A Conversation in the Green Room

I just finished reading "The Audacity of Hope" by Barack Obama. A colleague at work loaned the book to me. It's not easy to get a good selection of (English) books in China so we swap books out of each others' libraries. It's an effective way to broaden one's reading horizons in the absence of a good public library. The Obama book is thoughtful, enlightening, but most of all positive.

While I was reading his book I caught an interview of Ariana Huffington on CNN and it reminded me of a conversation I had with her over 16 years ago. We were both in LA being interviewed on a talk show about books. We were squeezed into a tiny waiting room and I was enquiring about her book - it was about Picasso I believe. Then she mentioned something that came as quite a shock to me. In passing, she mentioned that she had researchers to do all the research for her book. Researchers? To do your research? "What did you do?" I thought to myself.

After we finished our interviews she asked me to send her a copy of my book - for her husband. I did. I never received a thank you. But he later ran unsuccessfully for US Senator and they split up. I wonder who got my book?

I wonder if Obama did his own research? I bet he did.