Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for giving me access to the free advanced digital copy of this book.

This book was the equivalent of a genial yet vulnerable conversation with the author which makes this incredibly engaging and interesting. I love how this would be a great book to use as a classroom text so students can learn new ways to structure their text. This was so wonderful!

Inspriring collection of essays that will stay with you long after the book is finished. I have put this book on my gift-giving list and have several adults in mind along with some YA relatives who would love this book. It is a valuable read in sparking deeper conversations on relevant topics for discussion. This is a great classroom resource and a great conversation starter for the 'coffee table' book person in your life. I always have books on my table and this one will be a beautiful addition to generate discussions.

3.5 stars
Thankyou to Netgalley.com for an eARC

Being able to have a role model like Woodfolk has in Michele Obama is certainly a guiding light for young adults. In a series of short essays, Woodfolk uses quotations from various speeches and books by Obama to shape the realities of her own life.

Some are more powerful than others, but all bring hope and an understanding of the formative teenage years to the forefront.
Of particular note, is the essay about assumptions of strangers and making the most of the complete story you can find out about a person. Reminiscent of Chimamanda Adichi's Danger of the Single Story Ted Talk, this essay emphasizes how truly unique all people are and should not be judged by one facet of their life.

Overall, young adults will certainly find themselves reflected at some point in the essays. A heavy emphasis is put on the authors admiration for Obama, and while I personally agree that she is a worthy rolemodel for young girls and all women, the text did refer back to her quite a lot, making it harder to relate to some of the authors points and stories.

Everything Ashley Woodfolk writes is gold. This was beautiful and intelligent and raw. I loved every bit of it.

“The reason role models are important, and the truth your teachers don’t want to tell you, are one and the same: No one knows what the hell they’re doing.”

Opening my Eyes Underwater is a collection of essays, all written by Ashley Woodfolk, but each containing their own unique themes and ideas. The entire book was inspired by Michelle Obama’s life and quotations, but Woodfolk has her own things to say in each anecdote.

I like the way this book was set up, because if I wasn’t a fan of one essay, the next one would be pretty different. It’s a good format as an introduction to an author. I’ll definitely read more from this author; a lot of the books I’ve seen by her look really good!

I would recommend this book to even non-readers, because when I picture someone that reads more for intellectual value rather than for fun, I think they would like this book. There are a lot of people I know that don’t read books when it isn’t required reading, and I think those people would gravitate towards something like this.

Overall, this was a solid book and I will be reading more from this author in the future!

Thanks to Macmillan Children's Publishing Group, Feiwel & Friends, and NetGalley for an advanced copy of Opening My Eyes Underwater.

Opening My Eyes Underwater is a series of essays connecting Ashley Woodfolk's formative years to quotes from Michelle Obama while also giving life advice to young adults. At first, I wasn't sure about it, but after the first few essays, I really enjoyed it. Ashley Woodfolk and Michelle Obama are a winning combination!

A big thanks to the author, the publisher and NetGalley for approving me of a copy of an e-arc of this book!
Ashley Woodfolk, I have your name and your book 'Opening My Eyes Underwater' engraved in my soul, forevermore.

Opening my eyes underwater is an inspiring and reflective essay collection. It's like having a conversation with the author. Woodfolk used the quotes of Michelle Obama as starting points of her essays. It was interesting to read her opinions, reflections, and stories on various topics such as Career, love, Education, Bullying, and racism. This essay collection should be a good resource for students at schools and libraries. I like Ashley's honesty and vulnerability throughout the book.

I'm not a fan of essays typically, but this was well done. Of course anything that was inspired by Michelle Obama is a must-read.

Ashley Woodfolk takes inspiration from quotes by Michelle Obama to give motivation and words of encouragement and advice to teens and young adults. Woodfolk shares very personal life events to connect the words of the former First Lady to everyday people.

This is a must read for high schoolers and other young adults.

The list of resources in the back is an important addition to this book.

I was so excited to read this book. I've never read a book by Ashley Woodfolk, but the cover and the title got my attention. I loved that Ashley used quotes by Michelle Obama as starting points for her essays. Using quotes as a starting point/inspiration for her essays was a really good idea. It was interesting to read her opinions, reflections, and stories on various topics such as bullying, education, career, love, and racism. Some of the essays were difficult to read and broke my heart, but I think they were all important to read.

I really enjoyed these essays and how they reflected on humanity as a whole. I enjoyed the Michelle Obama quotes and how they inspired her essays. I think that this would be a great student resource to use in classrooms and libraries. Great for discussions. They can be lush and relatable and interesting.
Great essay collection!

Thanks NetGalley for this ARC!

. Part reflection, part connection, part storytelling, this book was like having a chat with Ashley Woodfolk over a cup of coffee. I enjoyed her honesty, her vulnerability, and her frankness. She does not sugar coat anything in this collection of essays, and that makes it extremely engaging to young readers. I love that she used Michelle Obama quotes to inspire her essays and think that this would be a great resource to use in class as a mentor text. I love when authors write essay collections so we can share with our students that essays aren’t awful. They can be lush and relatable and interesting. Ashley Woodfolk has done that with this book and I cannot wait to get it in the hands of students.