Becoming Michelle Obama

Jenna's Book Club

We've jumped on the bandwagon for former First Lady Michelle Obama's compelling autobiography "Becoming." In her eight years as First Lady of the United States, Mrs. Obama has been both venerated and ridiculed as a leader and champion of children's health and women's rights, and on the other side as an "angry black woman." Now, we finally get to hear her own story through her own words.

From her impoverished childhood growing up on the South Side of Chicago, in the midst of racial tensions and a chronically ill father, to a Princeton scholar, to First Lady of the United States, Michelle Obama shows that she's a terrific role model for all, and a shining example of how the most humble beginnings often morph into something more. I was exhausted along with her just reading her description of her husband's Inauguration, from the ten(!) inaugural balls that they attended in one night to the nerve wracking descriptions of her first time in the President's motorcade, complete with being surrounded by Secret Service agents, snipers along rooftops along the route of the motorcade, and helicopters flying overhead.

Ms. Obama is a wonderful, very thoughtful and descriptive writer and I'd love to hear that she's considering writing as a career! I know that quite a large percentage of the population have expressed their disappointment in her firm statements that she has no wishes to ever run herself. I hardly blame her-I don't want to be President of the United States after reading this-how exhausting!-but I certainly hope that she continues to be a wonderful role model and champion for equality! I'm sure she has inspired many young women and girls, and will continue to do so for years.

MICHELLE OBAMA AND JENNA'S CHEESE TOAST:

Toast two slices of bread or a bagel. Butter the slices of toast, top with cheese, and microwave for 10-15 seconds. I had no idea that Michelle Obama enjoyed cheese toast as well!