The best Michelle Obama books

If your favorite song is “You Belong With Me” try I Hate You, Fuller James, by Kelley Anne Blount.

It’s very much the story of a nerdy awkward girl pining after the handsome jock, and is full of sweet moments. I love the similarities between it and 10 Things I Hate About You and the nods to other 90’s rom coms.

I’m a sucker for the enemies-to-lovers trope, and it was fun to watch a young female character fall in love but also learn to stand up for herself.

I love this crazy, silly book. The plot will captivate the children’s attention as there are so many twists and turns throughout the story. Are the grandmas really grandmas or are they aliens? How will they solve this mystery? The use of rhyme adds to the flow and humour of the tale. Illustrations are imaginative and off the wall funny. The ending is priceless. I think there definitely should be a sequel.

This book changed the way I was living my life. It literally changed the words I used to speak about my future plans/goals and made me want to dream big. It leads you to make the connection between what we think and what shows up in our lives. This was an epiphany moment for me. That, we are, who we spend time with, the books we read, and the TV we watch. And thus, the people around us become mirrors of ourselves. It made me examine my thoughts on a minute-to-minute basis and ultimately start living in the present moment. It introduces you to the benefits of daily gratitude and of being of service to others.

This story is based on the Blackwell Union Workhouse, where we discover their hidden secrets regarding the intention to swap two innocent children. While one of them lives with a wealthy family, the other is forced into a life of poverty. Again, this storyline is heartwrenching with the descriptive storyline of historical workhouses and the treatment of those who ended up living there. It makes you stop and validate, appreciate and love everything we have today and all the opportunities available to everyone. There is no divide between those with more assets or money and those with very little. 

I've always held immense admiration for Michelle Obama's honesty, empathy, and resilience—all of which are vibrantly evident in her latest work.

She delves into the ubiquitous yet unsettling realm of uncertainty, offering her own experiences and the tactics she's employed during times of change. I particularly resonated with her chapter on avoidance and how avoidance is the true enemy keeping us stuck, which is the core premise of my own book.

Obama's candid narrative inspired me to reveal my personal journey in my book and might just be the catalyst you need to surmount the upcoming hurdles in your life.

I’ve done extensive writing about the Holistic Wealth mindset that I developed, and about women who embody this mindset including Michelle Obama.

Her story of becoming the first African American first lady on the life experiences that shaped her journey from the south side of Chicago to the White House. Michelle titled her book Becoming because she is constantly evolving, “becoming” the woman she aspires to be, which is part and parcel of the Holistic Wealth mindset.

It’s a great book on resilience and overcoming setbacks. Michelle stated in an interview with Oprah Winfrey: “My journey is the journey of always, continually evolving, that there is never a point where you arrive at a thing. And if you do, that’s kind of sad, you know?” said Obama.

“If you think there is a point in your life when you stop growing or stop learning, that’s kind of sad, because what… show more.

Sometimes a woman can get herself into a situation that she doesn’t see coming and is nervous about telling anyone.

In this book, the protagonist, Lily, is one of those women. I’m drawn to stories where you go on a journey with the main character as she finds her voice and begins to stand up for herself and realizes she’s worth much better in life, than the way she’s being treated.

Many women feel shame around getting themselves into these kinds of situations, but we are all human, and it can happen subtly, so subtly that you don’t see it coming. Lily becomes a strong woman, and that strength is something I admire.

This is a brilliant book about race, gender, and politics in the United States. While there is a lot of work on racial inequality this book stands out in its focus on the ways in which culture shapes our politics and responses to inequality. It does so by centering Black women. It is also very timely and analyzes the way in which public figures like Michelle Obama and Condoleeza Rice have shaped the American political imagination.  

This picture book truly shows the importance of art and how it can empower kids when they see themselves in art. This is one reason why I like writing picture books! Art can speak volumes when the viewer connects, and this story of an African American child named Parker seeing Michele Obama as a queen in her portrait is so beautiful in many ways. You’ll be inspired to bring your child to an art museum.

This annual anthology, published by the nonprofit organization Girls Write Now, showcases the voices of young women writers from a diverse range of backgrounds. These anthologies are a treasure trove of fiction, poetry, essays, and drama by emerging writers. Pick up the latest copy to get a glimpse at the future of literature.

One of my favourites, this story is narrated by Elly, a girl who befriends Mr. Golan, her elderly neighbour. But their friendship takes a dark turn, and only Elly’s brother, Joe, knows her secret. Joe gives Elly a pet rabbit, which she names God, to alleviate the loneliness of her childhood. 

As an adult, Elly finds her calling as a newspaper columnist, writing about the relationships she has lost and found, and eventually learns to rely on the family and friends who have stood by her during her years of silence about what happened to her as a child.

Elly as a child is innocent but no-nonsense, learning to rely on herself when the family moves, causing her to lose touch with her best friend. The story is both funny and tragic, but it’s Elly who makes it such a good novel.

Though it never mentions the word ‘multiverse’, it has many aspects of a story about travelling through worlds beyond worlds, going somewhere from nowhere, taking things that don’t exist in another place.

I found this book interesting because it includes a mystery, as the protagonist goes through her journey, she uncovers mysteries and hidden truths about her abilities.

A different concept of multiverse travelling, as well as worlds that are aware of each other, it was still an interesting read that leaves a satisfying conclusion.

I was so taken by the first handsome volume of Soldiers’ Stories that I submitted stories for this one. The Wilson family story is laid out so well across eleven pages of this treasure. Five brothers served. Only two came home.

There are stories of men and women from every branch of the service, some who survived, some who did not. The memoirs are written by the veterans themselves, by family members, or interested friends.

There are stories about the Manhattan Project, Red Cross workers, Rosie the Riveter, men who have adopted the overseas graves of American fallen, even one who found dog tags in Belgium and did the research to find family members. One veteran is honored by memories of his 12-year-old great-grandson. Michelle Obama's grandfather's service is also documented.

Amy is amazing at writing characters you really care about. Her fans have dubbed her the Queen of Space Opera and they’re not wrong. On top of her characters, she does a great job with suspense and plot twists that make it hard to stop reading. I loved how entertaining these books are and I feel as though every space opera fan should check them out. 

I greatly admire Michelle Obama and thought I knew her story. I didn’t. In this version of her memoir Becoming, adapted for young readers and full of engaging photos, she shares how her father’s multiple sclerosis marked her life: she was a young child when he first needed a cane, a freshman in college when he needed two, and a young professional in love with a man named Barack Obama when her father died. Though he never wanted his multiple sclerosis to limit his children’s lives—and it didn’t—her father’s illness may also explain Michelle Obama’s remarkable strength in the face of adversity and her genuine compassion and concern for others. 

At least in the US, once you become a new parent, people will invariably gift you this book, along with "Pat the Bunny", and a plastic giraffe toy. Why? Who knows. They just got all got really popular at some point and have remained so. For what it's worth, this is the most worthy of the three.

I’ve included it in this list mainly to call attention to just how profoundly bizarre it is. To some extent, because it's the second part of a 1940s trilogy set in a surreal universe of bunny people. I appreciate the eerie drawing style and palette throughout the series, but parts one and three are nothing special.

Although I can recall my indifference to this book as a kid, I'm a sucker for it now. Not sure if it's because of nostalgia, the way it taps into our collective unconscious or that scene from… show more.

The First Lady of the United States is a challenging role that has been navigated by an incredibly wide array of women over the years. Brower has interviewed many of them, and the insights she gives readers into their day-to-day lives—at turns uplifting and heartbreaking—make for an incredibly relatable and inspiring book. This is as behind-the-White House-scenes as you can get. From Jaqueline Kennedy to Michelle Obama, Brower offers an incredibly intimate look at this often misunderstood role in American politics.