Bourdain: The Definitive Oral Biography
- Downloads：5216
- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2021-10-08 03:21:16
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Laurie Woolever
- ISBN：0063119676
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
Reviews
Adrienne
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This homage to Tony Bourdain would be lovely reading for those who knew him， not so much for me and others that did not。 Ir consisted of too many disconnected bits by too many unknown people， all saying， pretty much， the same things about TB， things that followers of his already know。
Dizzle729
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One of my favorite books 0f 2021。 The comprehensive story of the man from those close to him， who knew him， who worked with him。 No sugar coating， no glossing over the flaws， its all there， all out in the open。 As someone who has missed Bourdain since his passing the ending of the book brought back all those feelings from the day he passed。 Really glad all those included in the book （80+ people） took the time to share their thoughts， memories， experiences。
Christy
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A super cathartic read for a long time follower of Anthony Bourdain--I was still looking to process a lot of thoughts after his death and this book helped me do that。
Becca
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Very long， all the details good， bad & just tragic。
cameron
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My ratings changed throughout this book。 It’s really a combination of interviews and major editing and thematic groupings。 This could be a five star because the impact of the whole book is no less than a Shakespearean tragedy。 I learned a lot about what a near genius he was and what an incredible writer of books and essays and scripts he completed。 I so wish he had gone on to just writing。 But having a true addictive personality created obsessive behavior his entire life to the very end。 I’m so My ratings changed throughout this book。 It’s really a combination of interviews and major editing and thematic groupings。 This could be a five star because the impact of the whole book is no less than a Shakespearean tragedy。 I learned a lot about what a near genius he was and what an incredible writer of books and essays and scripts he completed。 I so wish he had gone on to just writing。 But having a true addictive personality created obsessive behavior his entire life to the very end。 I’m so sad about his demons but amazed at what he accomplished。 。。。more
V
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It was so exciting to have the opportunity to read the oral biography of Anthony Bourdain in advance of publication。 At the same time， I kept putting off starting the book because I wasn't sure how emotional it would make me。 I wouldn't say I was ever starstruck over a celebrity， but I had an enormous amount of respect for Tony's knowledge。 I was devastated when the news of his death broke。 I cried， was deeply angry and I still am。Like many others， I gained so much knowledge from his TV series。 It was so exciting to have the opportunity to read the oral biography of Anthony Bourdain in advance of publication。 At the same time， I kept putting off starting the book because I wasn't sure how emotional it would make me。 I wouldn't say I was ever starstruck over a celebrity， but I had an enormous amount of respect for Tony's knowledge。 I was devastated when the news of his death broke。 I cried， was deeply angry and I still am。Like many others， I gained so much knowledge from his TV series。 He opened up a world I would have otherwise never seen。 He was talented， gifted and irreplaceable。 The interviews regarding the production and the behind the scenes glimpse of that process did enlighten me。 As a viewer， I had no idea of the complexity and logistical challenges of shooting his television episodes。The beginning of the biography is disjointed quotes from those who worked with him in the early days。 There are many people interviewed and quoted and thankfully a cast of characters at the beginning。 Despite that， I was often left wondering who are these people remembering him or why they matter in his life。 I gleaned very little from the first few chapters and almost quit reading。The pace did improve and the picture of what his life was like became clearer。 He had no close friends and his fame isolated him。 A quote “You’ll never know the consequences of getting what you want until you get what you want” struck a cord with me and seemed to sum up his notoriety。 My favorite chapter was by David Simon， it was full of meaningful recollections。This book is for a reader already familiar with Tony， his books and television series。 If I hadn't read some of his books and watched the series for more years than I want to reveal， the biography would not have resonated to me。 He opened up a world of food， travel， culture and conversed with both ordinary people and celebrities， unlike anything ever done before。 This story focuses on memories， recollections and emotions from the people on the outside of his life peeking in。 There is a mix of his co-workers， publishers， family and "friends"。 What I gained from reading this biography is that no one really knows anyone else， where they are emotionally， psychologically or physically。 We should be better friends， better humans。If you haven't read any of his books or watched "Parts Unknown"， do that first， then read this book。 The biography might be easier to follow if you listen to an audiobook instead of reading text as I did。His influence on me was positive and life changing。 I pray his daughter will someday know how important his contributions were and I hope she will never be famous like him。It's obvious the author put passion and an enormous amount of time into the research and compilation of the biography of her longtime friend。I would like to thank Netgalley， Laurie Woolever， Harper Collins Publications/ Ecco for the advance digital ebook of "Bourdain， the Definitive Oral Biography"。 These are my thoughts and opinions given voluntarily。 。。。more
Conny
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I was a First Read Winner of this Book and I could not wait to get started， since I liked Bourdain and was sad that he could not see another way forward and ended his life way too soon。 I thought it was an interesting setup to hear from people that he played a part of in their lifes， but it did not make for a fast read， I never found a rhythm and it felt a bit choppy to me。 It was definitely insightful， but not packaged in a way that is easy for the reader or makes meaningful conclusions about t I was a First Read Winner of this Book and I could not wait to get started， since I liked Bourdain and was sad that he could not see another way forward and ended his life way too soon。 I thought it was an interesting setup to hear from people that he played a part of in their lifes， but it did not make for a fast read， I never found a rhythm and it felt a bit choppy to me。 It was definitely insightful， but not packaged in a way that is easy for the reader or makes meaningful conclusions about the man。 。。。more
Carly Thompson
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I skimmed this biography about Anthony Bourdain by his former assistant。 Woolever talks with his friends， family members and professional colleagues about his life。 Asia Argento did not participate and does not come off well （no one seems to like her）。 I enjoyed the sections later in the book about the creation and filming of his shows。 Good for fans of Bourdain。
Susan
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I loved reading about Anthony Bourdain， one of the people I would have at that dinner you could invite 4 people to （or however many）。 I found him fascinating since reading Kitchen Confidential 20 years ago and to read what friends and family felt and thought about him was very interesting。 He had a bigger presence than I had thought。Plus I will be forever grateful to him for steering me away from eating swordfish ever again。
Annie
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This book interested me because it is written by a long-time assistant to Anthony Bourdain and she had access to over 100 people in his life including family， friends， work colleagues， etc。 My first impression of Tony Bourdain was reading his first book Kitchen Confidential - and he came off as charismatic and incredibly arrogant。 Since then I would watch some of his shows， but would not call myself a fan。 I recently watched the documentary about him "Roadrunner，" and am really glad I read this This book interested me because it is written by a long-time assistant to Anthony Bourdain and she had access to over 100 people in his life including family， friends， work colleagues， etc。 My first impression of Tony Bourdain was reading his first book Kitchen Confidential - and he came off as charismatic and incredibly arrogant。 Since then I would watch some of his shows， but would not call myself a fan。 I recently watched the documentary about him "Roadrunner，" and am really glad I read this book by Woolever。 I felt like I got a more fully rounded view of Tony and this book （unlike the other books and films I referenced） humanized him。 It was so refreshing to see the impact he had on others and a portrait emerges of a complex person。 I highly recommend this book whether you are a fan or not - it is a cautionary tale of celebrity and fame and the loneliness and expectations that go along with them。 。。。more
Katie Samsock
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Goodreads giveaway win。 A beautifully constructed insight into who Tony Bourdain was。 The layout of the book definitely takes some getting used to。
Thea Marlowe
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A sad read， regarding addictions many forms， drugs/relationships/depression/success。
Zac Driesen
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Woolever has collected an impressive amount of material about Tony from his youth to the very end。 You hear his friend's and coworkers take on how he changed and grew into a person that many of us admired or even looked up to。 It's a good read， but we all know the downward spiral it ends with。My only complaint is that it can be a bit difficult to tell who the quote is coming from。 Sometimes， I wish the person's relationship to Tony was re-hashed to jog my memory。 Woolever has collected an impressive amount of material about Tony from his youth to the very end。 You hear his friend's and coworkers take on how he changed and grew into a person that many of us admired or even looked up to。 It's a good read， but we all know the downward spiral it ends with。My only complaint is that it can be a bit difficult to tell who the quote is coming from。 Sometimes， I wish the person's relationship to Tony was re-hashed to jog my memory。 。。。more
Bill reilly
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I loved Kitchen Confidential and this compilation of interviews is a perfect companion piece to Anthony Bourdain's unforgettable memoir。 I also recommend the recently released documentary， Roadrunner， a two hour tribute to Bourdain。 Tony is remembered by friends， family and co-workers without filters。 The good and the bad aspects of the man are all here。 As someone who has never done any mind altering drugs， I will never understand addiction。 My fear of loss of control have kept me away from any I loved Kitchen Confidential and this compilation of interviews is a perfect companion piece to Anthony Bourdain's unforgettable memoir。 I also recommend the recently released documentary， Roadrunner， a two hour tribute to Bourdain。 Tony is remembered by friends， family and co-workers without filters。 The good and the bad aspects of the man are all here。 As someone who has never done any mind altering drugs， I will never understand addiction。 My fear of loss of control have kept me away from any experimentation。 Bourdain was a highly addictive person and in the end it destroyed him。 Bad choices seemed to haunt him from an early age and his final partner， Asia Argento was a fatal mistake。 The most heartbreaking aspects of the book are the interviews with his teenage daughter and second wife。 If only he had remained with them instead of an evil woman， he would still be with us。 The book is a great read。 。。。more
Andrea
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Not a typical biography， and the organization/thread of narrative was nonexistent。 It seems like the author was not particularly selective about the anecdotes were included， appearing to aim more for quantity。 Why so much Nigella Lawson？ Why so little from Eric Ripert？ What was the significance of including either？ This book is basically a broken up collection of people drafting personal After Action Reports on their relationship with Bourdain。 Definitely insightful， but not packaged in a way th Not a typical biography， and the organization/thread of narrative was nonexistent。 It seems like the author was not particularly selective about the anecdotes were included， appearing to aim more for quantity。 Why so much Nigella Lawson？ Why so little from Eric Ripert？ What was the significance of including either？ This book is basically a broken up collection of people drafting personal After Action Reports on their relationship with Bourdain。 Definitely insightful， but not packaged in a way that is easy for the reader or makes meaningful conclusions about the man 。。。more
Kathleen
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Laurie Woolever probably knew Anthony Bourdain better than anyone。 She was his longtime assistant and co-authored two books with him。 So after his suicide in 2018， she collected the oral remembrances from his friends and colleagues that form this unusual biography。Bourdain’s youth is detailed in the words of his mother， brother， first wife and childhood friends。 A voracious reader， he was a gifted writer who made friends easily and entertained them with his humor。 Later memories involve those of Laurie Woolever probably knew Anthony Bourdain better than anyone。 She was his longtime assistant and co-authored two books with him。 So after his suicide in 2018， she collected the oral remembrances from his friends and colleagues that form this unusual biography。Bourdain’s youth is detailed in the words of his mother， brother， first wife and childhood friends。 A voracious reader， he was a gifted writer who made friends easily and entertained them with his humor。 Later memories involve those of chefs， journalists， network executives and friends。 I most enjoyed the recollections of Kamau Bell， host of CNN’s United Shades of America。 He had always admired and wanted to meet Bourdain and when he did， was surprised by how friendly and open he was。 After several more meetings， Bourdain said they should do something together and Bell answered offhandedly， “I’ve never been to Kenya。” So they went。 And they watched Black Panther together。 As Kamau Bell describes vividly how special this trip was to him， he also lets us see how it was very much part of Bourdain’s job。I read so many different stories， each telling of a different Anthony Bourdain: friend， co-worker， husband， drug addict， practicer of ju-jitsu， father and more。 Everyone seems to see him in a different way but I’m not sure anyone knew the real Anthony Bourdain。 This is a moving biography that will make the reader miss his talent more。 5 stars。Thank you to NetGalley， Ecco and Laurie Woolever for this ARC。 。。。more
Kevin
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When celebrity chef， author and world traveler Anthony Bourdain died by suicide in 2018， fans were shocked。 But many of the 91 friends， coworkers and colleagues interviewed in the compelling BOURDAIN: THE DEFINITIVE ORAL BIOGRAPHY share riveting tales of how his life always gravitated toward extreme highs and lows。 "He became this great cultural anthropologist whom everyone so loved，" said Lydia Tenaglia， Bourdain's TV producer for more than two decades。 "But fundamentally he was like a teenage When celebrity chef， author and world traveler Anthony Bourdain died by suicide in 2018， fans were shocked。 But many of the 91 friends， coworkers and colleagues interviewed in the compelling BOURDAIN: THE DEFINITIVE ORAL BIOGRAPHY share riveting tales of how his life always gravitated toward extreme highs and lows。 "He became this great cultural anthropologist whom everyone so loved，" said Lydia Tenaglia， Bourdain's TV producer for more than two decades。 "But fundamentally he was like a teenage boy with his emotional development。"Laurie Woolever， who was Bourdain's assistant for nearly a decade and co-authored "Appetites: A Cookbook" and "World Travel: An Irreverent Guide" with him， admirably pieces together Bourdain's private and professional life with input from his mother， two ex-wives， daughter， brother， publishers， and the producers， writers and technicians on his TV shows。 The main person missing from this tapestry is Asia Argento， the Italian actress Bourdain fell in love with， and for whom he left his wife and began alienating friends。 His suicide followed a tabloid frenzy suggesting she was cheating on him。 She's not interviewed， but numerous friends and colleagues feel his obsession with her was his downfall。One of the book's most fascinating chapters details the writing and publication of Kitchen Confidential， his frank and profane memoir， which changed his life， brought him fame and magnified his best and worst traits。 Although those interviewed are mainly friends and family， this oral biography doesn't shy away from examining Bourdain's loneliness， addictions， abrasive nature and bouts of depression。 This is an outstanding and illuminating biography of a complex man plagued with many demons。 Anthony Bourdain wrote and lived with an intoxicating brashness that hid his depression and addictions， and this fascinating oral history delves deep to create a true portrait worthy of the man。 。。。more
Sasha
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If you want to go in deep with reembraces by the people who knew and loved him best， this is a great journey to undertake。 It's long， so depending on how committed you are and we all know how it ends。There is something genuinely reflective of his persona that comes through in the structure。 I'm probably not explaining it correctly， but the frequency that he resonated on in life is captured in these bits and pieces。 If you want to go in deep with reembraces by the people who knew and loved him best， this is a great journey to undertake。 It's long， so depending on how committed you are and we all know how it ends。There is something genuinely reflective of his persona that comes through in the structure。 I'm probably not explaining it correctly， but the frequency that he resonated on in life is captured in these bits and pieces。 。。。more
Kim Fox
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Bourdain by Laurie Woolever is a look into how Anthony Bourdain became the man that wrote Kitchen Confidential， who starred in A Cooks Tour and No Reservations and it's also about those people around him。 From his parents， to his friends and the women he married。 Laurie Woolever had an unique perspective into Tony's life。 She initially helped him with a cookbook and then later became his assistant。 As she says in the book， she thought she knew Tony really well， but after interviewing people for Bourdain by Laurie Woolever is a look into how Anthony Bourdain became the man that wrote Kitchen Confidential， who starred in A Cooks Tour and No Reservations and it's also about those people around him。 From his parents， to his friends and the women he married。 Laurie Woolever had an unique perspective into Tony's life。 She initially helped him with a cookbook and then later became his assistant。 As she says in the book， she thought she knew Tony really well， but after interviewing people for this book she realized she only knew a fraction of the person he was。 She interviewed people who knew him as a kid， college student， cook， chef and later a writer （something he always wanted to be）。 If you love the man you saw on TV， you will love reading this book about the man he was。 Thank you Laurie Woolever for writing this book！！ Man， I miss seeing him on TV！！ 4⭐Thank you to Netgalley， Ecco Books， and Laurie Woolever for the eARC of this book in exchange for my honest review。 。。。more
TL
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3。5 stars 🌟 🤩 ✨ Won this via goodreads giveaways， all my opinions are my own。 ----This took so long partly because I had some personal life stresses happening one right after the other and also the format made it feel longer than it was。I don't mean it in a bad way， it was an interesting book and I can't imagine it structured a different way but it also felt 。slower （not sure how else to put it）。I enjoyed learning about him and what he was like behind the scenes。 With my bad memory， I was glad f 3。5 stars 🌟 🤩 ✨ Won this via goodreads giveaways， all my opinions are my own。 ----This took so long partly because I had some personal life stresses happening one right after the other and also the format made it feel longer than it was。I don't mean it in a bad way， it was an interesting book and I can't imagine it structured a different way but it also felt 。slower （not sure how else to put it）。I enjoyed learning about him and what he was like behind the scenes。 With my bad memory， I was glad for the index of people in the beginning hahaAnthony Bourdain was a complicated and interesting man。 （I hope he's resting in peace）。This would be a good introduction to him I think。 。。。more
Lindsay
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I won this book in a GoodReads giveaway and was interested in learning more about the man I grew up watching on TV。 I will blame my age， but I didn't realize how complicated Anthony Bourdain was or what his history was。 I now know a lot more about the man he was。 I also better understand what may have led him to end his life。 I can't help but wonder if the author reached out to the girlfriend and what she might have to say as it does seem to point a finger at her for his demise。 It makes for a c I won this book in a GoodReads giveaway and was interested in learning more about the man I grew up watching on TV。 I will blame my age， but I didn't realize how complicated Anthony Bourdain was or what his history was。 I now know a lot more about the man he was。 I also better understand what may have led him to end his life。 I can't help but wonder if the author reached out to the girlfriend and what she might have to say as it does seem to point a finger at her for his demise。 It makes for a compelling read that makes you feel for Mr。 Bourdain （and his daughter）。 。。。more
Lisa
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From his childhood to his untimely death， this oral biography of Anthony Bourdain allows readers to view his life through the stories of those closest to him。 Although I've never read any of his books， something made me curious to read this insider's view of a life lived and lost too soon。 I was surprised to hear of the incredible shyness he hid behind the engaging TV persona。 It was also very heartbreaking to read about his life through good times and bad knowing how it ended tragically。 I look From his childhood to his untimely death， this oral biography of Anthony Bourdain allows readers to view his life through the stories of those closest to him。 Although I've never read any of his books， something made me curious to read this insider's view of a life lived and lost too soon。 I was surprised to hear of the incredible shyness he hid behind the engaging TV persona。 It was also very heartbreaking to read about his life through good times and bad knowing how it ended tragically。 I look forward to reading his work， both fiction and nonfiction， and hearing his insights and perspectives。 。。。more
Joe Jones
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Heartbreaking to follow his ascent and then fall leading to his suicide。 A must read for fans to try and make any sense of it。
Karen R。
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Heartbreak all over again…a wonderful history of Mr。 Bourdain， told by many different people who were fortunate enough to know him。 I always felt he was deeply empathetic and insightful， and this book only reinforces this。 A must read。
Linda Smatzny
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I received this book for free from the First Reads program on Goodreads。 I read while hurricane Ida approached， came ashore and left the state of Louisiana。 Each chapter is about a different event/time in the life of Anthony Bourdain。 It is the impressions of the people who worked and knew Mr。 Bourdain at various stages of his life。 The book is well written。
Barbara White
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I felt as though I were a fly on the wall when these conversations were taking place。 I heard it all， and saw it all。 For Anthony Bourdain fans， this is a must read。 Thanks to Goodreads First Reads for my copy of Bourdain:。。。。。
Melinda Owens
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Really enjoyed reading this book。 I enjoyed hearing the different perspectives from all of his friends and family。
Julie Yashur
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