This stunning, comprehensive oral biography of Anthony Bourdain features more than 100 firsthand interviews with Bourdain’s colleagues, friends, and family members. Bourdain was a larger-than-life figure who both loved and loathed the public eye. Woolever has captured revealing and poignant insights into his life and work from those who knew him bestāincluding longtime friend Eric Ripert; fellow chef Gordon Ramsay; Tom Colicchio; writer Bill Buford; actors Bryan Cranston and Asia Argento; plus contributions from media figures such as James Fallows, Remi Nasr, Andrew Sullivan, Maureen Dowd (who coauthored an essay with Bourdain),and many others. Woolever traces Bourdain’s unlikely ascent from lowly line cook to international superstar host of CNN’s Parts Unknown , while also exploring his craving for adrenaline rushes in exotic locales off the beaten path. Here is an insightful portrait of a complicated man whose enduring appeal resided in his honesty and unapologetic lack of pretenseā”There is no pretending,” he said “I am what I am.” This stunning, comprehensive oral biography of Anthony Bourdain features more than 100 firsthand interviews with Bour.
For who is this book for ?
This stunning, comprehensive oral biography of Anthony Bourdain is for people who are interested in his life and career. It features more than 100 firsthand interviews with Bourdain’s colleagues, friends, and family members.
Pros :
- The author captured revealing and poignant insights into Bourdain’s life and work from those who knew him best.
- Woolever traces Bourdain’s unlikely ascent from lowly line cook to international superstar host of CNN’s Parts Unknown while also exploring his craving for adrenaline rushes in exotic locales off the beaten path.
- Here is an insightful portrait of a complicated man whose enduring appeal resided in his honesty and unapologetic lack of pretense.
Cons :
- The author didn’t get interviews with all of Bourdain’s friends and family members.
- The book feels incomplete without those interviews.
- The writing style is bland and dry, making it difficult to read at times.
Learn more about the author
Laurie Woolever is a writer and editor who has worked with Bourdain on his books for more than 15 years. A former deputy editorial director at Clarkson Potter, she is the coauthor of Anthony Bourdain’s Kitchen Confidential updated edition and author of Sunday Suppers at Lucques.
Reader Reviews
“If you’re a fan of Anthony Bourdain, or just want to know more about the man behind the legend, this is definitely the book for you. Laurie Woolever did an amazing job getting insights from those who knew him best- his colleagues, friends and family members. The result is a detailed look at Bourdain’s life and work that I couldn’t put down.”
“If you are a fan of Anthony Bourdain, or just want to know more about the man behind the Parts Unknown show on CNN, then I highly recommend this book. It’s well written and provides great insight into his life.”
“If you’re a fan of Bourdain, or even just curious about who he was as a person, this book is definitely worth your time.”
“As a chef, Bourdain was one of the first to change the way America looked at food. As an author, he was able to brilliantly articulate what it is like being a chef and why they should be respected as much as other celebrities are. Woolever has done an amazing job capturing all of this in her book.”
