PORTLAND, Ore. — Former First Lady Michelle Obama met with a women’s book club ahead of her appearance at the Moda Center on Tuesday night.
Obama is in Portland as part of a nationwide tour for her New York Times bestselling book “Becoming.”
Tuesday afternoon, Obama went to Broadway Books in Northeast Portland to attend the private book club meeting and discuss her book.
Obama spoke with the group about the power of women telling their stories and not discounting their value.
"I also realize how rare it was for a woman, relatively young, who is a minority who is high profile -- how rare it is that she gets to tell her own story in a way that millions will read," Obama said.
"I wanted to tell it. I didn't want to tell what was expected. I wanted to tell it all. Because I felt like having it out there... I knew my story wasn't unique-I knew it wasn't unique. I knew it was going to resonate."
"This was a once-in-a-lifetime event that I got to share with some of my best friends in the whole world," said book club member Grace Bounds.
"It was really a magical scene of women sharing stories of their lives," said Broadway Books owner Sally McPherson. "It was really just a book club, it was great. She just fit right in with everyone."
Hundreds of people waited outside the book store to get a glimpse of the former first lady.
Obama’s Portland appearance was originally scheduled for February but was postponed due to weather.