Front Flap: The Intimate, Powerful, and Inspiring Memoirs of the First Lady of the United States As a child, the South Side of Chicago was Michelle Robinson's whole world. She and her brother Craig slept in one room in the family's small apartment and played catch in the park. Her parents, Fraser and Marian Robinson, raised her to be straightforward, honest and fearlessly accomplished. But life took her far from there, to Princeton University, where she first experienced what it was like to be the only black woman in the room, and on to the skyscraper where she worked as an energetic corporate lawyer. On the morning of an ordinary summer day, a law student named Barack Obama entered her office and turned all the plans she had carefully planned for the rest of her life. Michelle Obama describes here for the first time the beginning of her married life, how she tried to balance work, family and her husband's soaring political career. She takes us into the intricacies of the discussion they had between them regarding the question of whether he should run for the presidency, and shows the role she subsequently played both as a popular figure and as the target of half-criticism in his election campaign. Obama unfolds her story with grace, grace, and extraordinary frankness, and vividly and colorfully describes the behind-the-scenes of her family's historic entry into the international spotlight, as well as their life in the White House for eight fateful years - years in which she got to know her country, and her country got to know her. My story takes us on a journey through humble kitchens in Iowa and ballrooms in Buckingham Palace, and through moments of heart-wrenching grief and enduring tremendous hardships takes us deep into the soul of a one-of-a-kind historical figure and a trailblazer in her struggle to live an authentic and worthy life, and in her attempt to mobilize her personal strength and voice in the service of lofty ideals . While telling her story with honesty and strength, Obama poses a challenging question to all of us: Who are we and who would we like to be? Back flap: Michelle Robinson Obama served as the First Lady of the United States from 2009 to 2017. She is a graduate of Princeton University and Harvard Law School, who began her career as an attorney at Sidley & Austin in Chicago, where she met her future husband, Barack Obama. Later she worked in the office of the mayor of Chicago, the University of Chicago and the University of Chicago Medical Center. Mrs. Obama founded the Chicago branch of Public Allies, an organization that prepares young people for careers in public service. The Obama family currently lives in the city of Washington. The couple have two daughters, Malia and Sasha. Back Cover: There's a lot I still don't know about America, about life, about what the future holds. But I know myself. My father, Fraser, taught me to work hard, laugh often and keep my promises. My mother, Marianne, showed me how to think independently and use my voice. Both of them together helped me, in our cramped apartment on the South Side, the southern part of Chicago, to see the value of our story, my story, the greater story of our country. - From the introduction
