From the Publisher
[Woolever’s] book is the first to begin to reveal [Anthony Bourdain]: It’s the most splintered, fractal, and complex portrait of the star that has yet emerged, an enormous compendium of individual observations gathered from 91 people who knew him, including his mother, his brother, his ex-wives and his daughter, friends from school and college, ex-girlfriends, fellow chefs, writers, editors, and television colleagues.” — Maria Bustillos, Eater.com
“Woolever herself stays at arms length, to powerful effect, giving her cast of characters room to air their Bourdain grievances, both petty and life-altering, and unroots some rather profound conclusions—almost Parts-Unknown-narration-level profound—about the man.” — Esquire.com
“Laurie Woolever, a writer and editor who was Anthony Bourdain's longtime assistant, uses quotes to bring readers deeper into his world. . . . Through details shared by his friends and family, we learn more about Bourdain's kind heart, how much he wanted to be a writer, his habit of fidgeting when he was uncomfortable, and the dark world he inhabited, especially when traveling.” — Food & Wine
“Bourdain: The Definitive Oral Biography is a tribute to how [Anthony Bourdain] and his legacy live on.” — The Week
“A fascinating account…Bourdain's fans will find it impossible to put down.” — Booklist
"An unfiltered study of Bourdain's life, as seen by the people closest to him. . . . Woolever compiles the perspectives of Bourdain’s friends and family about the way [his] professional experiences impacted him, including during his tumultuous final year. . . . Any Anthony Bourdain fan, of which there are many, will enjoy this thoughtful tribute to an impactful cultural figure." — Library Journal
Esquire.com
Woolever herself stays at arms length, to powerful effect, giving her cast of characters room to air their Bourdain grievances, both petty and life-altering, and unroots some rather profound conclusions—almost Parts-Unknown-narration-level profound—about the man.
Maria Bustillos
[Woolever’s] book is the first to begin to reveal [Anthony Bourdain]: It’s the most splintered, fractal, and complex portrait of the star that has yet emerged, an enormous compendium of individual observations gathered from 91 people who knew him, including his mother, his brother, his ex-wives and his daughter, friends from school and college, ex-girlfriends, fellow chefs, writers, editors, and television colleagues.
Booklist
A fascinating account…Bourdain's fans will find it impossible to put down.
The Week
Bourdain: The Definitive Oral Biography is a tribute to how [Anthony Bourdain] and his legacy live on.
Food & Wine
Laurie Woolever, a writer and editor who was Anthony Bourdain's longtime assistant, uses quotes to bring readers deeper into his world. . . . Through details shared by his friends and family, we learn more about Bourdain's kind heart, how much he wanted to be a writer, his habit of fidgeting when he was uncomfortable, and the dark world he inhabited, especially when traveling.
Booklist
A fascinating account…Bourdain's fans will find it impossible to put down.
Kirkus Reviews
2021-08-13
A collage of remembrances creates a multifaceted portrait of the late author, chef, and TV host.
Journalist Woolever, who worked as an assistant and co-author for Anthony Bourdain (1956-2018), puts together recollections from nearly 100 people—including friends, family, co-workers, ex-wives, editors, chefs—to create a candid portrait of a complicated man. Growing up, Bourdain was smart and funny but difficult. “Firmly ensconced in the bad boy persona” (per a college friend), he consumed a cornucopia of drugs, including LSD, cocaine, and heroin. After two unsuccessful years at Vassar, he went to the Culinary Institute of America and worked in many restaurant kitchens before becoming executive chef at Les Halles in Manhattan. He aspired, though, to become a successful novelist; after studying in a creative writing program, he published two novels but felt frustrated that they didn’t catapult him to fame. He achieved instant notoriety, however, with Kitchen Confidential, his uncensored view of the underside of the restaurant scene, conveyed in a style that reflected what his editor called his characteristic “provocation and macho bravado.” Friends portray Bourdain as loyal, generous, charismatic, but always “slightly detached.” As his editor noted, “he had a way of talking to you where you still felt like you were part of an audience, but you were waiting for the other people to show up.” Others, too, noticed that Bourdain always seemed to be performing, “always playing with how he looked to other people; he was very conscious of it,” according to one of his NYC kitchen colleagues. Once he took to the road as a cultural journalist, hosting shows on the Food Network, Travel Channel, and CNN, he became a recognizable celebrity. Fame, though, exacerbated tensions that ended two marriages. “So much of his life was going to beautiful places and being all alone,” a producer observed. In the end, he was undermined by persistent demons and, as Woolever notes, self-destructive “bad choices.”
A chorus of candid voices creates an engaging biography.
