THE CROWN PUBLISHING GROUP

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Contact: David Drake
212-782-9001
ddrake@randomhouse.com

FIRST LADY MICHELLE OBAMA’S AMERICAN GROWN

TO BE PUBLISHED ON APRIL 10, 2012 BY CROWN
— Publisher Unveils Title and Book Jacket —

New York, NY (October 24, 2011) - American Grown: How the White House Kitchen Garden
Inspires Families, Schools, and Communities by First Lady Michelle Obama will be on sale
nationwide on April 10, 2012 from Crown Publishers, an imprint of Random House, Inc.’s Crown
Publishing Group.

The book, Mrs. Obama’s first, will be issued simultaneously in print and digital editions. The print
edition will be a gorgeously illustrated four-color hardcover that includes stunning photographs of
the White House garden and Mrs. Obama throughout the seasons, as well as other community and
school gardens from around the country. Mrs. Obama accepted no advance for the book and will
donate all net or after-tax author proceeds to a charity or charities to be named later. Random House,
Inc. will also make a donation to an appropriate charity to be named later.

The title and publication date were announced by Maya Mavjee, President and Publisher of the
Crown Publishing Group. The book jacket art was also unveiled today and is available at
www.crownpublishing.com.

Through telling the story of the White House kitchen garden, Mrs. Obama will explore in American
Grown how increased access to healthy, affordable food can promote better eating habits and
improve health of families and communities across America. Mrs. Obama will describe how her
daughters Sasha and Malia were catalysts for change in her own family's eating behavior, which
inspired Mrs. Obama to plant an edible garden on the South Lawn - the first since Eleanor
Roosevelt's “Victory Garden” planted during World War II. The book will be inspirational and
instructive and will provide ideas and resources for readers to get involved in the movement to create
community, school, and urban gardens, support local farmers’ markets, and make small lifestyle
changes to achieve big health results.

Since entering the White House, Mrs. Obama has emerged as a passionate advocate for healthful
eating and exercise. In February 2010 she launched Let’s Move!, a nationwide initiative to address
the epidemic of childhood obesity by empowering parents and caregivers with information,
improving food quality in schools, increasing access to healthy, affordable food, and encouraging
increased physical activity.

The book will speak to these issues which Mrs. Obama has strongly advocated for and will also
include practical ideas, recipes, resources and tips on how to begin a garden of any size, anywhere.

“American Grown is the perfect title for a book in which the First Lady will celebrate the benefits of
American community, school, and urban gardens and of healthy, nutritious food for our nation’s
families and communities,” said Maya Mavjee.

The parent company of Random House, Inc. is Bertelsmann AG.

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