A new book by former first lady Michelle Obama will offer readers “fresh stories and insightful reflections on change, challenge and power,” according to its publisher.
The Light We Carry, which will be published in November, is Obama’s second book, following his best-selling memoir Becoming, which appeared in November 2018.
She announced the new book on social media today, saying in a video that “a lot has happened” since she published Becoming, including “an insurrection” and a “rising tide of hate, bigotry and ‘intolerance”.
She said it left her “unbalanced” and “vulnerable and yes, at times, scared”. As a result, she was “thinking a lot” about questions such as “how to channel our frustration into something positive.”
The result is The Light We Carry, which Obama described as “a kind of toolkit” and “a collection of some of the perspectives and practices I’ve gathered over the years to help me stay centered.” .
Penguin Random House said the book details Obama’s “most valuable practices, like ‘starting with kindness,’ ‘going high,’ and assembling a ‘kitchen table’ of trusted friends and mentors.”
In the introduction to the book, Obama writes, “I learned that there is nothing wrong with recognizing that self-esteem is shrouded in vulnerability, and that what we share as humans on this land is the impulse to strive for the best, always and no matter what. What.
“We are becoming bolder in brightness. If you know your light, you know yourself. You know your own story honestly. In my experience, this type of self-knowledge builds confidence, which in turn breeds calmness and the ability to hold perspective, which ultimately leads to being able to connect meaningfully with others – and it is for me the foundation of all things. One light feeds another. A strong family gives strength to more. An engaged community can ignite those around it. It is the power of light that we carry.
The book will be released worldwide on November 15, four years after the release of Becoming.
Becoming chronicled Obama’s journey from childhood in South Chicago to her experiences as America’s first black first lady. It has been translated into 50 languages and sold more than 17 million copies in all formats worldwide, according to the publisher.
