Michelle Obama's Biographer on Nation's First African-American First Lady

But most accounts have either focused on her sense of fashion or tried to portray her as a caricature of an anti-American radical. Scant attention has been paid to Michelle Obama’s personal history. Her ancestors were slaves and her grandfather was part of the great migration out of the south. She herself grew up in the south side of Chicago in the midst of the civil rights era and was closely involved in community organizing work.

Michelle Obama headlined the opening day of the Democratic National Convention in Denver back in August. In her prime-time remarks, she spoke about her relationship with Barack Obama and his days as a community organizer in Chicago.

Michelle Obama, speaking at the Democratic National Convention in Denver in August.

Liza Mundy, Staff writer at the Washington Post and author of a new unauthorized biography of Michell Obama, “Michelle: A Biography.”