Recently, my English 1102 class was assigned to read Michelle Obama’s autobiography, Becoming. When our professor showed us the book, my jaw dropped. I am an extremely slow reader and at times even unmotivated. I was scared I’d pick it up, read it, and be scared off. However, after reading the first couple of pages of the preface, I was hooked.

Had I not read it, I would have never known that a former first lady and I had so much in common (well, in the beginning of our lives at least). She, as well as I, grew up in the not so nice part of town. She grew up on the southside of Chicago, where as I grew up in the southside of Atlanta. To me, this is a motivational story that is meant to inspire hope. That right there is reason enough to read this book!

I believe that it does us well as individuals to learn from others. Mrs. Obama does a great job in letting us in on everything that went on throughout her journey both good and bad. It reminds us that there is no direct path in life, but that there are sometimes detours and stops along the way. Although her life may seem to us outsiders as all glitz and glam, we don’t know what it’s like to be in her shoes. What we do learn from her is that you have to just work with what life gives you.

If you are going through a rough patch in life, or just need to be motivated, I encourage this book. Even the rich and famous have their own struggles, and it’s comforting to know that they’re not all that different from us on the inside.