Michelle Obama: Who will she write with?
A suggestion for Michelle Obama: Jamie Oliver would make a great co-author.
Michelle Obama and her garden have “brought more attention to what we eat than anything since Top Chef,” says one journalist.
AP
President Obama has had his spot on the bestseller lists. Now it’s the First Lady’s turn to author a book. Michelle Obama will write about the White House garden in a book to be published in 2012 by Crown, according to Publishers Weekly.
The organic garden on the White House lawn, just entering its third year, has been a major part of Michelle Obama’s focus on healthy eating and fighting obesity, a cause that’s stayed on top of the headlines. Even two years back, a Slate reporter wrote that the First Lady “has brought more attention to what we eat than anything since Top Chef.” The Associated Press says that some of the garden’s harvest has fed family and guests, “while some of it has been used in meals and desserts served at formal White House events, such as state dinners. A nearby soup kitchen has also received donations from the garden.”
Obama will have a ghostwriter help her with the book, and proceeds will go to charity, according to the Chicago Sun-Times. The newspaper said the book “also will take a look at school, urban and community gardens across the country.” It will also include some of the family’s healthy recipes, according to Reuters.
No word yet on who the ghostwriter might be. Can we suggest a co-author instead? Paging Jamie Oliver!
After all, the English chef, restaurateur, and media personality is not only famed for his campaign against the use of processed foods in schools, but his willingness to look to political reform as a route to healthier eating led to his being voted "Most Inspiring Political Figure of 2005" in his own country. No pun intended, but Oliver would bring a lot to the table.
Seattle writer Rebekah Denn blogs at eatallaboutit.com