Obama’s road map for uncertain times resonates in ways that other self-help books do not ... I want to hear from Michelle Obama, who doesn’t always like the way she looks, who felt like an outsider after becoming the ultimate insider; the one who easily becomes lonely ... Through her stories, experiences and thoughts, we’re finding the light with her. Lucky us ... Relatable ... We are perfectly aware of how carefully she chooses her words and the stories she tells. But she reveals herself, subtly and endearingly, in a dozen different ways ... Her thoughts are nuanced and never prescriptive.

It should be easy to write off The Light We Carry, by former First Lady Michelle Obama — with its toolbox framework, motivational one-liners and inspirational quotes from Toni Morrison, John Lewis and Maya Angelou — as a clichéd self-help manual, an easy holiday-season layup after putting in the hard work on her mega-bestselling memoir, Becoming. Among the reasons it’s not so easy to dismiss are the indefatigable humility of its author and, perhaps more importantly, the resolute necessity of a book like this right now ... Both personal and practical ... It’s her simultaneously set and blooming self-awareness that appeals — here and throughout the book ... We’re all in this together, Obama is saying. Which again may sound a bit cliché, but I for one am very happy to be reminded of this fact, especially if it comes with some choice anecdotes.

Although reaffirming, the advice isn’t groundbreaking. What makes the book special is that it builds on parts of Becoming, and Obama serves as mentor and guide, using pivotal moments in her life to demonstrate when she had to rely on boldness, pluck and grit ... The book’s more surprising and dynamic passages unfold on the political front ... Anyone who has read Becoming or any number of books in the memoir/self-help sphere will recognize the insights.

This book grew out of the great personal response to Becoming...who recognised their own lives in that of their former first lady. They will find more to recognise here, where the mundane is given equal billing with the entirely exceptional in what amounts to a carefully worked out manifesto for surviving, and hopefully thriving, in the world ... It is a polished performance, tightly structured, direct, conversational, in the folksy but laser-sharp public style both Obamas made their own ... There is a chapter on parenting, which she largely turns over to her own mother’s lessons, and is worth the price of admission alone. Occasionally she is so intent on finding the good, or going high...that she doesn’t mention how some shame-inducing experiences can be debilitating, life-limiting traumas, which seems a bit obtuse ... The Light We Carry is clearer than ever about just how much her focus, her hyper-preparedness and her knowledge that everything is vulnerable were shaped by her father’s progressive multiple sclerosis.

Obama offers advice on building self-confidence, calming anxiety and parenting. But it’s grounded in reality ... It’s not groundbreaking stuff; nor is her advice to leave your comfort zone, or to be kind to yourself and others, or to make time for friends. But it is all delivered in her trademark tone, unintimidating yet inspiring ... She readily admits that she doesn’t have all the answers to life’s problems. But there is plenty of wisdom in this book to help the rest of us.

Her voice is warm and knowing, full of sisterly disclosures that veer into platitude ... As with Becoming, the most interesting and candid sections revolve around her family and early life ... While Obama is eager to rib her husband about his lateness or other foibles, she doesn’t engage with his choices as president: This is not the place to find out her thoughts about his treatment of whistleblowers or his deadly drone program. Throughout this book, it’s taken for granted that the Obamas are an unalloyed force for good — the book’s moral struggle is about goodness coming up against foes like self-doubt or fear, rather than real wrestling with what goodness means ... There is one flicker of moral discomfort in “Becoming” that stood out to me, only because it was so rare. In one of his signature first-term accomplishments, Barack Obama ordered the killing of Osama bin Laden. Celebrations swept D.C., and she writes, 'I’m not sure anyone’s death is reason to celebrate, ever.' But then she quickly returns to message...Because The Light We Carry is broadly about doing good in the world, I wanted to know more about that unease, and get more of a sense of her own moral calculations and struggles. Instead, the book has an odd way of repelling questions, of wrapping the reader up in fuzzy language of fulfillment and progress without quite defining what those mean ... What must it be like to be the real person at the center of all of that image-making? I’m still not sure I know.

Exceptional ... Obama’s signature openness—in addition to her encouraging, sometimes funny, always chummy voice—make her relatable and admirable throughout the book ... The Light We Carry contains a multitude of other poignant, amusing anecdotes and helpful advice for all types of readers ... In these frequently dark times, The Light We Carry feels like a hug from a trusted advisor and a good friend.