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Michelle Obama kicks off book tour in Chicago

Former first lady Michelle Obama was in Chicago to kick off the release of her memoir, “Becoming” on Tuesday, November 13.  After months of hype and anticipation, the book was on store shelves Tuesday.  Some 3 million copies were available in print world-wide, but thousands of readers reportedly preordered the book before it was released.

Long lines formed at the Seminary Co-op bookstore in Hyde Park on Tuesday afternoon. Here, Obama signed fresh copies of her book and reportedly spoke with each reader for a few seconds.

Michelle’s husband, former President Barack Obama during the day, sent out a tweet in praise of his wife’s latest accomplishment.

“Michelle Obama’s my wife, so I’m a little biased here,” he wrote. “But she also happens to be brilliant, funny, wise — one of a kind. This book tells her quintessentially American story. I love it because it faithfully reflects the woman I have loved for so long.”

At Seminary, 500 readers bought tickets to the 90-minute event days before it occurred. Later Tuesday, Obama’s book tour shifted to the United Center where she was interviewed by Oprah Winfrey before a sold-out audience that paid $600 a ticket to the nation’s first Black first lady. It was the first of several stops that Obama will make to promote her memoir.

A week before the book’s release, Obama had been featured on ABC Good Morning America with anchor Robin Roberts, and on the network’s Nightline show. While some segments featured one-on-one interviews with Obama, Roberts visited Chicago to tape Obama at her childhood home in South Shore. She also followed Obama to her alma mater, Whitney Young High School on the West Side.

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REBECCA REID, PUSH Excel Oratorical contest winner, laughs with former first lady Michelle Obama in Chicago.

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