Michelle Obama, a.k.a. America’s Mom has been out of her post as First Lady for more than a year, but she hasn’t been out of our hearts. Even though she and husband/former President Barack Obama are officially out of office, they’ve been staying visible on the speech circuit and with adorable social-media posts commemorating their anniversary and birthdays. On Sunday, Michelle announced that her memoir is not only coming out but when it’s going to hit shelves.
Last year, she and Barack struck a joint deal with Penguin Random House for the standard post-Presidential memoir. The figure, according to The Hollywood Reporter, is “believed to be well in excess of $30 million.” THR also notes that, although Michelle’s given us bits and pieces of her story, she’s never told it in full or at length, so get ready to learn a lot more about the former First Lady. (Michelle is, however, already a published author: She wrote a book on gardening published in 2012 called American Grown, though how she found the time is a mystery.)
In her post on Sunday announcing the book’s release date of November 13, Michelle gave us some insight as far as what we can expect from the memoir. “Writing BECOMING has been a deeply personal experience,” she wrote. “It has allowed me, for the very first time, the space to honestly reflect on the unexpected trajectory of my life. In this book, I talk about my roots and how a little girl from the South Side of Chicago found her voice and developed the strength to use it to empower others. I hope my journey inspires readers to find the courage to become whoever they aspire to be. I can’t wait to share my story.”
A post shared by Michelle Obama(@michelleobama) on Feb 25, 2018 at 9:16am PST
The website for the book that her Instagram bio now links out to gives a bit more detail: “With unerring honesty and lively wit, she describes her triumphs and her disappointments, both public and private, telling her full story as she has lived it—in her own words and on her own terms. Warm, wise, and revelatory, Becoming is the deeply personal reckoning of a woman of soul and substance who has steadily defied expectations—and whose story inspires us to do the same.”
If this doesn’t convince you to start a wine-and-read book club, nothing will, TBH.
As for when we can expect Barack’s memoir, per the deal? That’s still TBD—although he’s already published the best-selling Dreams From My Fathers and The Audacity of Hope, there’s no word yet on when we can expect the Presidential memoir.
