Michelle continues to describe her life growing in the South Side of Chicago. As a result of poor living conditions, such as frequent fire outbreaks, her brother Craig started becoming restless and rehearsed ways of evading any catastrophe (Obama 38). Fire outbreaks were “a regular occurrence in Chicago, in part due to slumlords who let their buildings slide into disrepair” (38). Indeed, she states that fire in Chicago was “almost a fact of life,” which snatched lives and people’s homes (Obama 38). Michelle also writes that a fire destroyed her grandfather’s house, forcing him to relocate to Michelle’s neighborhood. The tragic effects of fires were evidenced by the sudden death of Lester McCullon, Michelle’s fifth-grade classmate who “died in a fire that also killed his brother and sister” (Obama 38). The unexpected but all too common fires in Chicago made Craig more and more anxious. At school, teachers would lead a fire evacuation drill and as a result, Craig decided to extend the fire evacuation drill at home by “electing himself the family fire marshal, with me [Michelle] as his lieutenant, ready to clear exit pathways during drills” (Obama 39).

Obama describes that with time she started becoming “more outward and social” and more willing to open herself to the outside world (Obama 40). Michelle accompanied her father on precinct visits to the neighborhood to check in on his constituents, which enabled her to open up to people; including her cousins, uncles, and aunts. She then continues to invite the readers into the lives of her extended family, whose dreams were cut short by increased discrimination. The author states that her father’s family lived in the poorer neighborhoods, a fact she attributes to this increased racial discrimination. This denied her grandfather [Fraser Robinson] and his children a chance to secure good jobs (Obama 42).