Why are so many Americans overweight? Join Emmy Award-winning TV journalist, radio talk show host, and author Diane Smith as she talks about the book she co-wrote with Mika Brzenzinski, "Obsessed: America's Food Addiction—and My Own" on Sunday, Sept. 22 at 2 p.m. in The Westport Library's McManus Room. Books will be available for purchase and signing at the event, which is free and open to the public.
The book is a story of the two authors challenging each other to overcome their obsession with food. Co-author Mika Brzezinski, co-host of Morning Joe and an MSNBC anchor, challenges her friend Smith to lose 75 pounds. In return, Brzezinski vows to try and overcome her own obsession with food, gain ten pounds and accept herself at her new weight.
The book suggests that people with eating obsessions should stop blaming themselves and look instead at the real culprit—the unhealthy food they consume. On Morning Joe, Brzezinski is often so adamant about improving America's eating habits that some people call her "the food Nazi." Brzezinski and Smith worked together in the book to take on what they saw as walls of silence the nation has built around this fundamental problem. The book is also filled with insights from notable public personalities, including singer/actress Jennifer Hudson, the late writer and director Nora Ephron, TV host Gayle King, and New Jersey Governor Chris Christie.
In addition to being a TV journalist, radio talk show host, and New York Times bestselling author, Diane Smith has been on the air in Connecticut since 1982. A Westport resident, she is the anchor and senior producer for program development at CTN, the Connecticut version of C-SPAN. She works to promote transparency in government and to increase citizen engagement in their democracy.
For more information, phone (203) 291-4800, or visit the Library online at westportlibrary.org.