Courtney TannerUtah Jazz center Ekpe Udoh tweeted late Thursday that he was looking for suggestions on what his popular, fan-based book club should read next.
One woman suggested a John Grisham novel. A couple of guys jokingly responded with the Book of Mormon. And then Udoh narrowed it down to the three most popular answers: “The Autobiography of Malcolm X,” “Becoming” by former first lady Michelle Obama or “The Sun Does Shine” about an inmate living on death row.
That’s when one of the authors weighed in.
“Do I get a vote?” Obama tweeted, using Udoh’s signature “#Ekpesbookclub.”
The unexpected endorsement quickly spread on Twitter with some suggesting that Obama come to Utah for one of the book club’s “Author’s Talk” sessions. Udoh responded, too.
“Of course, no voter suppression here! We will read Becoming next,” he said. “At #Ekpesbookclub we encourage the thoughts of individuals from all walks of life.”
His group will read Malcolm X’s book first and then Obama’s. Members just finished Jazz owner Gail Miller’s “Courage to be You.” And the Jazz owner appeared at his book club to talk about her life.
Udoh said Monday that he was surprised to see Obama’s response when he looked at his phone.
“It was impressive," he said. "I started sweating. ... Who would think that Michelle Obama would tweet about it with no connections? It was special.”
Courtney is a reporter at The Tribune, where she has worked since May 2016. She unwinds by fishing in the mountains far away from cell service. She’s a fan of bacon and Kevin Bacon.