than stellar impression of their husbands, many of the First Ladies seem like women I would love to have lunch with. The author looks at all the First Ladies, from Jackie through Michelle and I feel like I know them so much better as a result. Though I was no fan of W for his eight long, horrible years in the White House, I really like Laura Bush. Is that weird? Kind of, I think. I have always like Michelle Obama and would love to go shopping with her, but her quote in regards to being a mother made me admire her even more: "I'm only as good as my most sad child" (page 20).

Jackie's story of her beginnings in the White House would not have been complete without a look at how Mamie Eisenhower introduced her to the place. Before her tour of the White House, Jackie had recently been released from the hospital after giving birth to JFK Jr via c-section. Jackie had requested a wheelchair, but Mamie wanted to give her the tour alone and also did not want to be seen pushing Jackie around the house, so she ordered the wheelchair be available, but out of sight and to let Jackie use it only if she asked about it. Of course Jackie did not ask, when she did not see one readily available, and so she was left in quite a tremendous amount of pain when the tour was over. It is no wonder that our country is in its current state, given the pettiness of some.

Even though this book was about ALL the First Ladies from Jackie on, I myself have a special place in my heart for the Kennedys, though the more I read about JFK/LBJ, the more my opinion on them men is shifting. I really was happy to see that Jackie and Lady Bird Johnson got along so much better than Jack and LBJ. It seems like she really cared about the Kennedy children, and Jackie too. I really feel sorry for Lady Bird, more than anyone else. She seemed to really admire Jackie and was hesitant to do anything that might give the impression that she didn't. I feel bad for her, because I do not think the Kennedys treated the Johnsons very well. That then makes me question how much truth there is to the things that JFK and Bobby said in regards to LBJ, how they did not like him, didn't want him on the ticket for JFK's second term, etc. I feel like as a result of the Kennedy Machine building up JFK's legacy, it was at the expense of LBJ's reputation. He was by no means perfect, and definitely had flaws, but some of the things going on were completely out of his control, and there are many good things that he did which are overlooked today. I'd love to know why Bobby hated hated LBJ so much, but I do not know enough about the politics at the time, and obviously a book about the First Ladies is not going to shed much light on the subject.

One bone I have to pick was the repeated use of John-John to refer to JFK Jr. I thought it was already cleared up that this was NOT his family nickname and a reporter mistakenly thought JFK was calling him that one day. Isn't that what happened? That's the story I remember anyway.

Though I have only touched on a couple of the women discussed in the book, I found this to be interesting and valuable. The book is not told in a linear fashion, as it more so examines the relationships between the First Ladies; it does not simply tell of their accomplishments in chronological order as their husbands governed. I liked that way of telling their stories, though some might be bothered by it. This book would be a good place to start if you know very little about the First Ladies.