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Thought #1                         Pages 1-28

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Thought #1                         Pages 1-28

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Quote: "As if growing up is finite. As if at some point you become something and that's end" (ix).
Response: Michelle Obama took no time at all to create an opinionated tone critiquing the world she grew up in, and I absolutely love it. This quote is within the first few paragraphs of the entire book, and it shows how Obama is going to approach the retelling of her life thus far, with assertive reflections accompanying influential memories. This quote introduces her view of life as a never ending journey, full of ongoing growth and development, and considering its placement in the preface, it makes the reader aware of what to expect as they are introduced to her eloquent prose.
Vocabulary: "I rarely chose to join the neighborhood kids who played outside after school, nor did I invite school friends home with me, in part because I was a fastidious kid and didn't want anyone meddling with my dolls." (19).
Fastidious (adj.): very attentive to and concerned about accuracy and detail
As she set up induction, she was fastidious about streamer placement so the inductees would be impressed.

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Week #1 By 11/30
Pages 1-140
Thought #1: 1-28
Thought #2: 29-57
Thought #3: 58-85
Thought #4: 86-112
Week #2 By 12/07
Pages 113 -196
Thought #1: 113-140
Thought #2: 141-168
Thought #3: 169-196
Week #3 By 12/14
Pages 197-421
Thought #1: 197-224
Thought #2: 225-252
Thought #3: 252-280
Thought #4: 281-308
Thought #5: 309-336
Thought #6: 337-364
Thought #7: 365-392
Thought #8: 393-421

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I didn't go searching for this book, it came to me. For quite some time now, my free time has been dwindling, reduced to minutes per day which I have whiled away in the depths of Instagram and Netflix. My fond memories of pouring over book after book, each of which served as a motivator for finished work seemed like a blip in the past. My book list grew longer, filled with books I wanted to read, but never actually did. Cut to me, scrolling through the Instagram, stopping to see the cover photo for a book, by who other than Michelle Obama. Bearing the task of finding an outside reading book, I faced this photo, moments away from tacking it onto the list, when I realized that my genuine interest in this book perfectly coincided with this assignment for a nonfiction book. So, here we are, on the Padlet created for this book.

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Thought #2                     Pages 29-57

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Thought #2                     Pages 29-57

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Quote: "The lesson being in life that you control what you can" (33).
Response:  This quote was very interesting to me given its context. At this point in the story, Michelle Obama was still recounting her childhood, yet at this point, innocent to the reality of adulthood, she had uncovered deep truths about a person's interactions with others. She makes it very clear that her exposure to other kids not as motivated or competitive as her led to her realization of this, but it raised some questions for me. I also believe in controlling everything you can, but can this aphorism be justified on a societal level that features relationships requiring collaboration from two or more entities? If a person is controlling as much as they can, how can they possibly avoid controlling another person's decision or freedom, and therefore infringing on their right to control that aspect of their own life? This question may seem confusing, but the paradoxical nature of this quote's application was difficult to describe.
Vocabulary: "He lived his life in defiance of that very prospect, assiduously looking after our car...never discussing his advancing multiple sclerosis nor missing a day of work" (33).
Assiduously (adv.): with great care and perseverance
Ignoring the ring of her phone, she blocked everything out so she could assiduously put the diaper on the baby and soothe it.

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Thought #3                     Pages 58-85

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Thought #3                     Pages 58-85

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Quote: "But my first months at [high school] gave me a glimpse of something that had previously been invisible - the apparatus of privilege and connection, what seemed like a network of half-hidden ladders and guide ropes  that lay suspended overhead, ready to connect some but not all of us to the sky" (58).
Response: This quote shows a clear analysis of the function of privilege and opportunity in modern society. In describing the vast network of opportunities laid out by her peers wealth and connections, Obama critiques the unbalanced benefits. This is evident in the symbolism of the sky, referring to a vast network in future successful dreams. Coming from a lower income family, she did not have the same resources, and being faced with peers who did created the feeling that they were more inclined to become successful, when she was trying as hard or harder to excel. Her analysis here shows a critique of the role of wealth in the stature and success of not only a person, but especially a child whose future will be affected.
Vocabulary: "I was met by a confounding sight, a food item that like so many other things at Princeton required a lesson in gentility" (73).
Gentility (n.): social superiority as demonstrated by genteel manners, behavior, or appearances
Having lived modestly in the tribal tents of the pastoral steppes, the man felt that the royals imposed their gentility on him when he was invited to a state dinner.

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Thought #4                     Pages 86-112

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Thought #4                     Pages 86-112

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Quote: "My world was filled with hopeful, hardworking people who were obsessed with their own upward mobility" (101).
Response:  This created an interesting contrast for me. Up until this point, Obama writes about how she was also hopeful and hardworking, striving for success and achievement, never content and always aiming upwards. Yet, following her first interactions to Barack Obama, a disassociation occurs, and she steps back to see the laid back approach that her future husband employs. She still stays completely focused on her work in the hopes of advancing her career, but this quote was very striking to me because it shows her character fluctuations as Barack Obama and her interact with one another.
Vocabulary: "As Barack's adviser, I was meant to act as a social conduit more than anything" (97).
Conduit (n.): a means of transmitting or distributing
The aqueduct served as a conduit for water, connecting the water supplies and delivering to the two neighboring towns.

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Quote: "We were having an absurd and inappropriate argument because in the wake of death every single thing on earth feels absurd and inappropriate" (145).
Response: This context for this quote includes her family's effort to come to terms with the loss of their father/husband, and their emotions surrounding the funeral planning, and the service itself. Michelle Obama's ideas about post-tragedy feelings was very interesting to me because due to their vivid description, they are easy to imagine regardless of whether or not you have experienced tragedy like she did. This quote proved very powerful as I was reading it, and it put me in her shoes, feeling just as out of place as she did. Everything seemed wrong, out of place, and that obviously affected her grief, and Obama alludes to this in the quote.
Vocabulary: "The practical, pragmatic part of our upbringing wouldn't allow me to put much stock in the gentle, well-intentioned platitudes people would heap on us a few days later at the funeral" (144).
Pragmatic (adj.): dealing with things sensibly and realistically in a way that is based on practical rather than theoretical considerations
She was pragmatic as she packed her suitcase, including comfortable clothes that she climb the rocks in.

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Quote: "I was just feeling the acute burden of being female" (189).
Response: Michelle Obama is very well-known for her advocacy for women's rights, and therefore, this quote was no surprise at all. While she is clearly commenting on the expected roles of a woman in society, I am curious about why she included this statement in this section. She could have spoken about this in any other part of her life: growing up as a girl, experiencing the workforce as a female. Especially considering that she was not only a woman, but a woman minority, she could have incorporated this statement at any point. I am not critiquing the section, saying another is better; I think it works in perfect conjunction with her rant about pregnancy. However, I am curious as to why she decided this would be the best place for this quote? Were the other sections already full with similar statements? Did this story about the birth of your first child lend itself better to the power of the quote?
Vocabulary: "If we'd once spent the dinner hour parsing the intricacies of the juvenile justice system, comparing what I'd learned during my stint at Public Allies...we now, with no less fervor, debated whether Malia was too dependent on her pacifier" (191).
Parsing (n.): examine or analyze minutely
The boss found the scientist diligently parsing the images of the new bacteria they had discovered.

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Quote: "Almost deliberately, I'd numbed myself somewhat to my ambition, stepping back in moments when I'd normally step forward" (210).
Response: Reading this quote was really shocking for me. For most of the book, the audience sees Michelle grow as a woman, but most importantly an independent woman who was focused on her work. But, being a mother brought a completely different type of growth. Out of context, it might seem like this quote shows her reverting to a point where she is not centered on success, achievement, and moving forward in her job and life. But, in reality, she actually grew more because she got to a point where she took a step back and examined her life and her role, and even though she was a strong woman, she was also a mother who had daughters who were dependent on her. he grew to realize that caring for them as more important than her own ambitions, especially since she needed to be able to sculpt them into their own individual, strong personas. It was really striking to read this after over 200 pages of her discovering her purpose, but further analysis shows this deep growth that could only be caused by a life-changing event like motherhood.
Vocabulary: "I could nail it, I thought, if I wasn't overburdened with superfluous meetings" (201).
Superfluous (adj.): unnecessary, especially through being more than enough
The third time she called us over to go over the strict itinerary was completely superfluous, and I found it quite annoying.

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Quote: "I had little time to think much about it, but quietly I worried that as my visibility as Barack Obama's wife rose, the other parts of me were dissolving from view" (241).
Response: Similarly to the first quote, this second statement shows this consideration by Obama about something that changes everything she worked for. She worked to find these small parts that caused her to embrace her real self, but here she was, worrying that it might all be for nothing. It was really interesting for me to see this almost parabolic shape of Michelle's self-discovery as she worries less and less about her true passion and becomes more comfortable with her level of achievement. Then, as she goes through this amazing journey with her husband and children, that stress and worry climbs back up again as the media's portrayal of her and people forcing stereotypes on her threatens all the work she's accomplished. It's really strange to think that all the work you do to be happy and be comfortable in life can be stripped from you in a matter of days and weeks. Her determination to not be a part f a misconception or assigned personality was really moving as she progressed from this state of mind and worry of being dissolved, to a person who stood firm in what made her different and as strong as her husband.
Vocabulary: "I didn't believe the pundits, and I wasn't sure about the polls, either" (244).
Pundit (n.): an expert in a particular subject or field who is frequently called on to give opinions about it to the public
The pundit spoke as the keynote speaker at the conference on astrophysics because he had just released groundbreaking research.

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Quote: "The easiest way to disregard a woman's voice is to package her as a scold" (267).
Response: As closely as her written account may come to capturing the whirlwind she experienced in the election, it's still unfathomable. She had to work harder than her husband, the actual candidate, did in order to defy the race and gender stereotypes forced upon her. She knew that women had to work hard to be perceived in the way they wanted, but she experienced this in its rawest form when she had to play the doting wife for the cameras. She showed her opinions and personality, and saw the response from certain pockets of the media. They saw her as harsh, and unladylike, and rather than be disliked, Michelle had to face being completely disregarded. Overcoming that, and showing the public that she was not someone to be trifled makes you think about how differently spouses have to operate in regards to politics, and it made me respect her even more for setting a precedent as a woman who was not afraid to speak her mind.
Vocabulary: "The mood was not exactly desultory, but it wasn't festive either" (272).
Desultory (adj.): lacking a plan, purpose, or enthusiasm
Returning to school after a long, relaxing winter break, my attitude was desultory.

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Quote: "I was now married to one of the most heavily-guarded human beings on earth. It was simultaneously relieving and distressing" (288).
Response: The book began with a young Michelle Obama, who came from very humble beginnings on the South Side of Chicago. Then, after her husband got elected to the highest office in the land, she was experiencing something completely different, with no time to adjust. She was just thrown into it, with no time to comprehend the potential risk that was associated with her new title, nor the fame nor attention. This section of Obama's account speaks to her journey and her coping with all that she was thrust into. All the excitement erupted as soon as her husband was elected, but then he became the leader of the free world, and her children were at risk for kidnapping because of who their father was. Obama sort of takes a step back in this part and remembers her slow understanding of her new place in the world.
Vocabulary: "And then there were the Biden grand-kids, five altogether, all of them as outgoing and unassuming as Joe and Jill themselves" (297).
Unassuming (adj.): not pretentious or arrogant; modest
Despite being an accomplished researcher and Nobel laureate, the scientist was quite unassuming in person.

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Quote: "I could escape the stage-managed multilateral meetings and sit-downs with leaders and find new ways to bring a little extra warmth to those otherwise staid visits" (319).
Response: It was really interesting for me to see Michelle Obama grow into her role as First Lady. She had been on this journey to find a wholesome purpose where she wasn't a machine but was doing something that really affected the world, and now she was in a position to really influence change. It was funny for her to contrast the lighter parts of her role with the heavy weight of her husband's job, but it was really nice to see that she was finally in a place to help people and be a old model for the world.
Vocabulary: "I could escape the stage-managed multilateral meetings and ... bring a little extra warmth to those otherwise staid visits" (319).
Staid (adj.): sedate, respectable, and unadventurous
Sitting through the toast by the dean proved to be quite staid.

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Quote: "It felt perverse, how the world just carried on" (129).
Response: This statement, and Obama's placement of her recollection of the time much more powerful. Placing as one of the ending sentences about her father dying and her effort to cope, she describes a feeling that is quite familiar to those who have experienced loss: a feeling of stopped time while the world around you keeps moving, unaffected by your tragedy. Michelle Obama's delivery of her father's death is very striking in its avoidance of cliche but showcases truths about life and death, making it relatable to those who have experience tragedy.
Vocabulary: "He used a motorized scooter to pilot himself from boiler to boiler and took pride in his own indispensability" (137).
Indispensability (n.): absolutely necessary, essential, or requisite; incapable of being disregarded or neglected
He was the only one who knew how to operate the machine on the team, so his job was secure, and he cherished his indispensability.

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Quote: "I turned back to the lawn, horrified to see my family being chased by wild animals and the wild animals being chased by agents, who were firing their [tranquilizer] guns" (341).
Response: Out of context, this might seem absolutely ridiculous, until you read that this was simply a nightmare that she had. The detail in which she recounted the dream was really interesting because it showed how to stress and risk of their family led to her being increasingly worried, regardless of the fact that they were one of the most heavily guarded families on Earth. This entire section has this repeated message of the new danger her family is at a risk for, and how she is unable to adjust to it immediately, and her continued worry shows the audience that becoming President and First Lady was one of the most jarring things of her life.
Vocabulary: "their father got called away sometimes for national emergencies, and that always and no matter what there'd be some part of the population that openly reviled him" (352).
Reviled (v.): criticize in an abusive or angrily insulting manner
The political candidate could not make any valid opposing points, so he supplemented her positions by reviling the physical demeanor of the candidate.

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Quote: "I wish I'd seen her alive, if only to have a memory to share with her mom, now that the memories of her daughter were suddenly finite" (381).
Response: Michelle Obama rightfully uses this memoir as a platform to discuss gun violence, and examines its impact as a person who, being married to the President, was in the thick of the crisis. Here, she's talking about how she had to console the mother of a gun violence victim, a little girl. All of a sudden, the future of this girl was snatched away from her and her family as she died. Obama introduces this anecdote to segue into her discussion on how gun reform is necessary. This quote talking about how nobody else would ever know this girl, her life was finite, and her parents were suffering from an inconsolable loss. This, accompanied by the shock Michelle witnessed after the Newtown shooting, set up her argument for the negative impact of gun violence and how it affected her.
Vocabulary: "Within hours of the ceremony, photos of the two of them looking aggrieved appeared all over the internet" (392).
Aggrieved (adj.):  feeling resentment at having been unfairly treated.
His expression was visibly aggrieved after he was denied a seat because of race.

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Quote: "This was our bid for permanence: a rising generation that understood what was possible-and that even more was possible for them" (416).
Response: This is one of the final quotes of the book and it is heavy. As a member of this new, rising generation, and as a person who hopes to go into global affairs/law/politics, it was really powerful for me to read this. At this point, she talked about her response to the election, and explicitly expressed her disappointment, so it was almost her way to reinforce the legacy of their administration, and show the world that they want the new generation to finish what they started and do even better things, and make the world a better place. It also left that sort of gooey "wow this was a good book" feeling in me, and left a hopeful mark of Obama saying that things will improve, and get better because our generation will ensure it. I think that this was the best way she could have ended her memoir, and I loved every word of it.
Vocabulary: "I'd felt the derision directed at my body, the literal space I occupied in the world" (408).
Derision (n.): contemptuous ridicule or mockery.
I felt the derision she thrust at me, as she called me four-eyes on the playground.