Today, November 23rd, publisher Penguin Bookshop is opening a pop-up shop in collaboration with gal-dem and Waterstones in occasion of the launch of Michelle Obama’s autobiography, Becoming.
The shop, located on 2 Bury Place, is a temporary venue and will close down a week from now, on November 30th. In the next seven days, a number of talks, parties, workshops and events will be hosted. The focus is, as well as on the former first lady’s book, will be on women and non-binary Afro American writers, activists and journalists.
Visitors will also get the one-off chance to see an exhibition showcasing unseen photographs portraying Michelle both as a young girl with her family and as the successful woman we’re accustomed to.
On November 3rd, Obama will be in conversation with novelist Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie at Southbank Centre. Event prices range from £30 to £125. Put up for sale on November 8th, at 10:30 am tickets were already sold out.
The book seems to be a success already: released on November 13th, it sold more than 35,000 copies in less than a week. It has claimed to be the fastest selling book of the year. According to Forbes, Becoming sold 725,000 copies on its release date alone.
Stay tuned for Voice of London’s review of Michelle Obama’s Becoming– coming out next week.
Words: Matilde Moro | Subbing: Jake Woods