Politics and Prose Bookstore
Washington, D.C.
11:16 A.M. EDT
MRS. OBAMA: Oh, my goodness. Thank you. Thank you for coming out on this really wet Tuesday. Not so good for standing outside, but really good for gardeners, this rain.
I am very excited. This is my third book signing — maybe it’s only my second. It’s my second book signing. Because if you recall, when the book came out we were in the middle of this campaign, or something or other. So we were a little busy. But I am very excited to be with you all today.
As many of you know, this is my very first book. Never done a book before. But this is an — is that — oh, thank you. (Laughter and applause.) But what a great first book to be able to tell the tale of the White House garden. And I hope you guys enjoy it.
I want to thank our hosts, Lissa and Bradley, who are the owners of this wonderful bookstore — a real staple of this community. The first time I’ve been able to be here. (Applause.) Thank you for hosting us.
I want to recognize the Dwiggins family, who are highlighted in the book. They work on a community garden in North Carolina, which is one of the many community gardens that are highlighted in the book. It’s great to meet you in person. Thank you for allowing us to share your story in “American Grown.”
But that’s also part of what this book is. It’s not just the story of the White House Kitchen Garden; it’s the story of community gardens all across this country, because the truth is the idea of the White House garden is not unique. Community gardens are a mainstay in so many communities across this country, from rural America to my neighborhood on the South Side of Chicago. There’s a community garden in one of the parks that I grew up using as part of the camp project. Rainbow Beach day camp has one of the first-ever community gardens. And I didn’t even realize that until I started writing this book and doing the research.
But community gardens are a significant part of the history of this country, which is why we thought it was important to incorporate these stories in the telling of the White House garden story.
But my goal in this book is to share the story of the creation of the garden, because while it is semi-open to the public — because if you visit the White House along the South Lawn, you can see the garden from outside of the White House. But millions of people don’t get a chance to come
Source: White House Press Office
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