At some point when I was a child, my father started using a cane to keep himself balanced when he walked. I don't remember exactly when it showed up in our home on the south side of Chicago - I was maybe four or five years old at the time - but suddenly it was there, slim and sturdy and made of a smooth dark wood. The cane was an early concession to multiple sclerosis, the disease that had given my father a severe left legged limp. Slowly and silently and probably long before he received a formal diagnosis, MS was undermining his body, eating away at his central nervous system and weakening his legs as he went about his everyday business: working at the city's water filtration plant, running a household with my mom, trying to raise good kids.

Love Michelle Obama; her Becoming was one of the best books I’ve ever read. This just doesn’t come close to that at all. Took me almost 2 months to finish ( )

Michelle is just lovely. I enjoyed Becoming a little more, but The Light We Carry is still a great read ( )

Dare to be Brave!



In Becoming, we got a chance to learn Michelle Obama's backstory and the life of times of a First Lady during her husband Barack's presidency. But in The Light, We Carry, Michelle takes us one step further into her personal journey through the years since the COVID-19 pandemic began and shares with the reader the contents of her toolkit. What you won’t be fixing is the leaking sink what you will find a fix for is your soul. I had a very hard time during the first year of the pandemic and after reading this it was nice to know that I am not alone. Given how much time has passed I have learned my only limit is me. That is very freeing to realize.

The book has a hybrid genre, seeming to be both a self-help guide and a memoir. Michelle shares her experiences and emotions during various crucial times, such as after the presidential election following Obama's term and at the start of the pandemic, along with delightful stories from her childhood and moments spent with her insightful and marvelous mother. Additionally, the author offers essential techniques that helped her alleviate her own anxiety.

Despite Michelle's unwavering strength, intelligence, and composure, the vulnerabilities she exposes in her book may surprise you. Nevertheless, Michelle's gift as a public speaker and an individual is her ability to offer reassurance and hope while acknowledging the significant challenges that still exist. Her personal techniques involve pursuing new hobbies like knitting, forming genuine friendships with her trusted Kitchen Table companions, and finding fulfillment in being a mother and a wife. She also credits her mother for instilling in her the qualities of confidence, resilience, and grace in the face of adversity and hatred.

Self-help books can occasionally appear as though they merely rehash existing advice. Yet, I firmly believe that the most effective counsel is often recycled because it has proven successful. The Light We Carry by Michelle Obama, however, accomplishes something exceptional by emphasizing that, despite living in a world that may lack stability or certainty, we are the ones who provide that sense of security. Our innate humanity, compassion, optimism, and especially our light, serves as the foundation of our lives. Michelle's writing expertly reinforces this point.This has truly lifted my spirits and given me hope that positive change is possible if people want to try and change. Do not ever let anyone dim your light. ( )

in Italian La Luce; read 1.2024