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 planting to the latest harvest. Hear about her worries as a novice gardener – would the new plants even grow? Learn about her struggles and her joys as lettuce, corn, tomatoes, collards and kale, sweet potatoes and rhubarb flourished in the freshly tilled soil. Get an unprecedented behind-the-scenes look at every season of the garden’s growth, with striking original photographs that bring its story to life. Try the unique recipes created by White House chefs and made with ingredients just picked from the White House garden.  And learn from the White House Garden team about how you can help plant your own backyard, school or community garden.

Mrs. Obama’s journey continues across the nation as she shares the stories of other gardens that have moved and inspired her: Houston office workers who make the sidewalk bloom; a New York City School that created a scented garden for the visually impaired; a North Carolina garden that devotes its entire harvest to those in need; and other stories of communities that are transforming the lives and health of their citizens.

In American Grown, Mrs. Obama tells the story of the White House Kitchen Garden, celebrates the bounty of gardens across our nation, and reminds us all of what we can grow together.

Reader Reviews

Kat Coffin

(4/5)

Nov 21, 2024

This was a lovely book. Gorgeous photographs of the White House Kitchen Garden, fascinating insights into the history of White House gardens, lovely gardening tips and healthy, fresh recipes. I found it very inspiring. I've always wanted to learn how to garden and this book provides both inspiration and practical tips for beginners. Michelle Obama was a beginner herself (though I'm sure it helped having a staff of chefs and gardeners who knew what they were doing). I was also interested in readi...

Ying

Had a great time listening to this quite niche book. If you like Michelle Obama, gardens, the White House garden, hearing about government policy.. you will enjoy this book.I listened to the audiobook read by Michelle Obama herself, interspersed with audio from other figures such as the white house chef and the beekeeper/carpenter guy. Michelle Obama is an excellent narrator and easy to listen to.The only thing I didn't like as much was hearing from other people, haha. The later half of the book...

Mark Fallon

An enjoyable, aspirational book about not just the White House Garden, but the impacts gardens can have on our communities and our diets. Mrs. Obama clearly has a passion for finding ways to have a positive impact on others – and recognizing people who are doing that at the local level.

Katelyn Vanhaitsma

(5/5)

My heart longs for the time when the biggest controversy coming out of the White House was a garden, an exercising initiative, and improved school lunches. I took this incredible First Lady for granted. I'm a terrible gardener, and she inspires me to try again. Listening to her speak of growing up and inviting children to garden with White House staff brought tears to my eyes. She spoke of the mistakes they made in the beginning and how they kept building and doing better. I just gave up, and I

Sarah Siath

(3/5)

A nice book about the first lady’s initiatives and mixed in with a bit about gardening. Short and sweet.

Alana Benjamin

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

Ruthie Jones

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 ma...

Kolumbina

A beautiful, beautiful book written by Michelle Obama about establishing her first vegetable garden in White House. It was not only a vegetable garden, there were also fruits and bees/beehives. Michelle Obama admitted that she didn't have any previous experience about growing veggie gardens and she had some concerns about approval of such action. But it all worked well, a lot of people got involved, school children, chefs, White House staff... and it went much further, healthy food with proper f...

Carly Friedman

A lovely reflection on the Obama’s Get Moving initiative, White House garden and the importance of access to fresh produce. Highly recommended!

Zivile

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.

Candy

beautiful! Mrs. Obama said she “wanted [her] garden to be more than just a plot of land growing vegetables […], I wanted it to be the starting point for something bigger […] and I hoped this garden would help begin a conversation about this issue, the food we eat, and the lives we lead." <- did I quote that correctly, nope. do I care, definitely not. I think gardening is one of the greatest lessons in patience as it was the first and oldest job on our planet. My forever First Lady enjoys gardeni...

Linda

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 t...

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

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

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

More books from Michelle Obama

Becoming

Becoming: Adapted for Younger Readers

Becoming: A Guided Journal for Discovering Your Voice

Michelle Obama: In Her Own Words

Michelle Obama: Speeches on Life, Love, and American Values

Michelle Obama: Speeches by the First Lady

The Farewell Addresses

First Lady Michelle Obama: Remarks!

Reader Reviews