聊聊米歇尔·奥巴马的回忆录Becoming
今天聊聊 Michelle Obama 的回忆录 Becoming。关于回忆录内容已经有很多人写，我就不再赘述，在此主要分享几个我印象深刻的地方。
这本书语言平实也不乏幽默，我读起来觉得是部很有诚意的回忆录。全书共 400 多页，我建议不要每一页都细读，要不然绝对读不完还会有压力。
我最喜欢的是 Becoming Us 部分的内容，主要讲她和奥巴马的相识相恋，有迷茫挣扎也有希望和惊喜，让我们在他们的故事里也能看到自己。你在阅读的时候也要有所侧重，兼顾内容和语言，享受阅读。
1. 书名
这本书为什么叫 Becoming 呢？全书分为三部分“Becoming Me” “Becoming Us” “Becoming More”。
在序言（Preface）中她说：
Now I think it’s one of the most useless questions an adult can ask a child—What do you want to be when you grow up? As if growing up is finite. As if at some point you become something and that’s the end.
Michelle Obama - Becoming
在后记（Epilogue），也有这样一段：
For me becoming isn't about arriving somewhere or achieving a certain aim. I see it instead as forward motion, a means of evolving, a way to reach continuously toward a better self.
Michelle Obama - Becoming
我们成为自己，成为我们，成为一个个新标签和身份，“成为”应该是进行时。它没有终点，不分贵贱，最重要的成为自己，成为更好的自己。
2. 印象最深的一个灵活用法
I can’t say exactly when or why this began, but Craig—the boy who could high-five and what-up his way around the neighborhood, who blithely catnapped anytime he had ten free minutes, regardless of his surroundings—grew more fretful and vigilant at home, convinced that catastrophe was creeping our way.
high-five 是个名词，what-up 就是“what's up”，口语中常用它打招呼。在这里它们被用作动词，表现出哥哥 Craig 能轻易和别人打成一片，逢人就“来了，老弟”这种。
3. 你不是这块料
米歇尔从小就很好强，父母也特别重视她和哥哥的教育。哥哥先考上了普林斯顿，她考大学之前去普林斯顿逛了一圈。当她对招生官说她也想来普林斯顿读书时，招生官告诉她：
“I’m not sure,” she said, giving me a perfunctory, patronizing smile, “that you’re Princeton material.
material 就是“...的料”，从小到大有没有人告诉过你“你不是...的料”？那种感觉很难过吧。
米歇尔也一样受到暴击，不过多年的学霸属性让她能够把打击变成垫脚石，她对自己说你说我不行是吧，我做给你看。
结果她如愿以偿考入普林斯顿，这时她发现她无需向任何人证明什么，她只是证明给自己看。
如果你觉得自己能行，证明给自己看。Do more. Do what you can't.
4. 毕业说分手
米歇尔高中时有个大她几届的男友。毕业那年，男友和爸爸一起送她去普林斯顿，在告别的时刻，她发现也是该分手的时候了。
It was hitting us both, I assumed, that there were perhaps important things we hadn’t discussed, that we had perhaps divergent views on whether this was a temporary farewell or an outright, geographically induced breakup. Were we going to visit? Write love letters? How hard were we going to work at this?
还记得高中时的恋人吗？是的，爱过，但其实也没那么爱。即使不是 geographically induced breakup 也会有 xxx induced breakup。
5. 迟到男孩惊喜男孩奥巴马
奥巴马正式出场时第一句话是：Barack Obama was late on day one.
奥巴马归米歇尔管的实习生，才华横溢的校园风云人物，理智、幽默、胸怀大志，字里行间中米歇尔完全是个小迷妹。两人开始约会、蜗居、谈婚论嫁。
求婚那天，奥巴马又皮了一下。两位都是律师出身，奥巴马找了个两人都喜欢的餐厅，主动挑事辩论婚姻的意义。婚姻不就是个结婚证吗，为啥非要结婚？
真理没有越辩越明，而是：
Eventually, our waiter came around holding a dessert plate, covered by a silver lid. He slid it in front of me and lifted the cover. I was almost too miffed to even look down, but when I did, I saw a dark velvet box where the chocolate cake was supposed to be. Inside it was a diamond ring.
It had all been a ruse. 奥巴马这小子玩儿了招欲擒故纵。
最后送上两份米歇尔牌鸡汤。浓汤版：
What I've learned is this: All of them have had doubters. Some continue to have roaring, stadium-sized collections of critics and naysayers who will shout I told you so at every little misstep or mistake. The noise doesn't go away, but the most successful people I know figured out how to live with it, to lean on the people who believe in them, and to push onward with their goals.
清汤版：
If you don’t get out there and define yourself, you’ll be quickly and inaccurately defined by others.
愿我们都成为自己，成为更好的自己。