Michelle Robinson was born on the South Side of Chicago. From her modest beginnings, she would become Michelle Obama, the inspiring and powerful First Lady of the United States, when her husband, Barack Obama, was elected forty-fourth president. They would be the first Black First Family in the White House and would serve the country for two terms.
 
Growing up, Michelle and her older brother, Craig, shared a room in their family’s upstairs apartment in their great-aunt’s house. Their parents, Fraser and Marian, poured their love and energy into their children. Michelle’s beloved father taught his children to work hard, keep their word, and remember to laugh. Her mom showed them how to think for themselves, use their voice, and not be afraid.
 
But life soon pulled her far from home. With determination, carefully laid plans, and a desire to achieve, Michelle was eager to expand the sphere of her life from her Chicago upbringing. She went to Princeton University, where she learned what it feels like to be the only Black woman in the room. She then went on to Harvard Law School, and after graduating, she moved back to Chicago and became a top lawyer. Yet her plans changed when she met and fell in love with Barack Obama.
 
From her early marriage years and the struggle to balance being a working woman, wife, and mother of two daughters, Michelle Obama details the change she made into political life and what her family endured as a result of her husband’s fast-moving political career and campaigning for the presidency. She shares the glamour of state dinners and traveling the world, and the hardship of comforting families after tragedies. She managed to attend her daughters’ swim meets and attend plays at their schools without drawing attention, all while defining and championing numerous initiatives—especially those aimed at children—during her time as First Lady.
 
Most importantly, this volume for young people is an honest and fascinating account of Michelle Obama’s life led by example. She shares her insights into how all young people can help themselves and help others, no matter their station in life. She asks readers to realize that no one is perfect and that the process of becoming is what matters, as finding oneself is ever-evolving. In telling her story with boldness, she asks young readers: Who are you and who do you want to become?