Blog to Book - "Living Oprah" by Robyn Okrant

I heard about this book on the "Life Matters" show on Radio National yesterday, and given my post earlier this week on the Julie/Julia Project blog and the book and movie that followed, I had to find out more about Robyn's blog and book. From the website of the book's publisher in Australia, Harper Collins:

"On January 1, 2008, Robyn Okrant kicked off a year-long experiment to find out what would happen if an average 35-year-old woman put her life in the hands of television′s most influential personality, Oprah Winfrey. Using The Oprah Winfrey Show, O, The Oprah Magazine and Oprah.com as a roadmap for her journey, her rule was whatever Oprah says, she does. From her wardrobe to her marriage, diet, spiritual life, finances, home and beyond, the author redesigned her entire life according to Winfrey′s ′best life′ advice.

Why Oprah? Hers is the quintessential rags-to-riches story, and her ′Live Your Best Life′ theme inspires millions to strive for happier, more productive lives. And of all the cultural influences on women, Oprah is one of the most prevalent and powerful."

Do you watch Oprah? I don't, but a lot of people do – approximately 23 million people each week.

I think the interesting thing for me is why these blogs are so popular. Here are two women who have attached themselves to celebrities via these challenges they have set themselves, and other people are willing to spend time everyday logging in to read about what happens. Is it because we all believe that the blogger can’t possibly achieve what they have set out to do? Maybe, we feel that the blogger identifies with our own thoughts – can a normal person actually cook like this or, by following Oprah’s advice, make themselves into a better person? Are the meals in this cook book and the advice given on this talk show just something that we aspire to but don’t really believe can be achieved?
As a society, we love to watch self improvement shows, cooking shows such as Masterchef, reality TV shows such as Biggest Loser, and to read books about how to improve our lives such as “The Secret”.  Are we really interested in putting into practice what we watch/read or are we just happy to be caught up in the sense of belonging to this fantasy world where everyone can be a celebrity.

"Julie and Julia: 365 Days, 524 Recipes, 1 Tiny Apartment Kitchen" by Julie Powell

On Saturday night I was home alone – my husband in Bendigo, my younger children in bed, and my oldest son out at a party. I poured a glass of wine and popped in that DVD that I’m sure my husband wouldn’t be interested in watching – Julie & Julia. I was dying to watch it as I missed it at the cinema and I had read Julie Powell’s book, on which the movie is based, last year.

The book tells the story behind the blog, “The Julie/Julia Project”, that Julie Powell wrote in 2002/3. At the time of starting the blog, Julie is working in a government job answering calls from people affected by the 9-11 Twin Towers collapse, approaching the big “3-0” milestone, and feeling she has nothing to show for it. What she needs is a challenge!  Using her mother’s copy of Mastering the Art of French Cooking, published in 1961 by pioneering American TV chef Julia Child, Julie decides to cook every recipe in the book in 12 months, and to write about it in a blog. Surprisingly, the blog caught on, and Julie’s fan base grew.

You can still read Julie’s blog online and I had a look today. Why was the blog such a success? Maybe it was something to do with the newness of blogs. Since the advent of TV we have become obsessed with celebrities, and anyone can become a celebrity by posting their life on the internet. Blogs were embraced then, much as today’s younger generation have taken Twitter to heart today. Maybe it was the style of the blog – it was witty and funny, and written in a style that made you think you were having a conversation with a friend. Maybe it was the subject matter. I’m sure that many of us can identify with Julie’s ups and downs as we try to cook new dishes. The triumph of doing something complicated well, and the despair when things don’t turn out to look as the picture in the cookbook does.

The movie is slightly different than the book as it runs as two parallel stories – the one written by Julie Powell, but also that of Julia Child (played by Meryl Streep), an American diplomat’s wife based in Paris after the WWII, looking for something to do with her time. I was fascinated with Julia’s story and would love to read the book based on it, My Life in France, by Julia Child and Alex Prud’Homme.