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"The Obamas" by Jodi Kantor, released on Jan. 10 by publisher Little, Brown and Company, unveils the first couple's time in the White House so far. The book delves into the difficult adjustments they had to make, particularly the First Lady's adjustment to her new role.
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White House associate communications director Eric Schultz commented on the book in a White House blog post titled "Gossip in Wonderland," and wrote that the relationship between the East and West wings was not accurately portrayed.
"The book is about a relationship between two people whom the author has not spoken to in years," Schultz wrote. "In fact, the author did not interview the Obamas for the book so the emotions and private moments described in the book, though often seemingly ascribed to the President and First Lady, reflect little more than the author's own thoughts."
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The first lady also addressed certain points brought up in the book, particularly the allegedly tense relationship between her and her husband's former chief of staff, Rahm Emanuel. "Rahm and I have never had a cross word," she said in a CBS interview with Gayle King.
Here are 10 major points from "The Obamas."
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Keeping it classy
Kantor wrote that Michelle Obama was keen on using image to advantage, an idea that extended to bringing hair and makeup assistants on trips abroad and hiring an established decorator for the family's private quarters. "She was also acutely aware that she and her family were the country's, and the world's, most important African American role models," Kantor wrote. "Changing stereotypes was part of why the Obamas had run in the first place, part of why she wanted everything to look as beautiful and refined as possible."
Adjusting to White House life
Adjusting to life in the White House and Washington, DC wasn't easy for the first family. They were keen on going back to their home in Chicago for regular respites from the public eye, but security proved to be such a problem that the idea was axed. "A weekend trip back to Chicago would require weeks of preparations by staff members, another set of staff on the ground, a virtual blockade of the neighborhood, and considerable outlays of personal and federal funds," Kantor wrote.
Michelle Obama's mother, Marian Robinson, keeps a low profile
The first lady's mother enjoys remaining as low-key as possible. Per Kantor, she even refused to let White House staff members do her laundry. "She became her granddaughters' escort, riding with them to and from school and browsing in stores with them as agents tagged behind, doing everything with them that their confined parents could not," Kantor wrote. "Marian refused to do anything that could compromise her freedom, because without her, Malia and Sasha would lead far narrower lives."
A first lady with a mission
Michelle Obama made it clear early on that she wasn't going to attend "unmemorable events," according to Kantor. "She wanted everything to be strategic, to accomplish a concrete goal, and she was especially vigilant about the use of her time: if she was going to an event, it had to be good enough to justify hours away from her family," Kantor wrote.
Michelle Obama and Rahm Emanuel
