Michelle Obama, First Lady of Hope - Elizabeth Lightfoot

I have just finished reading this book and am a little non-plussed. I appreciate the fact that I have read it and am now more aware of one of the key figures in the make-up of tomorrows experience but it was not a book I could get excited about. Lightfoots collation of resources impressed me. As a social research and creative writing graduate, I was delighted to read such a strong and balanced depiction of Michelle Obama. Negative publicity thrown up during the campaign was explained sensitively and with understanding. The structure allowed a person to dip in and out of sections of the biography while still gaining a rounded picture. It is not a hard hitting, contrived and complicated book and as such, this book is an accessible read, a nice reiteration of the point that anyone can do anything if they set their minds to it. To answer my questions, I do now have far more understanding of the new residents of the White House. The general feel of the book left me hopeful for the new America because I am aware that what happens in the States will have a knock on effect over here in the United Kingdom. It has not thrown up a plethora of questions but merely one or two pertaining to whether this hopeful energy can carry on through to congress and will there finally be change? I am aware that these are not questions brought about by the reading of the book as such, but more as a result of the campaign however these are subjects referred to repeatedly throughout the text whilst leaving the reader with no doubt that they must be patient because only time will tell. I am grateful for the experience of reading “Michelle Obama, First Lady of Hope”, I was pro-Obama before reading the text and it has re-affirmed what I already knew. I do feel that this would be a wonderful text for those with any doubts about the motivations behind the new president and his family. It would also be beneficial to younger students as an example of ambition. The tone and the echoes of “hope” that permeate the text are truly infectious. Although the book does not contain any personal interviews between Lightfoot and Obama, it has been thoroughly researched. Through the use of personal comparisons, Lightfoot has managed to create an accessible and humanised portrayal of a very powerful woman and role model for future generations.