Michelle Obama's memoir out in November

Former first lady Michelle Obama’s forthcoming memoir, Becoming, will be published in the UK on 13th November, Penguin Random House has confirmed.

The book, chronicling “how a little girl from the South Side of Chicago found her voice and developed the strength to use it to empower others”, will be published simultaneously in 24 languages. PRH announced last year it had scooped world rights.

According to PRH, Becoming will be "a work of deep reflection and mesmerizing storytelling" in which Michelle Obama will talk about "the experiences that have shaped her".

Described as "warm, wise and revelatory", it is described as "an unusually intimate reckoning from a woman of soul and substance who has steadily defied expectations—and whose story inspires us to do the same".

The former first lady will read the audio edition of the book herself, which will be simultaneously issued in digital and physical formats by Penguin Random House Audio. She is also committing to embarking on a US and international book tour, with details to be announced at a later date.

Becoming will be released in the UK, Australia, New Zealand, India and South Africa in print and digital formats under PRH imprint Viking and in the US and Canada it will be published by PRH's Crown Publishing Group. The print edition will carry a recommended retail price of £25 in the UK and the digital edition will be priced at £11.99.

As well as Obama's time as first lady and as an advocate for women and girls' empowerment, coverage in the book will extend to Obama's childhood on the South Side of Chicago and her years as an executive "balancing the demands of motherhood and work". "With unerring honesty and lively wit, she describes her triumphs and her disappointments, both public and private, telling her full story as she has lived it—in her own words and on her own terms," reads PRH's statement.

Michelle Obama said writing Becoming had been "a deeply personal experience" and she hoped it would empower and inspire others. It is her second book after she published the story behind the White House Kitchen Gardens in 2012 with Ebury.

"It has allowed me, for the very first time, the space to honestly reflect on the unexpected trajectory of my life," said Obama of Becoming. "In this book, I talk about my roots and how a little girl from the South Side of Chicago found her voice and developed the strength to use it to empower others. I hope my journey inspires readers to find the courage to become whoever they aspire to be. I can’t wait to share my story."

At the time of the book's release, PRH will be donating one million copies in Obama family’s name to First Book, a Washington-based nonprofit dedicated to "promoting equal access to education by providing new books, learning materials and other essentials to children in need in the U.S. and Canada". 

Michelle Obama and her husband, former US president Barack Obama, brokered the global deal together for their separate books. Details of Barack Obama's book have yet to be released.