Michelle Obama, “Becoming”

Chapter 1

  1. How did Michelle Obama’s grandfather influence her appreciation for music?

  2. Who is Robbie? And how would you describe the relationship between Michelle and Robbie?

  3. What disease was her father diagnosed with? How did he find escape from this?

  4. How does Robbie’s role change at the end of the chapter?

Chapter 2

  1. Who is Dede and Dennen? And what is the relation to Michelle Obama? What event takes place between them I came to your surprise explain why.

  2. What does it mean to be house poor?

  3. What harder truth is Michelle Obama mention?

  4. How would you describe Michelle Obama’s parents? Use evidence

  5. What happened to her fathers Buick? How did he respond? How does this piece in the story connect to a larger theme?

Chapter 3

  1. Where are house fires? How are the caused?

  2. What lesson does Michelle Obama share with the reader?

  3. What Carol this crack in the taking of the family because his father is disabled?

  4. Obama also mentions another lesson more implicitly regarding time. What is it and what does it reveal about her and her family?

  5. How do you describe the fire drill? What do we learn about the family dynamics from this?

Chapter 4

  1. Describe Michelle Obama’s grandparents and their relationship as husband and wife?

  2. Where is the great migration and how did it impact Michelle Obama’s grandfather’s life. 

  3. Why were a lot of black man at the time Unable to get jobs? How did Michelle Obamas grandpa end up getting a job?

  4. What other on answerable question does Michelle Obama mentioned? And when does she revisit this question later on in life?

Chapter 5

  1. What was the name of Michelle Obama school and how would you describe it?

  2. What does failure look like to Michelle Obama and how does it manifests in your community?

  3. What was Michelle Obama’s engagement in school how did her family reflect her values?

  4. Describe Michelle Obama’s mom.

Chapter 6

  1. What was the nature of Michelle Obama and David’s relationship?

  2. What school does Michelle Obama go to for college? What was her experience there like?

    What is the Third World Center? 

  3. Why would the Princeton’s administration not want students of color together? Why did Michelle want to be around black friends?

  4. What is “work study?” 

  5. What is a quota? What does is affirmative action?