‘The Light We Carry’ – A New Book By Michelle Obama
In a follow-up to her global bestseller “Becoming,” former First Lady of the U.S. Michelle Obama shares with readers her insights and strategies for finding hope and inner balance in uncertain times. “The Light We Carry” will be published globally by Penguin Random House and released simultaneously in a total of 14 languages and 27 countries on November 15, 2022.
“The Light We Carry – Overcoming in Uncertain Times,” is the title of the new book by Michelle Obama, which Penguin Random House will publish globally in all its markets on November 15, 2022. In her new book, the former First Lady of the United States shares with her readers her earned wisdom and strategies for finding hope and inner balance in uncertain times. In North America alone, the first printing will be 2.75 million copies. The new book was announced yesterday by Markus Dohle, CEO of the Penguin Random House publishing group, which has acquired the worldwide publishing rights to the book. At the same time, Michelle Obama announced “The Light We Carry” on her social media accounts with a video message, which we have embedded in this article for you. The book will be published simultaneously in 14 languages and 27 countries around the world.
To manage the simultaneous global release, Penguin Random House publishers around the world have once again been collaborating closely over the past few months. The English-language edition of “The Light We Carry” is published in the U.S. and Canada by Crown, a Random House Publishing Group company. In the U.K., Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, India, and South Africa, the book is published by Viking, a Penguin Random House UK publisher. The German-language edition, entitled “Das Licht in uns – Halt finden in unsicheren Zeiten,” is published by Goldmann, a Verlagsgruppe Penguin Random House publisher. In Spain, Plaza & Janes, a Penguin Random House Grupo Editorial publisher, will publish “Con luz propia.” In Brazil, the publisher of the Portuguese-language edition is Objetiva, part of Companhia das Letras; in Portugal, it is the Penguin Random House Grupo Editorial publisher Objetiva. And in China, a Chinese edition will be published by Penguin Random House China.
Mrs. Obama’s previous book “Becoming”, a memoir that chronicled her life journey from her childhood on the South Side of Chicago to her experiences as the first Black First Lady of the United States, inspired readers worldwide and received widespread critical acclaim. Since its publication on November 13, 2018, “Becoming” has been translated into 50 languages and sold more than 17 million units across formats worldwide, including nearly 10 million units of the U.S. edition alone.
In “The Light We Carry”, Mrs. Obama offers readers a series of fresh stories and insightful reflections on change, challenge, and power, including her belief that when we light up for others, we can illuminate the richness and potential of the world around us, discovering deeper truths and new pathways for progress. Drawing from her experiences as a mother, daughter, spouse, friend, and First Lady, she shares the habits and principles she has developed to successfully adapt to change and overcome various obstacles—the earned wisdom that helps her continue to “become.” With her trademark humor, candor, and compassion, she also explores issues connected to race, gender, and visibility, encouraging readers to work through fear, find strength in community, and live with boldness.
“I’ve learned it’s okay to recognize that self-worth comes wrapped in vulnerability, and that what we share as humans on this earth is the impulse to strive for better, always and no matter what,” writes Mrs. Obama in the Introduction to “The Light We Carry”. “We become bolder in brightness. If you know your light, you know yourself. You know your own story in an honest way. In my experience, this type of self-knowledge builds confidence, which in turn breeds calmness and an ability to maintain perspective, which leads, finally, to being able to connect meaningfully with others—and this to me is the bedrock of all things. One light feeds another. One strong family lends strength to more. One engaged community can ignite those around it. This is the power of the light we carry.”
Markus Dohle said: “Penguin Random House is honored to partner once again with Michelle Obama and to help bring her powerful storytelling and earned wisdom to readers everywhere. As the world struggles with an unprecedented health pandemic, deep political divisions, social and racial injustice, and anxiety about the future, I am confident that her new book will provide all of us with some urgently needed reassurance while rekindling a spirit of optimism about the power we all hold to positively shape our personal and collective futures.”
