Follow us on Instagram
Try our daily mini crossword
Play our latest news quiz
Download our new app on iOS/Android!

Michelle Obama ’85 to release memoir titled Becoming

Michelle Obama ’85, former First Lady of the United States, revealed Sunday that she will be releasing her first personal memoir,  “Becoming. The book will be published by Penguin Random House and is expected to be released on Nov. 13, 2018.

In an Instagram post announcing the novel’s release, Obama expressed gratitude for the new book “[allowing her] . . . the space to honestly reflect on the unexpected trajectory of [her] life.” She also suggested in a tweet on Sunday that the book was the product of a “deeply personal” writing experience. 

ADVERTISEMENT

Described by Penguin Random House as “warm, wise, and revelatory,” the book will detail Obama’s childhood through her time in the White House. In particular, it will focus on her upbringing in Chicago’s South Side and the intersections between her career and personal life. 

The deal enabled Obama and her husband, former U.S. President Barack Obama, to sign a joint book deal on Feb. 28, 2017 worth $65 million. The release date for the former president’s memoir has not yet been announced. 

"Becoming" will be published in English and translated into 23 other languages. Michelle Obama will embark on a book tour shortly after the book’s publication.

Although this is Michelle Obama’s first autobiographical memoir, it is not her first book. In 2012, Obama published "American Grown: The Story of the White House Kitchen Garden and Gardens Across America," a work detailing her gardening work in the White House and notable gardens across the nation.

At the University, Michelle Obama majored in sociology and earned a certificate in African American Studies, graduating cum laude in 1985. She went on to Harvard Law School, where she earned a J.D. in 1988 before beginning her career at Sidley Austin LLP, a law firm based in Chicago. 

The novel can be pre-ordered through Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Target, Books-a-Million, iBooks, and IndieBound

ADVERTISEMENT