After the huge success of her acclaimed memoir ”Becoming” in 2018, former US first lady Michelle Obama has announced the release of her second book, ”The Light We Carry: Overcoming in Uncertain Times”, later this year.
The book, scheduled to release on November 15, will be published simultaneously in 14 languages and 27 countries around the world, with additional languages and territories to be announced, publisher Penguin Random House said in a statement.
In the book, Michelle Obama offers readers a series of fresh stories and insightful reflections on change, challenge, and power, including ”her belief that when we light up for others, we can illuminate the richness and potential of the world around us, discovering deeper truths and new pathways for progress”.
”I’ve learned it’s okay to recognize that self-worth comes wrapped in vulnerability, and that what we share as humans on this earth is the impulse to strive for better, always and no matter what,” she writes in the introduction of her upcoming book.
“We become bolder in brightness. If you know your light, you know yourself. You know your own story in an honest way. In my experience, this type of self-knowledge builds confidence, which in turn breeds calmness and an ability to maintain perspective, which leads, finally, to be able to connect meaningfully with others — and this to me is the bedrock of all things. One light feeds another”, she adds.
Drawing from her experiences as a mother, daughter, spouse, friend, and first lady, the 58-year-old shares the habits and principles she has developed to successfully adapt to change and overcome various obstacles.
According to the publishers, through the book, Michelle Obama also explores issues connected to race, gender, and visibility, encouraging readers to work through fear, find strength in community, and live with boldness.
“As the world struggles with an unprecedented health pandemic, deep political divisions, social and racial injustice, and anxiety about the future, I am confident that her new book will provide all of us with some urgently needed reassurance while rekindling a spirit of optimism about the power we all hold to positively shape our personal and collective futures,” said Markus Dohle, CEO of Penguin Random House.
Michelle Obama’s previous book ”Becoming”, a memoir that chronicled her life journey from her childhood on the South Side of Chicago to her experiences as the first Black first lady of the US, has been translated into 50 languages and sold more than 17 million units across formats worldwide.
Its audiobook edition, read by the author herself, won a Grammy Award for Best Spoken Word Album in 2020.
