In the Weeds: Around the World and Behind the Scenes with Anthony Bourdain
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- Author：Tom Vitale
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Summary
Anthony Bourdain's long time director and producer takes readers behind the scenes to reveal the insanity of filming television in some of the most volatile places in the world and what it was like to work with a legend。
In the nearly two years since Anthony Bourdain's death， no one else has come close to filling the void he left。 His passion for and genuine curiosity about the people and cultures he visited made the world feel smaller and more connected。 Despite his affable， confident， and trademark snarky TV persona， the real Tony was intensely private， deeply conflicted about his fame， and an enigma even to those close to him。 Tony’s devoted crew knew him best， and no one else had a front-row seat for as long as his director and producer， Tom Vitale。
Over the course of more than a decade traveling together， Tony became a boss， a friend， a hero and， sometimes， a tormentor。In the Weeds takes readers behind the scenes to reveal not just the insanity that went into filming in some of the most far-flung and volatile parts of the world， but what Tony was like unedited and off-camera。 From the outside， the job looked like an all-expenses-paid adventure to places like Borneo， Vietnam， Iran， the Democratic Republic of Congo， and Libya。 What happened off-camera was far more interesting than what made it to air。 The more things went wrong， the better it was for the show。 Fortunately， everything fell apart constantly。
In the nearly two years since Anthony Bourdain's death， no one else has come close to filling the void he left。 His passion for and genuine curiosity about the people and cultures he visited made the world feel smaller and more connected。 Despite his affable， confident， and trademark snarky TV persona， the real Tony was intensely private， deeply conflicted about his fame， and an enigma even to those close to him。 Tony’s devoted crew knew him best， and no one else had a front-row seat for as long as his director and producer， Tom Vitale。
Over the course of more than a decade traveling together， Tony became a boss， a friend， a hero and， sometimes， a tormentor。In the Weeds takes readers behind the scenes to reveal not just the insanity that went into filming in some of the most far-flung and volatile parts of the world， but what Tony was like unedited and off-camera。 From the outside， the job looked like an all-expenses-paid adventure to places like Borneo， Vietnam， Iran， the Democratic Republic of Congo， and Libya。 What happened off-camera was far more interesting than what made it to air。 The more things went wrong， the better it was for the show。 Fortunately， everything fell apart constantly。
Reviews
Susan
，
I have to admit I am a tad obsessed with all things Tony Bourdain。 I will be forever grateful to him for saving me from eating swordfish ever again （read Kitchen Confidential and you'll know why）。 So this is the third book about him I've read in the past few months and unfortunately， the one I liked the least。 Each chapter just felt like the same story over and over， just the country and food changed。 I ended up getting bored and skipping to the part where Tony and Barack Obama ate dinner togeth I have to admit I am a tad obsessed with all things Tony Bourdain。 I will be forever grateful to him for saving me from eating swordfish ever again （read Kitchen Confidential and you'll know why）。 So this is the third book about him I've read in the past few months and unfortunately， the one I liked the least。 Each chapter just felt like the same story over and over， just the country and food changed。 I ended up getting bored and skipping to the part where Tony and Barack Obama ate dinner together and to the chapters about Asia Argento and how she was not good for Tony according to his friends。 And maybe me。 。。。more
Patrick
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Fantastic account of Tony， his lessons， and his travel。 Just a great read and I’m happy to have taken the time to let it wash over me。
Peter
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I loved watching Anthony Bourdain's shows， so when this was announced I jumped at the chance to interview author Tom Vitale， who for 16 years worked with Bourdain， rising to become one of his regular producers and directors， and traveling 80 or so times to countries around the world to shoot the show。 It's a terrific remembrance of Tony， told by someone who loved the man and his work despite some of his occasional rough edges。 Tons of great insider stories， too。 Here is my interview with him: ht I loved watching Anthony Bourdain's shows， so when this was announced I jumped at the chance to interview author Tom Vitale， who for 16 years worked with Bourdain， rising to become one of his regular producers and directors， and traveling 80 or so times to countries around the world to shoot the show。 It's a terrific remembrance of Tony， told by someone who loved the man and his work despite some of his occasional rough edges。 Tons of great insider stories， too。 Here is my interview with him: https://www。ocregister。com/2021/10/11。。。 。。。more
Thomas Kelley
，
I was first introduced to Anthony Bourdain when I listened to his "Kitchen Confidential" on cd with Anthony being the reader which I am glad he was as no one else would have done it justice。 This book is written by his longtime director and producer and was written after Mr。 Bourdain passed away。 There are really various story lines woven in this book。 1） Of course the first dealing with various locations that they traveled and recorded programs around food。 2nd） was Anthony's struggle with copi I was first introduced to Anthony Bourdain when I listened to his "Kitchen Confidential" on cd with Anthony being the reader which I am glad he was as no one else would have done it justice。 This book is written by his longtime director and producer and was written after Mr。 Bourdain passed away。 There are really various story lines woven in this book。 1） Of course the first dealing with various locations that they traveled and recorded programs around food。 2nd） was Anthony's struggle with coping of the fame that came to him and the struggles to separate the fame from his personal life and the struggles also of being away from family。 Anthony had various demons he was dealing with according to the author。 3rd） the authors ability to deal with making a great product along with wanting to constantly gain approval from Mr。 Bourdain to the level that child would with a parent and amongst this coping with his own personal demons and of course looking for the answers of why Anthony took his own life and how the author felt about ways he could have prevented it if he would have only recognized the signs。 This is good pretty good read。 Thank you to Netgalley and Hachette Books for an ARC for a fair and honest review。 。。。more
Ricky Marshall
，
I really enjoyed getting this behind the scenes narrative of Tony’s life on the road。 Few people worked as close to Tony as Tom did for so long。 It was obviously this book was a form of grieving for Tom， and I assume for many of his readers it’ll help do the same。
Patricia
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Excellent behind the scenes provides a deep perspective on what it’s like to work with Tony in a show。 If you want all the nitty gritty， this is your read。 Unputdownable。
Krisztina Papp
，
So this is basically what Roadrunner should have been。
Elizabeth Colleran
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 One of those things that if you were/are a fan of No Reservations and Parts Unknown that you know you need to read， and want to， but aren’t sure if your heart should。 Thank you to Tom for sharing your story: it is yours。 I appreciated each page。
Sharon McNeil
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Funny and sad！
Olivia Frescura
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In The Weeds is a great behind the scenes look into quite a few episodes of Anthony Bourdain’s shows。 I wish it was longer or shared more varying stories， it seemed to circle around the same 5 episodes or so， when the author and Bourdain had filmed nearly 100 episodes together。 Definitely going to be rewatching some of these episodes after reading some of these stories about what happened on their travels while the cameras weren’t rolling。
Malcolm
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My favorite book of the year。
Eric Korte
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Loved， loved， loved。 I am a big fan of No Reservations and Parts Unknown and Tony in general。 This was a great behind the scenes of making the show and the complexity of Anthony Bourdain。 Highly recommend if you are a fan of either show。
Elizabeth • LizziePageReads
，
In the Weeds is a behind the scenes look at Anthony Bourdain’s No Reservations and Parts Unknown from the perspective of his long time director and producer， Tom Vitale。 Tom arranged the book non-chronologically， with chapters jumping between Tom processing Tony’s death and various trips they took for the show。 I wouldn’t have expected this format to work， but one of Tom’s jobs on the shows was to tell the story in post production， and he’s clearly an excellent crafter of narratives。 It works an In the Weeds is a behind the scenes look at Anthony Bourdain’s No Reservations and Parts Unknown from the perspective of his long time director and producer， Tom Vitale。 Tom arranged the book non-chronologically， with chapters jumping between Tom processing Tony’s death and various trips they took for the show。 I wouldn’t have expected this format to work， but one of Tom’s jobs on the shows was to tell the story in post production， and he’s clearly an excellent crafter of narratives。 It works and it’s really powerful。 The content itself helps here， of course。 Tom’s stories are fascinating- you really feel like you’re there with the crew exploring newly opened Myanmar， dodging Roman candles in Libya， dining with Obama in Vietnam， and descending into madness in the DRC。 The book is well done - it really makes you feel like you’re THERE - but it’s also really quite sad。 Tom is very clearly still struggling with the death of a man he alternately viewed as a boss， a friend， and a father figure。 He portrays Tony as a volatile man who loved the work he did but didn’t know how to handle the fame and sentimentality that came with it。 Tony’s relationship with the crew and the atmosphere he created on production of the show can’t be described as healthy， but the end product is truly excellent TV。 I finish this book not knowing what to think about Tony and his shows， but wanting to know more - and I think that’s what Tom intended。 Highly recommend to fans of Anthony Bourdain， travel writing， and/or memoirs。 Thanks to Hachette Books for the gifted copy！ 。。。more
Wrapped Up in Books
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TW- suicide， references to food， workplace abuseThis book shows a side of working with Anthony Bourdain that I hadn’t previously read about。 It’s written by Tom Vitale， Bourdain’s long time director and producer of various traveling/cooking shows。 We are treated to a behind the scenes look into what it was like filming Bourdain’s show- in short it was wildly chaotic。There’s no answer as to why Bourdain died by suicide。 He did not leave a note when it happened， although Tom notes that Bourdain ta TW- suicide， references to food， workplace abuseThis book shows a side of working with Anthony Bourdain that I hadn’t previously read about。 It’s written by Tom Vitale， Bourdain’s long time director and producer of various traveling/cooking shows。 We are treated to a behind the scenes look into what it was like filming Bourdain’s show- in short it was wildly chaotic。There’s no answer as to why Bourdain died by suicide。 He did not leave a note when it happened， although Tom notes that Bourdain talked about death quite a bit， including morbidly describing fun ways to die （being put in a wood chipper and sprayed all over people at a department store， for instance）。 Bourdain’s gallows humor， punk rock image and no BS attitude made him stand out in a world of bland television personalities， but there were aspects of his personality shown in this book that to me， are without a doubt abusive， manipulative and at times cruel。 At the same time， Bourdain was loyal， there when you needed him， deeply appreciative of those who worked so hard around him， and passionate about life （which is contagious in the best possible way and he was a magnet to interesting people）。 Tom seemed to have lived in constant flux。 What was going to happen next on set？ How was Bourdain going to react to filming decisions？ Same for edits- would he approve and give high praise， or would he make you feel like garbage？ The ups and downs of working on Bourdain’s shows were to the extreme on each end。 The manic lifestyle took a toll on Tom， and clearly on Bourdain。 As I read Tom’s point of view of running the episodes of each show from planning， to execution to final edit， I could only imagine the amount of stress faced by the crew。 And they didn’t even get to eat the delicacies most of the time！ （Although I’m sure they were happy to skip the warthog anus that made Bourdain violently ill and Tom was happy to skip anything seafood-related。 And he hated watching the animals get butchered）。Tom loved Bourdain， and also feared him。 How to make sense of it all？ I work adjacent to people that work with victims of domestic violence， and I see the parallels to Tom’s situation。 Of course， I’m reading one person’s point of view， and I have not read the other books about Bourdain （I have read works by Bourdain， including Kitchen Confidential）。 All I can say for certain is that this narrative gave me pause， and I went from being envious of the lifestyle that Bourdain and his crew lead for years， to being grateful for my simple comfortable life。 4 stars。 Thank you to Hachette Books for the ARC in exchange for my honest views。 The book is out now！ 。。。more
Teri
，
This is the second book that has come out this year about Anthony Bourdain。 The other， being a compilation of quotes from many people who had relationships with AB during his life。 This one is written from the perspective of the author who was his long time producer/director。 Whether he meant to or not， I found myself disillusioned with his shows and the person。 He didn’t sound particularly likable despite his penchant for sticking up for the underdog。 He did not really seem comfortable in his o This is the second book that has come out this year about Anthony Bourdain。 The other， being a compilation of quotes from many people who had relationships with AB during his life。 This one is written from the perspective of the author who was his long time producer/director。 Whether he meant to or not， I found myself disillusioned with his shows and the person。 He didn’t sound particularly likable despite his penchant for sticking up for the underdog。 He did not really seem comfortable in his own skin or about letting people: be human。 I appreciated the vulnerability the author showed in regards to his personal， conflicted feelings regarding AB。 Thanks to NetGalley for a complimentary copy of the book in exchange for my honest review。 。。。more
Kristine
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In the Weeds by Tom Vitale is a free NetGalley ebook that I read in late September。Vitale transcribes his torrential memories with blinking holocene clarity of the past and present in a way that comfortably overarches the spectre of Anthony Bourdain。 He recalls the order while creating superior filming product within dangerous， precarious chaos; the camera as friend and foe， creating an image to hide the ‘hard work， no play’ truth; the weight of guilt and grief， and the brevity of a happy memory In the Weeds by Tom Vitale is a free NetGalley ebook that I read in late September。Vitale transcribes his torrential memories with blinking holocene clarity of the past and present in a way that comfortably overarches the spectre of Anthony Bourdain。 He recalls the order while creating superior filming product within dangerous， precarious chaos; the camera as friend and foe， creating an image to hide the ‘hard work， no play’ truth; the weight of guilt and grief， and the brevity of a happy memory; sometimes going through near-mania， sometimes artfully tactful （especially with location producers and fixers）， sometimes full of perfection-driven anxiety， all while recounting stories from filming， traveling， and maintaining a shaky sense of balance created from pushing the envelope further and further。 。。。more
Diane
，
Insightful…Even after a year I can’t believe how hard Anthony Bourdain’s death hit me。 I’ve never met him。 I’m not a chef。 I’m not a traveler。 I’m not a drinker。 Somehow， though， through his books and shows， I felt close to him （in a non-stalker， healthy way of course） and felt his loss。 I mourned for his family， for his friends and the people who admired his easy way around people and his fearlessness when it came to food。Did I love all the revelations here？ Honestly， no。 I wish sometimes for t Insightful…Even after a year I can’t believe how hard Anthony Bourdain’s death hit me。 I’ve never met him。 I’m not a chef。 I’m not a traveler。 I’m not a drinker。 Somehow， though， through his books and shows， I felt close to him （in a non-stalker， healthy way of course） and felt his loss。 I mourned for his family， for his friends and the people who admired his easy way around people and his fearlessness when it came to food。Did I love all the revelations here？ Honestly， no。 I wish sometimes for the ignorance of youth and the ability to see only the surface where things were happy and worry-free。 Instead， the author honestly （and brutally at times） shared the not so positive aspects of Tony’s actions and words。 Are they 100% accurate？ I’d like to wish they weren’t but， as I’ve come to learn， humans are very complex and within ourselves is the capacity for positive and negative， living side by side…。What I did love was the story。 The behind the scenes goings on behind the lens that made the shows， and Tony’s words， resonate so much with me。 The armchair travelling that gave insight into shows I watched religiously。 I admired the brutal honesty。 While I may choose to remember Tony in the filter of my love of his shows， his books， I believe I have a more rounded picture of who he might have been… And I will continue to miss him…This will be the closest insight into his life， into who he was， I will ever have and I appreciated every word。*I happily （if somewhat wistfully） reviewed this book**Thank you to NetGalley 。。。more
Callie Cinque
，
First off， thanks to #NetGalley for the Galley which made my September more fun。I genuinely enjoyed this book in the same way that I enjoy watching hours of talk show interviews with a favorite celebrity。 It's fun， sometimes bland and repetitive， but oddly addicting。 Tom Vitale's insights and behind the scenes "shock factor" of making Anthony Bourdain TV felt like a tell-all with a heavy dose of personal reflection and hunt for resolution。 The narrative and general structure of the book seemed t First off， thanks to #NetGalley for the Galley which made my September more fun。I genuinely enjoyed this book in the same way that I enjoy watching hours of talk show interviews with a favorite celebrity。 It's fun， sometimes bland and repetitive， but oddly addicting。 Tom Vitale's insights and behind the scenes "shock factor" of making Anthony Bourdain TV felt like a tell-all with a heavy dose of personal reflection and hunt for resolution。 The narrative and general structure of the book seemed to jump from one anecdote to the next as if it was a television show。 A format that I don't believe worked as well when pen was put to paper。 Nevertheless， I appreciated the story and how this memoir seemed to serve as therapy， a mode of putting everything on the table。 It was fascinating to know how themes of othering and tracking who the beneficiary of tourism really is in these destinations was consistently in the minds of those filming。 I enjoyed the story and it's play on the control we can create in telling others' stories as well as our own。 。。。more
Joanna
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Really 3。5。 I enjoyed this book， but thought it lacked organization。 The chapter order & part division seem completely random。 The insights & stories of the filming process for Bourdain’s shows were interesting， but reading In the Weeds just felt more morbid & off-putting as it went on， especially because the author’s hero-worship was so present throughout。I received a free ARC of this book from NetGalley。
Helen Geng
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Read Sept 2021
Crystal
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One to add to your permanent collection。 The loss of Anthony Bourdain hit many of us hard， especially those who had the privilege to know him。 Tim Vitale worked practically hand-in-hand with Bourdain for years and In The Weeds truly feels like we're back there with them once again。 He doesn't sugarcoat it。 Bourdain wasn't a saint。 He wasn't always nice or easygoing。 He was hard around the edges， driven， and had flaws。 Thankfully you see all of that in this book。 While reading I definitely had to One to add to your permanent collection。 The loss of Anthony Bourdain hit many of us hard， especially those who had the privilege to know him。 Tim Vitale worked practically hand-in-hand with Bourdain for years and In The Weeds truly feels like we're back there with them once again。 He doesn't sugarcoat it。 Bourdain wasn't a saint。 He wasn't always nice or easygoing。 He was hard around the edges， driven， and had flaws。 Thankfully you see all of that in this book。 While reading I definitely had to take a few minutes to pause and reflect on how this man， whom I've never met， impacted my life in so many ways。 How he made international travel and cuisine both real and approachable; how he wasn't for the masses even though by the end he truly was devoured by us。 Tom Vitale delivers in this account of his life and travels with Bourdain in a way no one else has。 5/5 Stars。 Thank you to NetGalley and Hachette Books for providing me with an e-arc of this book in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Joe Jones
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Shows Anthony Bourdain in a different light--faults and all。 And fans of his shows will love all the behind the scenes craziness。 It is a miracle half those episodes actually got made。
Mark
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Library Journal Sep 2021， Vol。 146 no。 9
Jessica Svajgert
，
*Special thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review。 Pub date: September 28， 2021TW from the author: INCIDENTS INCLUDED IN THIS book are not intended to glamorize or endorse acts of cannibalism， drug use， smuggling， torture， extortion， bribery， wire fraud， attempted vehicular manslaughter， or the poaching of endangered species。Obvi TW: suicideOne of the strongest first pages I’ve possibly ever read in a book。 This book is full of tales highlig *Special thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review。 Pub date: September 28， 2021TW from the author: INCIDENTS INCLUDED IN THIS book are not intended to glamorize or endorse acts of cannibalism， drug use， smuggling， torture， extortion， bribery， wire fraud， attempted vehicular manslaughter， or the poaching of endangered species。Obvi TW: suicideOne of the strongest first pages I’ve possibly ever read in a book。 This book is full of tales highlighting the diabolical chaos that occurred behind the scenes while filming Tony’s shows。 It’s a glimpse into the minds and mayhem that surrounded Anthony Bourdain。 Any fan will enjoy this as a different perspective—truly behind the scenes and immersive—and I look forward to watching back some of the shows this focused on to see how everything plays out again with this extra knowledge。While it is a fascinating look into Bourdain’s world it also feels very。。。invasive。 Not to say we shouldn’t talk about the dark sides of someone after they pass， especially from someone who was pretty forward with their feelings and emotions but this takes it to an exploitive of level with personal details， and I found it uncomfortable at times yet I couldn’t put this down。 I look forward to reading the epilogue once this is published。 。。。more
Grace T
，
In the Weeds is a comprehensive look behind the scenes of working closely with Anthony Bourdain， written by his long-time director。 It also includes some self-reflection on the author's part after Bourdain's passing， moving between past and present frequently。I really wanted to enjoy this book as I would consider myself a fan of Anthony Bourdain， his writing， and his TV shows， but I found myself being turned off the more I read。 Reading other reviews， it feels like I read a completely different In the Weeds is a comprehensive look behind the scenes of working closely with Anthony Bourdain， written by his long-time director。 It also includes some self-reflection on the author's part after Bourdain's passing， moving between past and present frequently。I really wanted to enjoy this book as I would consider myself a fan of Anthony Bourdain， his writing， and his TV shows， but I found myself being turned off the more I read。 Reading other reviews， it feels like I read a completely different book than everyone else。Tom Vitale is a skilled writer， and the way he describes place and events was captivating。 That was probably the highlight for me。 The behind-the-scenes tidbits about filming Obama and scouting locations， etc。， The less successful parts of the book for me were those that featured Bourdain - a chapter is spent highlighting different abusive behaviors and then he says some kind of redeeming statement at the end。 After the first few chapters following this format， the book began to feel more hollow for me。 As a person who has been in abusive relationships （platonic and romantic）， I would have appreciated more of a discussion about this behavior before the very end of the book。I kept trying to figure out how Vitale feels about his time spent working with Bourdain， and after reading the whole book （sans epilogue， which is forthcoming）， I have no clue。 Parts of the book highlight how great a friend and colleague he was， and other parts highlight how he could be very difficult to work with and be around。 In the end， it felt like this book did not choose one stance or the other， and it didn't explain why it chose to settle on ambiguity。 If there had been some writing about that， I may have felt differently in the end。Thanks to Hachette Books and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Jennifer Schultz
，
Read if you: Want a fascinating， compelling， and heartrending read from one of Bourdain's closest colleagues。 Librarians/booksellers: Definitely purchase if interest in Bourdain is high。 Many thanks to Hachette Books and NetGalley for a digital review copy in exchange for an honest review。 Read if you: Want a fascinating， compelling， and heartrending read from one of Bourdain's closest colleagues。 Librarians/booksellers: Definitely purchase if interest in Bourdain is high。 Many thanks to Hachette Books and NetGalley for a digital review copy in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Daphne Manning
，
The title refers to a phrase cooks， usually at the top of their lungs， uses to emphasize the need for speed。 Working the line even on a slow night needs precision and focus。 It is not for the faint of heart。 In the days when Mr Boudain worked the line this phrase could have been followed with expulsion from the premises。 It took massive guts to prevail，and massive drugs to relax。 The author of this memoir writes with the brash， raw， simplicity that Tony Bourdain held true。 It’s explicit and comp The title refers to a phrase cooks， usually at the top of their lungs， uses to emphasize the need for speed。 Working the line even on a slow night needs precision and focus。 It is not for the faint of heart。 In the days when Mr Boudain worked the line this phrase could have been followed with expulsion from the premises。 It took massive guts to prevail，and massive drugs to relax。 The author of this memoir writes with the brash， raw， simplicity that Tony Bourdain held true。 It’s explicit and complete a memory as any one in his sphere could recall。 We learn how this roller coaster ride began for him， and how confused and empty it ended。 In the end I believe as all who have witnessed the cycle of a meteor。 We are the better for his presence and the worst for its wear。 It is clear Mr Bourdain crashed through life， invitation at the ready if needed， and smiling at the gall to appear。 。。。more
K
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They say the true test of any relationship is to travel with someone。 While this is usually applied to friends and loved ones， testing a work relationship with travel is probably the toughest one of all。 Vitale succeeds in writing of how aware he is of this saying in the pages of In the Weeds。 While the rest of us mourn the loss of Anthony Bourdain as an admired public figure， Vitale suffered his loss as a colleague。 Vitale did not shy away from why he's writing this book， but also takes us thro They say the true test of any relationship is to travel with someone。 While this is usually applied to friends and loved ones， testing a work relationship with travel is probably the toughest one of all。 Vitale succeeds in writing of how aware he is of this saying in the pages of In the Weeds。 While the rest of us mourn the loss of Anthony Bourdain as an admired public figure， Vitale suffered his loss as a colleague。 Vitale did not shy away from why he's writing this book， but also takes us through enough stories （good， bad， and weird） from the trenches before landing the heavier punches near the end of the book。 He doesn't hesitate to go into detail about how much work and stress goes into a show that makes travel and human interactions appear near-effortless， but he also makes it clear that he knows he is lucky to be doing this for a living。 In conclusion， Tom Vitale needs a hug but since that would be creepy coming from a stranger， please buy/read this book。 It's the closest any of us will ever get to traveling and working with Bourdain。 （I received a copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for my honest opinion。） 。。。more
Danielle M
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IN THE WEEDS |I really enjoyed this book and the writing was terrific。 My husband turned my onto Bourdain and I can remember being floored by the show， by Tony， by the cinematography。 About food as the premise， the metonymy for the larger family， culture， country's identity。 So naturally getting the behind the scenes on some of the episodes， most of which I remember the scenes he's describing was so fun！ And learning what actually was involved in filming， preparing for the shoots， thinking up th IN THE WEEDS |I really enjoyed this book and the writing was terrific。 My husband turned my onto Bourdain and I can remember being floored by the show， by Tony， by the cinematography。 About food as the premise， the metonymy for the larger family， culture， country's identity。 So naturally getting the behind the scenes on some of the episodes， most of which I remember the scenes he's describing was so fun！ And learning what actually was involved in filming， preparing for the shoots， thinking up the creative / subject of an episode was so interesting。Learning more about how Tony envisioned the show though was amazing - "show， don't tell，" Tony resisting the summation monologues at the end， the deceptive and manipulative nature of filming and editing as a lie， which they were obviously very well gifted at， but also wanted to acknowledge and recognize as part of their wall-breaking/pushing the envelope/creative。 What I had not anticipated but which does make sense given what the public knew about his persona were his manic like hero-to-despot-like traits， which partially helped to push the team to do better and be more creative， but which also pushed those whom he may have wanted to know better on a personal level away after years and years of tormenting。You'll reach for this book because of Tony， but it is Tom， the author， that you ache for by the end of this book。 There is a carved out space that never heals for those who have to continue on after a loved one takes their life。 That bleeding hole always existed for Tom， but when Tony was alive， Tom filled it with work， with chaos， and with Tony。 I wish you all the best， Tom， and truly enjoyed your book！ （5） 。。。more
Beth Walsh
，