The book, Becoming, covers Michelle Obama's life and journey from her childhood, growing up in the South Side of Chicago to becoming the First Lady of the United States. Obama takes her readers through her life journey, from being Michelle Robinson who aspired to become a lawyer, throughout her career as a vice president at a hospital, a director at a nonprofit corporation until ultimately becoming the first African American First Lady of the United States. Becoming is a book based on Michelle Obama's personal life, a work of in-depth reflection and storytelling, inviting readers into her life by narrating the experiences which molded her.

As a former First Lady, Obama states that she has encountered hypocritical and shallow people and others, such as military spouses and teachers, with outstanding spirits and fortitude. She recalls meeting children across the globe who filled her with joy and enabled her to forget her title, at least for a brief time. Becoming is an in-depth personal reflection of a woman who has emerged triumphant despite many challenges, an extraordinary woman who learned to balance the demands of work, as well as being a First Lady, a wife, and a mother.