A new book by former first lady Michelle Obama will offer readers “fresh stories and insightful reflections on change, challenge and strength,” according to her publisher.
The Light We Carry, which will be published in November, is Obama’s second book, following her bestselling memoir Becoming, which was released in November 2018.
She announced the new book on social media today, saying in a video that “a lot has happened” since she published Becoming, including “an uprising” and “a rising tide of hatred, bigotry and intolerance.”
Book cover of Michelle Obama: The Light We Carry. Photo: Miller Mobley/Random House
She said it made her feel “off balance” and “vulnerable and yes, at times, scared.” As a result, she “thought a lot” about questions such as how to “channel our frustration into something positive.”
The result is The Light We Carry, which Obama described as “kind of a toolbox” and “a collection of some of the perspectives and practices that I’ve gathered over the years to help me focus.”
Penguin Random House said the book details Obama’s “most valuable practices, such as ‘starting well’, ‘reaching high’ and assembling a ‘kitchen table’ of trusted friends and mentors”.
In the book’s introduction, Obama writes, “I learned that it’s okay to admit that self-worth is wrapped in vulnerability, and that what we share as humans on this earth is the impulse to strive for better, always, no matter what.”
“We’re getting bolder in brightness. If you know your light, you know yourself. You know your own history in an honest way. In my experience, this type of self-awareness builds confidence, which in turn breeds calmness and the ability to maintain perspective, which ultimately leads to the ability to connect meaningfully with others—and that, to me, is the foundation of all things. One light feeds another. A strong family gives strength to more. An engaged community can ignite those around it. This is the power of the light we carry.”
The book will be released worldwide on November 15, four years after the release of Becoming.
Becoming chronicles Obama’s journey from her childhood on the South Side of Chicago to her experiences as America’s first black first lady. It has been translated into 50 languages and has sold more than 17 million copies in all formats worldwide, according to the publisher.
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