According to the Associated Press, the author "shares the contents of her 'personal toolbox' - the habits and practices, attitudes and beliefs, and even physical objects that she uses to overcome her feelings of fear, helplessness and self-doubt.

"[1][2][3][4] The Light We Carry has generally received positive reviews from book critics.

In February 2023, it was announced that a podcast series by Obama based on topics in the book and the live book tour called Michelle Obama: The Light Podcast was released on March 7 by Audible.

[5] In 2018, Obama released her memoir Becoming which sold more than 14 million copies worldwide.

Obama describes times where she felt uncertain or out of place such as being a rare African American undergraduate at Princeton in the 1980s or becoming the first African American First Lady of the United States.