Becoming: Adapted for Younger Readers by Michelle Obama

Becoming: Adapted for Younger Readers Reviews

• 
  Avani ✨

  If some of you here know Becoming by Michelle Obama has been my favorite reads of all time as well as my favorite memoir.
  
  The book not only has the power for you to think and endure yourself into her writing, but also it made me fall in love with non-fiction works all over again.
  
  This brand new adaption for Young Readers of Becoming consists of the same rhythm, enthusiasm, and inspirations words from Michelle Obama herself as did her original book.
  
  Additional, to savour and keep the Young Readers engaged it consists of some pictures as well as some additional notes that will help them in easy grasping of Michelle Obama's powerful story.
  
  I highly recommend every Teenager out there to read this book, and save it with themselves for the rest of their lives. In case you are someone who is looking for a meaning and fulfilling gift for your young ones, this is the one
• 
  kathie_love_books

  Mich hat Michelle Obama schon seit ich jünger war  fasziniert. Schon damals als sie Fist Lady der USA war und auch danach. Denn sie setzt sich für wichtige Themen in der Welt ein. Andere würden sich damit niemals auseinandersetzen. Deshalb bewundere ich sie.
  Ich lese sehr gerne mal zwischendurch Sachbücher oder Biographien. Doch manchmal finde ich es schwer solche Bücher am Stück zu lesen. Mit ,,Becoming- Erzält für die nächste Generation,,  hatte ich solche Schwierigkeiten nicht, da der Schreibstil sehr umgangssprachlich und flüssig zu lesen war. Es fühlt sich an, wie als würde man ein guten Freundin zuhören. Ich fand es Klasse, wie man ihre Geschichte mit verfolgen konnte und als Barack Obama ins Spiel kam wurde es noch mal interessanter. Ich war neugierig auf ihr zusammentreffen und alles aus Michelles Sicht zu erfahren. Bewegt haben mich nicht nur die schönen sondern auch schlechten Seiten. Denn natürlich ist niemals immer alles freudig. Über die vielen Vorgänge im Wahlkampf hatte ich vorher keine Ahnung. Verstehe sie zwar jetzt auch noch nicht gänzlich, aber bin um einige Informationen reicher. Für mich ist Michelle Obama eine sehr inspirierend und am Boden geblieben Persönlichkeit und ich habe es genossen ihre Geschichte lesen zu können. Sie gibt mit dem Buch vielen Kinder und Jugendlichen Hoffnung mit auf dem Weg.
  Fazit: Ich kann wirklich jedem empfehlen das Buch zu lesen.
• 
  Sabine

  Ich war unglaublich gespannt auf dieses Buch da ich bereits so viel Gutes über die „Originalfassung“ gehört habe – und ich wurde nicht enttäuscht.
  Bei dieser Ausgabe handelt es sich um die Geschichte von Michelle Obama, die allerdings so überarbeitet wurde, dass auch jüngere (eben die nächste Generation) alles gut verstehen.
  Vorab war ich mir natürlich bereits im Klaren über die Basics wer sie ist und was sie so macht und einfach, dass sie eine unfassbare Frau ist. Von ihrer Kindheit oder sonstiger Geschichte hatte ich keinen blassen Schimmer.
  Auf den 608 Seiten dieses Buches habe ich unglaublich viel gelernt. In drei Abschnitte unterteilt beginnt es mit Michelles Kindheit, dann geht es weiter mit der Zeit mit Barack zusammen und endet mit der Zeit im weißen Haus.
  Sie berichtet von den vielen Erfahrungen die Sie gesammelt hat, welche Fehlentscheidungen sie getroffen hat von den Höhen und auch den Tiefen – alles was sie zu der Frau gemacht hat, die sie heute ist. Auch von Barack und ihren Kindern spricht sie viel. Es wird sehr verständlich rübergebracht, dass jeder seinen Werdegang beeinflussen kann.
  Wenn es um wichtige Personen und Ereignisse geht, die zwar den meisten von uns vielleicht ein Begriff sind, sind diese für die jüngeren Leser in einem Nebensatz verständlich erklärt, sodass wirklich jeder ohne Probleme alles nachvollziehen kann und das finde ich super. Denn auch wenn es für viele zum Allgemeinwissen zählt: Nicht jeder (heute) 13-Jährige (Jahrgang 2008) weiß, was zum am 11. September 2001 geschah oder wer Nelson Mandela ist.
  Das gesamte Buch hat mich sehr zum Nachdenken angeregt, mich sehr bewegt und ist eine totale Leseempfehlung von mir!
  
• 
  Pumkin pie

  THIS BOOK IS TRULY WONDERFUL. Mrs. Obama's words are inspiring and beautiful. It really opened my eyes to America as it is and the hard life of politics. Oh, and "Younger Readers", MY message to you: please, please, please, please, PLEASE read this book!!!!
• 
  Penny

  This book is 400 pages long and I am a slooooooow reader... and yet I polished it off in less than three days. I wondered whether some of the political stuff might prove to be too boring and off-putting, but it would seem Michelle Obama is not a fan of politics herself and so she somehow managed to make it less tedious than it must be in reality!!
  
  Brought up on the southside of Chicago in a poor, but loving and supportive family, Michelle was always driven to succeed. I imagine in real life she would be quite formidable and would not suffer fools. However, her driving reason for being always seems to be looking for the humanity in a situation. She always wants to make things better. She isn't interested in her own personal gain, but rather aim to make the lives everyone better. When she met a kindred spirit in Barack Obama they were surely to become a force to be reckoned with. She paints her husband as a loving, kind, thoughtful workaholic... also driven for the betterment of their country and not just themselves.
  
  Even when they made it to the White House, Michelle tried to keep life as normal as possible for their two girls, whilst at the same time attempting to forge a new path for the First Lady - that of someone who could use her influence for real change.
  
  What was especially fascinating to me was the insight into the behind-the-scenes rigmarole that comes with being the US First Family. The Obamas could go nowhere without a security detail. If they went out, roads had to be closed and snipers posted on surrounding buildings. As such, Michelle would avoid making unnecessary trips so as not to inconvenience too many people!
  
  The more I read, the more I wondered how the Obamas have felt about the family who followed them into the White House, whose values are the antithesis of theirs. She did give some insight into her feelings about Donald Trump - in particular about his comments around Barack's birthplace, and for this she has said she will never forgive him for putting her family at unnecessary extra risk. I would love to be a fly on the wall in their home when conversations around the Trumps come up.
  
  A brilliant, open, fascinating read, which I think some of our older students will thoroughly enjoy.
  
  "Being president doesn't change who you are – it reveals who you are."
• 
  Ari Maximoff

  3.75 to 4 stars
  Becoming is an autobiography written by Michelle Obama,former First Lady of the United States and wife of Barack Obama (America's 44th president)
  It details her life before meeting Barack, meeting him,campaigning and then her First Lady experience.
  
  I think that this book really gave me insight into what it was like in the White House. I am not an American but I have always been fascinated with American politics and it really shows the true struggles of things we think appear natural, such as speech writing and the fact that you will get slandered for saying something in your speech.
  
  I also loved her journey to the law firm and how she was torn between quitting to do something she loved and get paid less or keep the steady flow of money going and keep doing a job that made her miserable.
  Her advocacy as well is something I really enjoyed, her passion for helping really came through the pages. Her struggles with Motherhood to are covered, the book a lot more to her as a person then I would have thought.
  
  Many accusations have been made about this being an Anti-Trump book.
  Donald Trump is barely mentioned until the end, briefly about the 2012 election and again about the 2016 election and she expresses her opinions politely.
  
  One thing that annoyed me in the book was the constant way of describing people by their skin colour. She would describe someone as a "nice African American"
  Why do we need to know their skin colour.
  She also when talking about her friends, said the following.
  "My friends included a girl named Rachel, whose mother was white and had a British accent”
  Why does this matter?
  
  Overall, pretty interesting autobiography with some things that annoyed me.
  
• 
  Carolina

  
  Becoming: Adapted for Younger Readers é um livro fascinante, onde Michelle Obama partilha a sua história de vida.
  
  Começamos por a conhecer em criança, quando vivia nos subúrbios de Chicago, acompanhamos a sua passagem pela faculdade, onde estuda direito, e chegamos aos anos em que viveu na Casa Branca, na companhia do marido, o Presidente dos Estados Unidos da América, das duas filhas e da mãe, que tanto a inspira.
  
  No prefácio, Michelle comenta que espera que, enquanto lemos a sua história, pensemos também na nossa e, ao longo da leitura, dei por mim a refletir em alguns episódios que me foram marcando.
  
  É muito interessante perceber o valor que Michelle atribui à sua formação, como catapulta para um mundo melhor e como fator base de diferenciação face à geração dos seus pais. Sem dúvida que educação é uma das maiores ferramentas de empowerment, que mais contribuem para o sucesso dos indivíduos e para o avanço das sociedades! Por outro lado, identifiquei-me muito com as questões com que se deparou na fase de vida do primeiro emprego e dos primeiros anos a trabalhar, visto que é o momento que estou a viver, heheh. Será que estamos na profissão certa? Gostamos verdadeiramente do que fazemos? Estamos a seguir os nossos sonhos? Dá que pensar...
  
  Gostei muito das partilhas sobre os primeiros momentos com Barack (adorei ler o capítulo em que se conheceram), da azáfama da candidatura do marido e dos seus momentos enquanto Primeira Dama, permanentemente rodeada por agentes dos serviços secretos.
  
  Michelle é uma figura muito carismática e, pelo menos esta versão para jovens leitores, lê-se tão bem que quase sentimos que estamos a ter uma conversa com a autora, tal a genuinidade e proximidade impressas nas páginas.
  
  É um testemunho muito importante sobre o quão difícil é ser mulher e negra num mundo dominado por homens e brancos, especialmente em posições de poder e destaque. Tudo isto com duas filhas pequenas, que exigiam que se desdobrasse em mãe e mulher, enquanto continuava a lutar pelos seus sonhos. É difícil não terminar o livro a admirar Michelle e a sentirmo-nos inspirados! Já estou ansiosa para ler a biografia do Barack! :D
• 
  Kevin Duvall

  I had a bit of trouble staying interested in the parts before the Obamas started election campaigns, though those first 140 pages or so had some poignant moments. Once the timeline reached the mid-90s, though, I read the last 260 pages in just two days. Michelle Obama’s firsthand accounts being First Lady and feeling the real effects of politics’ uglier aspects (and being a parent in the midst of it all) we’re more than a little thought-provoking.
  
  I haven’t read the original “adult” version of this book, but I can say this one addressed important ideas in a way that elementary or middle school kids could understand and find engaging. I might have just liked it, but the kids in my life might love it.
• 
  Lyla

  This was a really good book, mostly because before I read it, I just thought of the Obamas as one of the former First Families. But now that I have read it, I realize that a lot of things are different than they seem from the outside.
• 
  Tini's Bücherwelt und mehr

  Biografien lese ich normalerweise eher gar nicht, aber an "Becoming Michelle Obama" kam ich jetzt einfach nicht mehr dran vorbei. Michelle Obama ist für mich schon jahrelang eine faszinierende Frau gewesen - nach diesem Buch hat sich das Empfinden nur noch verstärkt. Sie ist nicht nur eine ehemalige First Lady, sie ist ein Vorbild für viele Menschen auf der Welt und das aus gutem Grund. Warum? - das werde ich im Laufe meiner Beurteilung beschreiben anhand von Beispielen aus dem Geschriebenen.
  
  Das Buch ist in 3 Teile aufgeteilt - ihrer Kindheit, dem Erwachsen werden und ihre Jahre als First Lady. Immer wieder entdeckt man Fotos aus den verschiedenen Zeiten und man merkt - je weiter das Buch voranschreitet, desto näher fühlt man sich dieser einzigartigen Frau. Ich kann kaum in Worte fassen, wie gut erzählt ich das Leben von Michelle Robinson Obama fand - von klein auf bis zu der Frau, die sie heute ist.
  
  Schon im Prolog hatte ich beim Lesen die erste Gänsehaut, denn für "normale" Menschen wie uns ist es wohl kaum vorstellbar, dass es für sie ein ungewöhnliches Gefühl war, sich allein einen Teller aus dem Schrank in der Küche zu nehmen. Niemanden mehr fragen zu müssen, ob man das Haus verlassen darf. Sich in seinem eigenen Haus zu bewegen, ohne dass hinter jeder Ecke jemand des Secret Service auf sie achtet. Allein diese ersten Worte des Buches zeigten mir, wie sehr einen das Leben im Weißen Haus - der wohl berühmtesten Adresse der Welt - zu jemanden werden lässt, dem normale Dinge im Alltag weggerissen werden.
  
  Schon Michelles Kindheit war geprägt durch ihren eigenen Ehrgeiz - sie hatte von klein auf große Ansprüche an sich selbst. Normal, Standard - das war ihr nie genug. Sie wollte etwas bewirken und sie wollte, dass die Leute sehen, was sie vorantreibt. Sie stellte sich sämtlichen Anforderungen und kein Hindernis war ihr zu groß - und diese Eigenschaft zog sich durch ihr gesamtes Leben. Als studierte Anwältin kam ihr auch das irgendwann nicht mehr "genug" vor - sie wollte mehr erreichen, mehr in der Welt bewegen und so viele Menschen wie möglich auf die Missstände dieser Welt aufmerksam machen. Sie wechselte ihre Jobs, wenn sie woanders eine Chance sah mehr zu erreichen und machte nirgends Abstriche. Sie gab immer Vollgas und auch später - als Frau des Präsidenten der Vereinigten Staaten - wollte sie keine "First Lady" sein, die nur hübsch anzusehen ist, aber nichts bewirkt.
  
  So wenig sie selbst von der Politik hält - da nahm sie kein Blatt vor den Mund - es war bewundernswert zu sehen, wie sehr sie dennoch Barack Obama auf seinem Weg zum Präsidenten unterstützte und ihm den Rücken deckte. Sie steckte in dieser Zeit immer wieder zurück und doch war sie stolz auf das, was ihr Mann erreicht hat und noch erreichen wird. Zusammen wollten Sie das Land stärken, sich für die einsetzen, die es selbst nicht können.
  
  So nutzte sie ihre Position, um ihrem Land zu helfen. Um Aufmerksam zu machen auf Rassismus, die zu ungesunde Ernährung von Kindern durch das Schulessen und damit verbundenes Übergewicht schon in jungen Jahren - und weiteren wichtigen Themen, die zu wenig Aufmerksamkeit bekommen. Sie hielt Reden in Schulen etc., um vor allem Mädchen - schwarze Mädchen - dazu zu bewegen, an sich selbst zu glauben und für das zu kämpfen, was sie erreichen wollen. Sich selbst nahm sie dabei gern als Beispiel, da sie in ärmlichen Verhältnissen in der South Side von Chicago aufgewachsen ist - einem Ort, der heute von Banden und Kriminalität beherrscht wird. 
  
  Michelle Obama ist nicht nur eine engagierte und ehrgeizige Frau, sie ist auch eine fantastische Mutter, denn beim Lesen hat man gespürt, wie sehr sie ihre Kinder liebt und diese vor der Öffentlichkeit schützen möchte. Immer wieder betonte sie, dass das Wohl ihrer Kinder immer an erster Stelle steht und egal, wie kompliziert das Leben im Weißen Haus auch war, sie versuchte immer dafür zu sorgen, dass ihre Kinder Kinder sein können und deren Leben nicht von der Politik ihrer Eltern beherrscht werden.
  
  Wie bereits gesagt, gleich zu Beginn des Buches hatte ich wahnsinnige Gänsehaut und das zog sich immer wieder durch das Buch, da Michelle sehr berührend schreibt und man beim Lesen immer mehr das Gefühl bekommt, sie zu kennen und eine Verbindung zu ihr aufzubauen. Sie ist so ehrlich, wie sie nur sein kann. Sie steht zu ihren Fehlern und zu ihren Meinungen - ob die nun gehört werden wollen oder nicht. Sie steht für sich selbst ein und gibt anderen Mut - ich kann mich also nur wiederholen, wie bewundernswert ich diese Frau finde. 
  
  Ich kann auch gar nicht sagen, wie viele Post Its ich in diesem Buch verwendet habe, um mir wichtige Stellen zu markieren - ich dachte, so könnte ich diese später noch einmal nachlesen. Aber das ganze Buch besteht aus so vielen wichtigen Situationen, die zwar Michelles Leben betreffen, aus denen aber wir Leser etwas lernen können. Alles wurde so gut erklärt, dass auch jüngere Leser ohne Probleme zu dieser Biografie greifen können - und das auch sollten. 
  
  Von mir gibt es hier eine klare Leseempfehlung, denn ich bin einfach nur begeistert!
• 
  Ietrio

  Obscene.
  
  ...and now you can read your children to sleep the wise words of the elected prophet wife. Or is it the unelected prophet wife?
• 
  Aldi | Ella Ama los Libros

  3.5 ★
  
  Michelle Obama nos cuenta desde el comienzo de su vida compartiendo un dormitorio con su hermano mayor Craig, en el departamento de arriba en la casa de su tía abuela en el South Side de Chicago, hasta cómo termino estudiando abogacía en Harvard para luego convertirse en Michelle Obama, la Primera Dama de los Estados Unidos de América.
  
  Es un libro que quería leer desde hace mucho y cuando lo compre no me di cuenta que es la versión que está adaptada para lectores más jóvenes 😅 No obstante, la disfrute mucho y me encanto ver todas las fotografías de distintos momentos importantes de la vida de Michelle Obama.
  
  Creo que es una historia que puede ser muy inspiradora para los jóvenes (y por que no para los adultos también) que están en ese proceso de descubrir quiénes son, y en qué quieren convertirse en estos tiempos inciertos, y en un mundo que puede dar mucho miedo.
  
  
• 
  Faloni ©

  Happy Birthday 🎂🎉🎈🎊🎁
• 
  Eric Sutton

  3.5 stars
  
  I know I'm a little late to the game in reading Becoming, so I jumped at the chance to pick it up when we floated the idea of adding it to our summer reading list. I saw Mrs. Obama speak at the NCTE conference (virtually) this past fall, and it was absolutely wonderful, especially her messaging about teachers. Hers is a fascinating story, like her husband's, and while I have yet to read his multi-volume tome, I thought having the insider (family)/outsider (relatively unpolitical)/strong personality perspective of the White House - and what came before - was a good starting place for beginning to understand the Obamas' monumental legacy. First, I'll say that she is a brilliant person, as in incredibly smart and ambitious yet grounded and authentic. It's quite remarkable how she managed to stay humble while rising to the dizzying heights she achieved. She's also a good storyteller - the book is anecdotal while still managing to progress a healthy moving timeline. Family, work, education, roots, and one's core tenets all are major topics. My one critique - and this could just be because I read the edition adapted for young readers - was the pervasive optimistic tone. Not that optimism is a bad thing, it just came off as disingenuous in places, that platitudinal belief that hope and resilience and good faith will always prevail (maybe I'm just too much a cynic, which she does warn against). On the whole, however, it's a great story, an important one for students to understand as we plow further into bipartisanship and forget that at one time there seemed to be measures of progress we could conceive of as being possible. She does engender hope, however fleeting, which can be in short supply.
• 
  Brandi

  I read Becoming earlier this year by myself, and I picked up this copy (adapted for young readers) a few months back. I’ve read the whole book out-loud to my daughter every evening before bed for over a month now and we soaked up every word. It was so beautiful reading this book to her and we’ve had many discussions about many things. Mrs. Obama has a powerful voice and I feel so fortunate to have read this to my pre-teen. It’s important for her to have influences of strong and smart women in her life and Michelle Obama is one of the great ones! So thankful to have had this experience with my daughter.
• 
  Aubrey

  I’m speechless.
  Truly, I don’t know how I can describe the things I felt while reading this book.
  Michelle Obama inspires me. She’s been one of those people that I consider an outstanding role model. Sharing her experience as growing up on the South Side of Chicago as an African American woman who strived to achieve in all aspects of life and ultimately ended up becoming one of the most influential people of our time is absolutely breathtaking. I cried while reading certain parts of this book. I’m being honest when I say that this made me feel like things are possible. Please please please please give this a read.
• 
  D Levine

  I could feel the excitement for a young readers edition of Michelle Obama’s memoir from my nieces. I look forward to talking to them about it. I enjoyed the voice, the simplicity and clarity of the storytelling. Sometimes, ordinary people can be extraordinary and share their perseverance and challenges in a genuine way. I find it nice to just admire someone. I look forward to what the next generation thinks.
• 
  Amanda

  This book gave me such a deeper appreciation for Michelle and the entire Obama family. Looking from where we stand now as a country I was able to go back in time and learn more about potentially the most influential family in presidential history. I adored both Michelle and Barack before this book and now do so much more.
• 
  Mahesh Sharma

  It is amazing to participate in the narrative of the first Afro-American lady of the U.S., a wife, a mother and a lawyer. It not only gives a different picture of the American society but also locates her contribution towards the health policies just before pandemic.
• 
  Vale Vs

  Primera biografía que leo, me gustó bastante. Muy interesante conocer su historia. No sé si es mi tipo de libro pero me mantuve muy enganchada.
• 
  ༊*·˚━━ xya .ᐟ

  I really enjoyed this memoir by Ms. Obama and I gave it the full five stars because it really gave me insight to her as a person and it expanded my mind on to what her personal life is and was like outside of being the first African American First Lady! I've heard a lot about Mr. Obama throughout my 15 years of life but I haven't really heard about his wife, so I'm glad that Ms. Obama had the opportunity to share her life to the world and I'm glad that I had the opportunity to hear about it
  - FIVE STARS ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
• 
  Adibah(whatdibsread)

  Review>>
  
  I never read Becoming before so I don’t really know how different it is between both of the books. However, this version is very pleasant to read. It's like a friend telling her own story to you. I enjoyed learning more about her early life, growing up with a supportive family, entering university, embracing marriage life and becoming the first woman when her husband, Barack Obama became President in the United States.
  
  Growing up in Chicago with a supportive and loving family, Michelle shows how much she's always looking for other people, how much she cares about others rather than her own personal gain. I love how she's always looking for humanity in every situation. With love and support from her family, Michelle was always driven to succeed. She would’ve never thought the moment she met Barack Obama, it would change her entire life.
  
  When she was already at the top of her life, Michelle tried to keep it as normal as possible, especially when she wanted her two girls to grow up like normal children. It's heart-warming seeing how many times she had to sacrifice time between being a good mother to her daughters and being the First Lady to influence for a real change.
  
  The more I read, the more I realised it's not easy at all. People all over the world look up to you and that’s for sure she needs to minimize any mistakes as low as possible because people will definitely look after the mistakes rather than looking at how much she has done. Looking at how thick this book is, I never would’ve thought I could finish this within three days. There’s something in her writing style that makes the story fascinating and such a page-turner. This version for a young reader makes it perfect for students especially or maybe parents can use this as a storybook to read for their children before they go to sleep.
  
  ‘For every door that’s been opened to me, I’ve tried to open my doors to others. Then we can begin to fear less, make fewer wrong assumptions and embrace the way we are. It's not about being perfect, but it's about allowing the power inside yourself to be known and heard, using your unique voice, willing to know and hear others. This for me, is how we become.’
  
  Thank you @putrifariza and @times.reads for this copy.
  
  Personal rating: 4/5🌟
• 
  Marleigh Ryan

  SPOILERS AHEAD, BEWARE!
  I love this book! Michelle is a great person and this book gave me such a good perspective of her life, struggles, and her life in the White House. She cares so much about others and it was fascinating to look into her life and past career as a layer that did not make her happy. Her tough pregnancies and her growing and long love for Barack was so amazing to hear about. Awesome book! One of my all time favorite memoirs, ugh, I just loved this read!
• 
  Sofa the first

  This was an amazing book about Michelle Obama's life. It was an inspiring and interesting read. It was an amazing book and I would highly recommend it.