How Michelle Obama is deploying her superpower of vulnerability

When my spouse saw on Instagram that former first lady Michelle Obama had addressed her struggles as a tall girl on the latest episode of her podcast, he immediately sent it my way. He knew it would resonate — after all, that very day, the planned publication of my latest middle grade novel had been announced: a story about a 12-year-old girl whose 4-inch summer growth spurt and accompanying signs of womanhood begin drawing unwanted attention from family, friends and strangers.When my spouse saw on Instagram that former first lady Michelle Obama had addressed her struggles as a tall girl on the latest episode of her podcast, he immediately sent it my way. He knew it would resonate — after all, that very day, the planned publication of my latest middle grade novel had been announced: a story about a 12-year-old girl whose 4-inch summer growth spurt and accompanying signs of womanhood begin drawing unwanted attention from family, friends and strangers.