Is Michelle Obama's autobiography suitable for a 5th grade girl?

January 21, 2019 4:19 PM

My wife has "Becoming" by Michelle Obama in the house but neither of us has had a chance to read it yet. My fifth grade daughter has picked it up and is about 100 pages in and is devouring it. Is there anything in there inappropriate for kids? I'll be skimming it as soon as I can but I wondered if there is anything that jumps out as potentially upsetting for a 10 1/2 year old. She is sensitive - I am going to check out the part on Sandy Hook and probably put a post-it in there so she can skip it or at least come talk about it before she gets into it. Anything else that jumps out for people?
posted by mzurer to Media & Arts (8 answers total)

I read it in November and can’t remember anything at all that would be inappropriate for anyone. I believe she does mention Sandy Hook but nothing graphic.
FWIW, I think everyone should read it—great story of strength, confidence, and overcoming obstacles, along with humor and healthy self-reflection.
posted by bookmammal at 4:30 PM on January 21, 2019 [4 favorites]

She may have questions about some of the events in the book (bullying and other race-related incidents including the mistreatment of her family and friends) but I can't recall anything that would not be appropriate for a 10-yr old. It's such a great book, everyone should read it and I think your daughter will learn good things from it.
posted by Glinn at 4:51 PM on January 21, 2019 [5 favorites]

There was a part near the middle-end where a chicago girl died (gun violence i think) right after i think she may have performed at the second inauguration. The situatuon really affected Michelle as well. Memory is fuzzy unfortunately, but thats the only thing that stands out as haunting me a little bit. I think a 10 year old could handle it, but it might be something to talk about. Sorry i cant remember more specifics.

Absolutely fantastic book however, highly recommended.
posted by cgg at 6:05 PM on January 21, 2019

I just read this! Really, really wonderful book.

There's a short section where Michelle describes a nightmare she had that left me surprisingly shaken (skim for the name 'Lloyd' and mention of lions and tigers). To the extent where I still don't like to think about it, and was deeply affected, though I'm not even sure I could tell you why.

Everyone else has excellent advice on what might spark questions, and I think you'll find a lot to discuss with your daughter, but there's nothing blatantly inappropriate. She might get a little bored by the grind of the corporate law experience, but I think the fact she's already 100 pages in speaks really well!
posted by kalimac at 7:20 PM on January 21, 2019 [1 favorite]

cgg is referring to Hadiya Pendleton
posted by SuperSquirrel at 7:25 PM on January 21, 2019 [2 favorites]

Depends on your definition of inappropriate, I guess. There are some mentions of sex, drugs, and alcohol in addition to other events that other posters have already mentioned that might be difficult for a sensitive kid. I have a hard time picturing the fifth graders that I work with reading this. That's just my two cents....but seriously, it's a GREAT book. Especially the beginning - I devoured it too. It reads like a novel. Fascinating.
posted by Shadow Boxer at 7:49 PM on January 21, 2019

I'm planning to read it and have been given the heads up that there is discussion of miscarriage, but have no idea how in depth the discussion is. This could be upsetting to her, especially if she hadn't really thought about pregnancy loss before--I know I had no idea about that kind of thing when I was her age. I was also a sensitive kid and would have found it upsetting--you might want to prepare her for that and answer any questions she has about the topic.

It wouldn't have stopped me at that age from reading and enjoying the book, however. I think if she's reading it and enjoying it, that's great!
posted by hurdy gurdy girl at 12:14 AM on January 22, 2019

I've read Becoming and I think it would give any reader, especially a younger one, hope that Mrs. Obama mostly discusses how deeply disturbed then-President Obama was when the Sandy Hook shootings happened. She also describes the efforts his administration took to bring gun control legislation to Congress, only to be (sorry) shot down. In short, I wouldn't prevent any fifth grader from reading it but I'd certainly be available to answer any questions that reader might have.
posted by Lynsey at 1:26 PM on January 22, 2019