The Meaning of Michelle: 16 Writers on the Iconic First Lady and How Her Journey Inspires Our Own

by Veronica Chambers

Overview

A NEW IN NONFICTION PEOPLE PICK | NAMED A BEST BOOK OF 2017 BY: The Huffington Post • Glamour • Bustle • RedEye

A Los Angeles Times bestseller

**One of BookRiot's '11 Books to Help Us Make It Through a Trump Presidency'**
**One of The Guardian's Essentials for Black History Month**

“Whenever I think about Michelle Obama, I think, ‘When I grow up, I want to be just like her. I want to be that intelligent, confident, and comfortable in my own skin’.” —Roxane Gay

“Even after eight years of watching them daily in the press, the fact that the most powerful man in the world is a Black man is still breathtaking to me. The fact that he goes home to a tight-knit, loving family headed by a Black woman is soul-stirring. That woman is Michelle. Michelle. That name now carries a whole world of meaning...” —From the Preface by Ava DuVernay

Michelle Obama is unlike any other First Lady in American History. From her first moments on the public stage, she has challenged traditional American notions about what it means to be beautiful, to be strong, to be fashion-conscious, to be healthy, to be First Mom, to be a caretaker and hostess, and to be partner to the most powerful man in the world. What is remarkable is that, at 52, she is just getting started.

While many books have looked at Michelle Obama from a fashion perspective, no book has fully explored what she means to our culture. The Meaning of Michelle does just that, while offering a parting gift to a landmark moment in American history. In addition to a tribute to Michelle Obama, this book is also a rollicking, lively dinner party conversation about race, class, marriage, creativity, womanhood and what it means to be American today.

Contributors include: Ava DuVernay, Veronica Chambers, Benilde Little, Damon Young, Alicia Hall Moran and Jason Moran, Brittney Cooper, Ylonda Gault Caviness, Chirlane McCray, Cathi Hanauer, Tiffany Dufu, Tanisha Ford, Marcus Samuelsson, Sarah Lewis, Karen Hill Anton, Rebecca Carroll, Phillipa Soo, and Roxane Gay

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781250160232
Publisher:	Picador
Publication date:	01/16/2018
Pages:	240
Product dimensions:	5.40(w) x 8.20(h) x 0.70(d)

About the Author

VERONICA CHAMBERS is a prolific writer and the author of the critically acclaimed memoir Mama’s Girl. A contributor to several anthologies, including the bestselling Bitch in the House, she’s been a senior editor at the New York Times Magazine, Glamour, and Newsweek. She is currently a JSK Knight Fellow at Stanford.

Table of Contents

CONTENTS

Preface by AVA DuVERNAY
Introduction: Homegirls by VERONICA CHAMBERS

1. Michelle in High Cotton by BENILDE LITTLE
2. Crushing on Michelle: Or the Unapologetic Power of Blackness by DAMON YOUNG
3. The Composer and the Brain: A Conversation About Music, Marriage, Power, Creativity, Partnership...and the Obamas by ALICIA HALL MORAN AND JASON MORAN
4. Lady O and King Bey by BRITTNEY COOPER
5. We Go Way Back by YLONDA GAULT CAVINESS
6. Two Black First Ladies Walk into a Room by CHIRLANE McCRAY
7. Becoming the Wife by CATHI HANAUER
8. On Being Flawlessly Imperfect by TIFFANY DUFU
9. She Slays: Michelle Obama & the Power of Dressing Like You Mean It by TANISHA C. FORD
10. Cooking with a Narrative by MARCUS SAMUELSSON
11. Michelle Obama: Representational Justice by SARAH LEWIS
12. The Freedom to Be Yourself by KAREN HILL ANTON
13. She Loves Herself When She Is Laughing: Michelle Obama, Taking Down a Stereotype and Co-Creating a Presidency by REBECCA CARROLL
14. The Best of Wives and Best of Women by PHILLIPA SOO
15. Making Space by ROXANE GAY

Editorial Reviews

"Missing Mrs. O already? A new book reminds us why she remains a woman for our times...All the essays stand out as each writer stands up and attests to the ways in which Michelle Obama has defied stereotypes and pushed forward a vision and version of Black women that have always been there, but have often gone unacknowledged." —Essence

"Reflections on a woman who feels like a good girlfriend to a large portion of the American public, though they only know her from afar." —NPR Code Switch

"A series of thoughtful meditations on the complexities of the woman who is both partner to the leader of the free world and a powerful American figure in her own right. The Obama in these pages is both an icon and a homegirl. The writers take her seriously yet still write about her playfully." —The Washington Post

"Powerful." —Glamour

"Praises the groundbreaking First Lady from arms to alms." —Vanity Fair

"Thoughtful, textured and evocative. For many black women, it will be a soothing reiteration of things they already feel and know about a woman they already love. For many others, it could be a fascinating window." —Newsday

"A marvelous collection that taps into the love — not just admiration, though that's certainly there; not just respect, though it's there too — so many Americans have for the South Side girl-turned-Washington royalty." —The Chicago Tribune

"Features 16 essays about the First Lady and the impact she's had on the U.S., with 'Hamilton' alum Phillipa Soo and writer Roxane Gay among those sharing their insights." —The Hollywood Reporter

"[A] timely homage to forever first lady Michelle Obama [...] a good book to help ease your way through the end of the Obama presidency." —The Huffington Post

"Sixteen writers...share what it’s been like to witness Michelle Obama in the White House. 'Witness' is the correct word. The first thing most writers admit is that they've been unable to take their eyes off her." —The New York Times

"An engaging and delightful collection to help readers recognize that Michelle Obama is a distinct American icon." —Library Journal

"Read it and shake things up yourself this year." —Dr. Oz The Good Life

"A diverse collection united by admiration in a 'praise song' anthology." —Bookpage

"A glorious tribute to an incredible woman." —Booklist (Starred Review)

"Gratitude resonates through each offering in this compilation, a warm tribute to an inspiring woman of color who has lived in the public eye for more than eight years." —Publisher's Weekly

"The variety of contributors allows for different perspectives on their common subject—as a fashion icon, a cultural arbiter, the self-proclaimed "mom-in-chief," partner in a mutual girl crush with Beyoncé, fitness and food advocate, and a wife who supports but does not defer." —Kirkus Reviews

From the Publisher

10/31/2016
This charming series of 16 essays about Michelle Obama, deftly assembled by editor Chambers (Mama’s Girl), finds inspiration in various facets of the 46th First Lady of the United States as her time in that role draws to a close. Chirlane McCray, First Lady of New York City, draws parallels between their respective positions in “Two Black First Ladies Walk into a Room.” Amherst professor Tanisha Ford ruminates on Obama’s evolving sense of style, from J. Crew to Jason Wu, in “She Slays.” Chef Marcus Samuelsson shares his excitement in preparing the Obamas’ first state dinner in “Cooking with a Narrative” (complete with mouthwatering menu). Rutgers professor Brittney Cooper examines the friendship of Michelle Obama and Beyoncé in “Lady O and King Bey.” Many of the contributors applaud the validation they feel the Obama administration has given them. In “Crushing on Michelle,” Damon Young, founder of the online magazine VSB, contrasts his own generation’s experience to that of his young niece and nephew, for whom an African-American president and first lady “is literally all they know.” That sense of gratitude resonates through each offering in this compilation, a warm tribute to an inspiring woman of color who has lived in the public eye for more than eight years. (Jan.)This review has been updated: an additional writer was added to the collection of essays.

Publishers Weekly

01/01/2017
Editor Chambers (Mama's Girl) has assembled an engaging and delightful collection to help readers recognize that Michelle Obama is a distinct American icon, welcomed for her fresh approach to the role of First Lady. The essayists in this collection include women's studies and African American scholars, musicians, film industry leaders, and best-selling authors. For example, Hamilton star Phillipa Soo describes Obama's visit to her dressing room at the Public Theater, saying "this is the best piece of art I've ever seen." Many essays are lighthearted tributes to the ability of the author to relate to the experience of the First Lady as a black female professional, a "mom-in-chief," or a devoted popular culture and pop music fan. Several express their admiration for Obama's ease and refusing to give in to pressures and expectations to be someone she is not. Most express a belief that she is an example for African American girls and women to refuse limitations to dreams and goals. VERDICT Readers who wish to know more about the First Lady's influence and who want to understand her impact will enjoy the perceptions expressed in this unusual collection. [See Prepub Alert, 7/18/16.]—Jill Ortner, SUNY Buffalo Libs.

Library Journal

2016-10-05
A collection of essays that genuflect before a first lady like no other.Though many will miss President Barack Obama, this book suggests that Michelle Obama will be missed even more and that her popularity, accomplishments, and sheer presence have bolstered her husband’s. “If he found a way to convince this amazing woman to accept his hand and have his children, he’s exactly the type of man I want to be my president,” explains Damon Young, a columnist and contributing editor for Ebony and one of the few male contributors to a collection dominated by African-American women. He’s not the only one to comment on her “curvy behind,” though he’s the only one who uses that term. Wherever historians end up ranking the Obama presidency, early returns suggest that no first lady has been as beloved and influential since Jackie Kennedy. Michelle has served as “a game changer for Black women, and it turned out all women,” writes editor Chambers, giving her a singular legacy that she is still plenty young enough to extend (as Roxane Gay suggests in her concluding essay). The variety of contributors allows for different perspectives on their common subject—as a fashion icon, a cultural arbiter, the self-proclaimed “mom-in-chief,” partner in a mutual girl crush with Beyoncé, fitness and food advocate, and a wife who supports but does not defer. “The irony is that Michelle Obama makes it look so easy because she is so complicated,” writes Tiffany Dufu. “Simultaneously flawless and imperfect, she brilliantly navigates opposing forces. And in the tension we can all see ourselves.” As Rebecca Carroll suggests, “she represents at least 60 percent of what America will miss most about the Obama presidency.” While writing about the first lady, most of these perceptive essayists are also writing about themselves and their country, showing the shifts in perception and possibility that she has helped inspire.

Kirkus Reviews