Becoming

Barack and Michelle go to New York City to have dinner and see a show. Although date night used to be a regular part of their schedule, now it requires lots of planning, cost, and nuisance to others involved. Barack and Michelle treasure the time but realize it’s probably too much of a hassle to do again. The garden has been flourishing, and elementary school kids often come to help Michelle and enjoy the delicious produce. Michelle decides to carefully and strategically tackle the issue of childhood obesity in the country. Not only does Michelle have to worry about critics, but Barack’s own team also often stands in her way because they’re afraid of pushback; with these issues, Michelle has her team deal with Barack’s team, keeping her conversations with Barack about their family rather than politics.

Michelle strives to keep things as normal as possible with Malia and Sasha, standing up to the secret service when they try to over-coordinate the girls’ schedules. Even though Barack and Michelle have given up the possibility of being spontaneous and whimsical, “for our girls, we’d fight to keep that possibility alive” (331). Realizing that people are overly interested in her clothing, Michelle tries to use that interest to help up-and-coming and diverse designers.