By Sarah McCaulay Confidence. Voice. Arms. It might sound like a random list, but these words are tied forever together by the person they represent, the person who New York Times bestselling author Jennifer Worick devoted months of research to in her latest book, “What’s Your M.O.?: Live Your Best Life, the Michelle Obama Way.” As people gathered in Village Books on May 12 to hear Worick read from her new book, they were handed what, at first glance, appeared to be a name tag. However, the stickers were actually meant for them to write down their favorite thing about Michelle Obama. Her confidence was the winner, as multiple guests could be spotted wearing the word proudly. But the former first lady’s arms were right up there too and most of the crowd nodded in agreement as someone explained their admiration for this trait that caused the first lady so much controversy. The event began with a discussion about why attendees love and are inspired by Michelle Obama. It was clear Worick was right to think people were missing a little bit of Michelle Obama in their lives. Worick has written over 25 books, including a recent release, “Things I Want to Punch in the Face.” Worick said “Things I Want to Punch in the Face” actually relates to her book about Michelle Obama, as they both deal with overcoming frustrations and challenges. Worick said a book about Michelle Obama just made sense to her. She believes Michelle Obama was, and continues to be, one of the most respected women in the world. “I just always have been a huge admirer of hers because she didn’t ever really dull her shine,” Worick said. Thus, Worick said she decided to take a, “what would Michelle do?” approach to the book in order to create a guide women could reference when they felt they needed a little extra inspiration or motivation. The book covers topics ranging from dealing with family members who have different political views, to dating in the workplace. Worick said all the scenarios in the book draw from real experiences of the first lady. Throughout the pages are quotes from Michelle Obama that the reader can choose from to adopt a new mantra. The event concluded with a fun game of “Michelle or Melania?” where three participants were presented with different quotes and had to guess which first lady said what. It ended in a three way tie, each member of the trio walking away with a free, signed copy of Worick’s book. Bellingham resident Donna Rushing heard about the event through one of the weekly Village Books newsletters and said she thought it sounded like something worth checking out. “It is inspiring,” Rushing said. “It’s just like taking an example that’s right in front of us and recognizing that she’s not gone because of the debacle in the White House right now. We can still be inspired and expect that things will change.”
