Michelle Obama is proud and excited about her forthcoming memoir, Becoming — but as the Nov. 13 release date draws nearer, the former first lady admits she’s also “a little frightened” about how “candid and honest and open” she is in the book.
“Over this time that I’ve been out of the White House, I’ve had time to think and reflect for the first time in a long time. I spent some time really thinking about the people, the stories and the experiences that have shaped me and helped me become the person I am today,” Obama, 54, explains.
“I am proud of what I’ve created. I’m proud because it is candid, it’s honest, it is totally and utterly me. So I’m also a little frightened because it is so candid and honest and open,” she adds.
That said, Obama is eager to share her book with the world — and to see how it empowers readers.
“I’m hoping that, because of this book, others feel the power of their own voice and their own story,” Obama says. “Not in the big moments, but in the little things, the small moments, the bumps, the bruises, the highs and the lows — because those are the things that make us uniquely who we are.”
On Wednesday, Obama also announced an upcoming 10-city tour to promote her book:
Tuesday, November 13, Chicago, United Center
Thursday, November 15, Los Angeles, The Forum
Saturday, November 17, Washington DC, Capital One Arena
Saturday, November 24, Boston, TD Garden
Thursday, November 29, Philadelphia, Wells Fargo Center
Saturday, December 1, Brooklyn, Barclays Center
Tuesday, December 11, Detroit, Little Caesars Arena
Thursday, December 13, Denver, Pepsi Center Arena
Friday, December 14, San Jose, SAP Center
Monday, December 17, Dallas, American Airlines Center
Tickets for the event will be sold through Ticketmaster’s “verified fan” system, with 10 percent of the seats in each venue given away free to fans and local community members who might not be able to afford tickets. For the first stop on Nov. 13, in Obama’s hometown of Chicago, this means 1,300 tickets will be given away to community members. Individual ticket prices start as low as $29.50, and signed book bundles and VIP tickets will be available as well.
The events will feature candid conversations between Obama and a selection of to-be-announced moderators — that she says will include some famous friends and family members — about the experiences that have shaped her life, from her childhood on the South Side of Chicago, to her years as an executive balancing the demands of motherhood and work, to her time as the first African-American first lady in U.S. history.
