Strong and independent is exactly what describes Michelle Obama. She is a role model and leader to a large portion of the country, even after she has left the White House. Her new book, “Becoming,” is a memoir depicting Obama’s life thus far. She describes the hardships she has faced as a black woman, a lawyer, the wife of a politician, a daughter, and a mother. In her book she spoke about the struggles of being the First Lady of the United States.

“It challenged me and humbled me, lifted me up and shrank me down, sometimes all at once,” Obama said.

The book is distinctly patriotic. She describes her rise to success through her aspirations throughout her life and how hard it has been for her to achieve them, thus embodying the American dream. Her interpretation of the American dream shows what it means to be a black woman in America. She also spoke of the struggles that she has faced and how she has overcome them with strength and grace. She sheds light on the difficulties that she faced when she was younger. When she was a child, adults liked her answer when she said that she wanted to be a doctor, only to realize that they thought it was a good career path because of the money. Although she wanted to become a doctor because of her love for children. Instead of becoming a doctor, she chose to pursue a career in law that she worked hard to obtain. She fought hard to become the woman she is today and with that, comes many hardships in rooms full of the majority being white men.

“I’ve been the only woman, the only African American, in all sorts of rooms,” Obama said.

Obama talks about the difference between her own self-esteem and her husband’s. She says that he is unique and comes from a diverse background and doesn’t fit in in any one place, but Michelle has a harder time finding where she wants to belong. She depicts how it has been a lifelong difficulty for her, so she is happy that she found Barack who inspires her. Being the first African American first lady of the United States, Michelle Obama faced and still faces, criticism of her actions, her words, even her body.

“I’ve heard about the swampy parts of the internet that question everything about me, right down to whether I’m a woman or a man. A sitting U.S. Congressman has made fun of my butt. I’ve been hurt. I’ve been furious. But mostly, I’ve tried to laugh this stuff off,” Obama wrote while narrating the critiques of being the first lady.

She is a role model for all girls of color across the world. She uses her voice with confidence and power to overcome racist and sexist tensions.

“Since stepping reluctantly into public life, I’ve been held up as the most powerful woman in the world and taken down as an ‘angry black woman.’ I’ve wanted to ask my detractors which part of that phrase matters to them the most — is it ‘angry’ or ‘black’ or ‘woman’?” Obama wrote.