Illinois Authors

The Illinois Center for the Book banner

Michelle Obama

Born: 1964 in Chicago, Illinois
Pen Name: None

Connection to Illinois: Obama was born and raised in Chicago. She attended Whitney Young High School, Chicago's first magnet high school. Following law school, Michelle worked as an associate in the Chicago branch of the law firm Sidley Austin in the area of marketing and intellectual property. After a few years, she left her job to launch a career in public service, serving as an assistant to Mayor Daley and then as the assistant commissioner of planning and development for the City of Chicago. In 1993, she became Executive Director for the Chicago office of Public Allies, a non-profit leadership-training program that helped young adults develop skills for future careers in the public sector. Michelle joined the University of Chicago in 1996 as associate dean of student services, developing the University's first community service program. She then worked for the University of Chicago Hospitals beginning in 2002, as executive director of community relations and external affairs. In May 2005, she was appointed vice president of community relations and external affairs at the University of Chicago Medical Center. She also managed the business diversity program and sat on six boards, including the prestigious Chicago Council on Global Affairs and the University of Chicago Laboratory Schools. She also founded the Chicago chapter of Public Allies, an organization that prepares young people for careers in public service.

Biography: Michelle Robinson Obama served as First Lady of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A graduate of Princeton University and Harvard Law School, Mrs. Obama started her career as an attorney at the Chicago law firm Sidley & Austin, where she met her future husband, Barack Obama. She later worked in the Chicago mayor’s office, at the University of Chicago, and at the University of Chicago Medical Center. Mrs. Obama also founded the Chicago chapter of Public Allies, an organization that prepares young people for careers in public service. She is the author of the #1 global bestseller Becoming and the #1 national bestseller American Grown. The Obamas currently live in Washington, D.C., and have two daughters, Malia and Sasha.


Awards:
  • Becoming #1 Global Bestseller
  • American Grown #1 American Bestseller

Primary Literary Genre(s): Non-Fiction

Primary Audience(s): Adult readers; Young adult readers

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/michelleobama
IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm2349292/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/MichelleObama
Twitter: https://twitter.com/michelleobama
Web: https://www.whitehouse.gov/about-the-white-house/first-families/michelle-obama/
Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michelle_Obama
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=holHwF2KYBs


Selected Titles

American Grown :
ISBN: 0307956024 OCLC: New York :

Crown Publishers, New York : ©2012.

This book is a pictorial guide by Michelle Obama, the First Lady of the United States, that describes how she and her daughters planted a vegetable garden on the White House's South Lawn as part of an initiative to raise awareness about childhood obesity. In February 2010, she launched Let's Move!, a nationwide initiative to address the epidemic of childhood obesity by bringing healthier food into schools and communities, and encouraging kids to be more active. Her book speaks to these issues and also includes practical ideas, recipes, and resources as well as tips on how to begin a garden of any size, anywhere, how to support local farmers' markets, and advice for making healthier food choices.

Becoming
ISBN: 1524763136 OCLC:

An intimate, powerful, and inspiring memoir by the former First Lady of the United States. When she was a little girl, Michelle Robinson's world was the South Side of Chicago, where she and her brother, Craig, shared a bedroom in their family's upstairs apartment and played catch in the park, and where her parents, Fraser and Marian Robinson, raised her to be outspoken and unafraid. But life soon took her much further afield, from the halls of Princeton, where she learned for the first time what if felt like to be the only black woman in a room, to the glassy office tower where she worked as a high-powered corporate lawyer--and where, one summer morning, a law student named Barack Obama appeared in her office and upended all her carefully made plans. Here, for the first time, Michelle Obama describes the early years of her marriage as she struggles to balance her work and family with her husband's fast-moving political career. She takes us inside their private debate over whether he should make a run for the presidency and her subsequent role as a popular but oft-criticized figure during his campaign. Narrating with grace, good humor, and uncommon candor, she provides a vivid, behind-the-scenes account of her family's history-making launch into the global limelight as well as their life inside the White House over eight momentous years--as she comes to know her country and her country comes to know her. [This book] takes us through modest Iowa kitchens and ballrooms at Buckingham Palace, through moments of heart-stopping grief and profound resilience, bringing us deep into the soul of a singular, groundbreaking figure in history as she strives to live authentically, marshaling her personal strength and voice in service of a set of higher ideals. In telling her story with honesty and boldness, she issues a challenge to the rest of us: Who are we and who do we want to become? --Jacket.

Becoming: Adapted for Young Readers
ISBN: 0593303741 OCLC:

Michelle Obama's worldwide bestselling memoir, Becoming, adapted for young readers --

Michelle Obama: Speeches on Life, Love, and American Values
ISBN: 0982375638 OCLC:

Pacific Publishing 2012

Michelle Obama has quickly become one of the most influential and respected women in America. This book represents a moving collection of her most personal and inspirational speeches, given over the course of a year and a half, on the Obama's historic journey to the White House. In her own words, Michelle Obama talks about her beliefs, her upbringing, and her values.

Pocket Michelle Wisdom: Wise and inspirational words from Michelle Obama
ISBN: 1784881317 OCLC:

Pocket Michelle Obama Wisdom has assembled the very best quotes from the world's favorite First Lady. Covering all of her favorite topics - from her love of French fries to her feelings on fashion and feminism - this handy little book finally allows you to take Michelle's complete counsel wherever you go. Uplifting and inspiring, funny and fabulous, this book is the ultimate celebration of Michelle and all her wisdom --Amazon.com.

The Light We Carry: Overcoming in Uncertain Times
ISBN: 0593237463 OCLC:

Crown 2022

Mrs. Obama offers readers a series of fresh stories and insightful reflections on change, challenge, and power, including her belief that when we light up for others, we can illuminate the richness and potential of the world around us, discovering deeper truths and new pathways for progress. Drawing from her experiences as a mother, daughter, spouse, friend, and First Lady, she shares the habits and principles she has developed to successfully adapt to change and overcome various obstacles--the earned wisdom that helps her continue to become. She details her most valuable practices, like starting kind, going high, and assembling a kitchen table of trusted friends and mentors. With trademark humor, candor, and compassion, she also explores issues connected to race, gender, and visibility, encouraging readers to work through fear, find strength in community, and live with boldness --Publisher's description

 

 

Accessibility