"Becoming," the best-selling memoir by the former first lady, Michelle Obama, is a study in what happens when the ways we see ourselves don't always line up with the ways that society sees us. In reading about her journey from high-achieving, self-possessed child in Chicago to the fraught glamour of her life in the White House, we marvel at the ways she balanced herself and her image in service of the country. And we discuss how Michelle Obama's memoir fits into a powerful lineage of black women navigating entirely new circumstances with curiosity, strength and grace.
Discussed this week:
“Becoming” (Michelle Obama, 2019)Beyoncé singing “At Last” at Barack Obama’s 2008 inauguration“Lean In” (Sheryl Sandberg, 2013)“Complete Writings: Phillis Wheatley” (Phillis Wheatley, 2001)“Thick: And Other Essays” (Dr. Tressie McMillan Cottom, 2019)“Eloquent Rage: A Black Feminist Discovers Her Superpower” (Dr. Brittney Cooper, 2018)“Emergent Strategy: Shaping Change, Changing Worlds” (adrienne maree brown, 2017)We're Going Black(er) AKA Dear Woke People
We Watch Trump TV with Emily Nussbaum
We Will Always Love You, Whitney Houston
We Feud About “Feud”
We Relive the Oscars with Barry Jenkins
We Listen to Kendrick Lamar & Talk to Valerie Jarrett
We Go To S-Town
Season Finale with Jordan Peele | Episode 26
Oscars Preview with A.O. Scott | Episode 25
Beyoncé to Baldwin and Back Again | Episode 24
The Women of “Girls” | Episode 23
‘You Only Leave Home When Home Won’t Let You Stay’ | Episode 22
Wesley and Jenna’s Existential Fears | Episode 21
Show Me the (Read) Receipts! | Episode 20
Batman vs. Joker | Episode 19
‘The Perfect Movie for Our Time’ | Episode 18
The Kanye-thon | Episode 17
The Lives They Lived | Episode 16
Best of 2016 with Bill Simmons, Heben Nigatu, Tracy Clayton and Ezra Edelman | Episode 15
Beyoncé vs. Adele? No Contest | Episode 14
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