The Light We Carry: Overcoming in Uncertain Times

Nonfiction | Autobiography / Memoir | Adult | Published in 2022

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Summary

Background

Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Introduction-Part 1, Chapter 2

Part 1, Chapters 3-4

Part 2, Chapters 5-7

Part 3, Chapters 8-10

Key Figures

Themes

Index of Terms

Important Quotes

Essay Topics

Index of Terms

First Lady

First Lady is a traditional position in the US government, usually held by the president’s spouse. Michelle Obama served as First Lady during her husband Barack Obama’s two-term presidency from 2009 to 2017. She often refers to her time as First Lady in her work, reminiscing on the joys and struggles of moving into the White House, living in the public eye, and working on various public engagement campaigns.

Comfortably Afraid

Obama claims that since people experience fearful thoughts throughout their lives, the best way to cope is to learn how to be “comfortably afraid.” This means that while people may feel nervous, they can rationally analyze their fearful thoughts so that they don’t control their actions. Obama credits her parents with helping her learn to feel comfortably afraid from an early age. For example, her mother had her walk home from school by herself when she was in kindergarten.

Going High

“Going high” refers to a passage of one of Obama’s most well-known speeches at the 2016 Democratic National Convention, in which she said, “When they go low, we go high” (272). She was referring to the negative discourse around the 2016 presidential campaign, which saw Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton compete for the presidency. Obama defines “going high” as meeting the “moral challenge” to live with integrity and treat people respectfully, even while disagreeing.

Kitchen Table

Obama calls her group of friends her “Kitchen Table,” referring to the warmth and support she felt from her own family in her home kitchen growing up. Obama explains, “These are the friends I’ve asked to pull up a chair and sit with me in life” (142). She uses the term to emphasize the commitment and intimacy she enjoys with her close friends.

Barnacles

Obama borrows the term “barnacle” from actress Tracee Ellis Ross to describe close friends who stick with you, noting that barnacles are “stubborn” and “solid,” just like loyal friends. Obama explains that psychologists call these long-term friendships “social convoys” that endure through time and life changes. Obama shares her appreciation for her “barnacle” friends who have supported her over many decades.