Michelle Obama's Memoir 'The Light We Carry' Follows Up 'Becoming'
She called this new book "a toolbox" to help readers stay centered.
Former First Lady Michelle Obama and publisher Penguin Random House announced the follow-up to her 2018 bestselling memoir Becoming on July 21. Obama’s new book, The Light We Carry: Overcoming in Uncertain Times, will be released this fall on Nov. 15 by Crown, an imprint of Random House.
Her new memoir will share “practical wisdom and powerful strategies for staying hopeful and balanced in today’s highly uncertain world,” according to Random House. An initial 2.75 million copies will be published in 14 languages following the immense success of Becoming, which sold 17 million copies worldwide and has been translated into 50 languages, according to The New York Times.
Obama shared the big announcement on Instagram and Twitter on July 21 with a video message about her book. She said, “I think of it as a kind of toolbox, a collection of some of the perspectives and practices I’ve gathered over the years to help keep me centered. Even during times of high anxiety and stress. And my hope is that we can equip ourselves with new tools and attitudes so that, together — maybe we’ll be a little steadier, with the understanding that none of us has to go through any of this alone.”
She wrote on Instagram that the “process of reflection” on “how to keep [herself] centered in a world filled with so much uncertainty” is what led her to start writing again.
The Light We Carry draws from Obama’s experiences as a mother, daughter, spouse, friend, and First Lady, according to Random House. She raises questions such as “How do we build enduring and honest relationships?” and “What tools do we use to address feelings of self-doubt or helplessness?” to open up a dialogue with readers on navigating life’s challenges.
“When we are able to recognize our own light, we become empowered to use it,” Obama wrote. If it’s anything like Becoming, it will be a book you can’t put down. The book can be preordered ahead of its Nov. 15 release. The Light We Carry will be published in hardcover ($32.50), an eBook ($16.99), and released as an audiobook ($25).
