American Grown: The Story of the White House Kitchen Garden and Gardens Across America

This book was just all around cool and unusual Can I give it than 5 stars First off, Mrs Obama gave a history of gardening in the US focusing on the Victory Gardens of WWII I have heard alot about them, but it was interesting to see how they had impacted her family while before she was born and while she was growing up I loved the fact that she demostrated bringing children into the WH and teaching them about food sustainability I think gardening is a lost artform in a country surrounded with f [...]

II read this book because I was going through First Lady withdrawals This book exceeded my expectations It is impeccably curated providing a great balance of visuals and useful information It highlights The First Lady s motivations for starting a garden and a bit of her family history and upbringing.The book is divided into seasons showing the preparation, planting, harvesting of the first White House Kitchen Garden and how it expanded over the first four years The book is very candid about thei [...]

I was hoping that this book would go in depth about the White House garden and its planning stages and the maintenance required so that it would inspire others to try planting their own gardens Unfortunately, this is not what this book is about Luckily, the First Lady is very charming and enthusiastic, so this book was still enjoyable, because it is actually a primer on her own goals during the administration Each chapter is named after a season, but the writing is not limited to a seasonal them [...]

I love every single thing about this book Every.Single.Thing The story of the White House Kitchen Garden is interesting and inspiring, and the side stories and history really bring everything into focus Let s create a healthy earth, healthy bodies, healthy families, and healthy communities It can be done The section on the honey bee hives is great I love honey I also like that the book is broken down by seasons in the White House Kitchen Garden along with the hits and misses , and how so many pe [...]

Through this book I learned that Michelle Obama, actually, didn t cultivate her urban gardens herself, which disappointed me but I also understand her busy schedule But her idea to set an example to the country is really amazing I admire her for that.

Part history book, part cookbook, part gardening 101, and all homage to the greatness that is was IS WILL ALWAYS BE MY FLOTUS, Michelle Obama, American Grown is exactly what you need to read if your American Spirit needs bolstering right now Pretty sure that s everyone A great reminder that everything changes big and small starts from a tiny seed of an idea.

Such a positive, uplifting book Thank you, Mrs Obama, for all this inspiration I was especially proud to read about the fresh produce market in Shawnee, OK that I frequent and how much the owners give back to the community Page 187 Thank you, Crow Family I d never heard of AmpleHarvest before Thank you for putting me in touch with them Some of the quotes that I enjoyed are The creative process is always enhanced by having a diverse set of minds and a diverse body of knowledge It s been amazing t [...]

I loved listening to this book I wish it wasn t the abridged version though It has certainly made me hungry for some pear tomatoes, and I am wondering if I can still find a pear tomato plant this late in the year A truly delightful book with great tips and tricks for raising a garden interspersed into the journey they took to create the White House Garden A must listen read for anyone who wants to start a garden, and a journey to healthy eating.

In April 2009, First Lady Michelle Obama planted a kitchen garden on the White House s South Lawn As fresh vegetables, fruit, and herbs sprouted from the ground, this White House Kitchen Garden inspired a new conversation all across the country about the food we feed our families and the impact it has on the health and well being of our children Now, in her first ever book, American Grown, Mrs Obama invites you inside the White House Kitchen Garden and shares its inspiring story, from the first [...]

I love Michelle Obama and I love gardening so when I saw this book at the library, I was excited to pick it up and look though it I honestly didn t know what to expect sometimes the books with the best covers and subjects just don t end up being worth the time But, I am happy to report that this one was a fun, perfect for summer, light read Mrs Obama s book spends a bit of time going through the history of gardens at the White House She points out Presidents who were especially avid gardeners an [...]

Following the recent elections, I am reading everything I can about the people that are highlighted most frequently for being a part of the world of Politics I particularly want to read about these people from their own point of view, in an attempt to eliminate as much media bias as possible This is not a particularly politically driven book, but it was still an interesting view of Michelle Obama This was such a great reminder that in spite of living under the microscope of the public eye, these [...]

It all starts with a seed Michelle Obama has proven why she s one of my favorite people Her casual observations about the way food habits have changed from her parents to children s time are spot on, revealing something greater than anticipated Here, she becomes determined to launch a national movement to help positively change our country What Mrs Obama says is incredibly true healthy food and healthy lifestyles allow people to perform to the best of their abilities To make the book even fasci [...]

Lacking a garden myself city apartment living will do that to you , I was interested to read about Michelle Obama and the White House garden The book is outreach oriented than it is full of details for the permaculture minded gardener There are lots of lovingly detailed pictures of the garden, its produce, and the people who came together to work on it I d been hoping for some deeper insight into why particular crops were and weren t chosen, which ones worked and which ones failed besides that [...]

I enjoyed this book about the White House Kitchen Garden A brief history of gardens at the White House begins with John Adams bummer to plant a garden and then not be reelected I really liked the tidy diagrams showing the crop layout for each season there are a few Thomas Jefferson beds planted with seeds cuttings obtained from Monticello and the stories of local children who help with planting and come back for the harvest Community and school gardens, past and present, are discussed in another [...]

I thought this book was well written and I enjoyed listening to Mrs Obama reading it But it was very clear from disc one that she was writing as the First Lady she had an image to uphold, and several distinct goals to which her book was aimed It was great to hear the story about how the White House kitchen garden came about and what they learned from it It was also interesting to learn a little about the science, nutrition, and history of what they were doing I wasn t thrilled with the constant [...]

Charming book, through and through, that highlights the First Lady s mission to start a vegetable garden at the white house, community gardening and farming across the country, and the reasons why this is important It was neat to find out that the vegetables grown at the garden are really used by the cooking staff at the White House, that things like homemade honey and pickles are given out as gifts to visiting dignitaries, and most importantly that 1 3rd of the produce raised is given to a loca [...]

Interesting bits about how they organized the garden and who was involved, also the tips on choosing vegetables The information about community garden movements.Tiring bits the parts about starting Let s Move and combatting childhood obesity Did you know the guideline is that kids should have one hour of active play every day, and most kids allegedly spend 7 to 8 hours of every day in front of a screen How on earth do elementary schoolers find the time for that, or do the teenagers who text cont [...]

I am completely inspired The joy of a community garden, or one at a school, heck the joy of a garden in my YARD I found the White House Garden Journey amazing, and the stories of the folks, big and small, across the nation out a big smile on my face This is a book I will now purchase and own forever.

A unique, feel good book with tons of photos, snippets of interesting history and individuals stories about how they are trying to create positive change I read pretty much the entirety of this book in a single sitting outside in a lawn chair will make you want to garden and give you a little hope for the future.

This book almost made me tear up a few times, I don t why exactly at s a lie Just the fact that exists would be enough Anyway, it was very well done I don t plan on gardening anytime soon, but I appreciated the history various stories And there were some good recipes to try out as well.

I was not a fan of Michelle Obama before this book and still limit my opinion due to inadequate exposure I have however found a respect for her that I did not previously have The fact that she helped with gardening and opening up the white house to those who would otherwise never experience it warmed my heart the fact that she puts the children first will make me gain exposure to her

I listened to the audio version of this book and will have to skim a copy of the physical book at some point too The audiobook was a bit confusion as there were multiple speakers Overall, I liked it It s a great primer for those unfamiliar with issues related to food insecurity and the return to community gardens and other programs.

A simple, well organized book about the White House Kitchen garden I like how it was organized into seasons and included maps of what was planted I liked reading about history of gardening at the white house I wish a few of the photos were larger like Jefferson s plan for the grounds , as they were really too small to even read or understand I love that she included recipes.

This book made me feel sorry I was ever a kid who complained about the removal of vending machines and junk food in schools Oh, how mundane it felt to have a leader who actually cared about our well being I now have inspiration for my own garden and deep respect for a First Lady so passionate about our country and its children.

This book made me miss Michelle all the Her passion for the White House garden and gardening in general came through I enjoyed the history of various gardens included and the many tips I suspect the White House garden looks now as chaotic and uncared for as the rest of the nation.

This book came up in my search for books on gardening I ve never had a garden before and didn t know where to start This book offered good insight on how to begin gardening, seasoned with an historical look at the white house gardens.

When talking about nutrition and you never mention Dietitians, hard for me to like your book I respect and appreciate the national discussion she is creating However, I feel she could pull in the actual field of Nutrition and Dietetics to help with education from certified specialists.

A wonderful national garden story.

Very informative and insightful.

Growing a garden is the purest political activism.