“You’re fat.”

Most of us would consider that statement pretty jarring to hear from any stranger. For Diane Smith however, those words came from the lips of a woman she had called a friend for the last 15 years—and they left her absolutely stunned. The friend was TV host and journalist Mika Brzezinski. 

Brzezinski and Smith had known each other for several years, having both worked as TV anchors for WTNH. What began as a rather awkward conversation during a summer family boating excursion on the Long Island Sound during Labor Day weekend ended in a real candid exchange of both friends' lifelong battles with food addition. It culminated in the two friends collaborating on the book Obsessed: America’s Food Addiction and My Own, published this year by Weinstein Books.

On Monday, Dec. 2 Smith was at Gateway Community College for a book signing of Obsessed and a Q&A session. Students and faculty alike had the opportunity to hear about Smith’s writing process with Brzezinski as well as how she prepares in her career as a television journalist. Several students won free copies of Obsessed courtesy of a raffle, while others could purchase the book at a discount.