Book review: Frank Bruni's tell-all tale, from bulimic to world-famous food critic

I loved this book so much that I wanted to share it with you guys! This is one of my favourite reads in a long time... Funny, captivating, honest, very moving and extremely well written - I just couldn't put it down.

As a passionate foodie, I knew of the 'Frank Bruni legend' well before reading the book (through his widely read New York Times column and Bill's Buford fantastic book, Heat) and really enjoyed joining him behind the scenes at some of New York's legendary eateries. 

Reading about the day-to-day requirements of being one of the world's most powerful critics was really entertaining too. It's not easy staying anonymous in that job, in a city like New York - and Bruni goes to great lengths to keep his secret well hidden, from the use of multiple aliases and credit cards to Tootsie-like makeovers, with full-on wigs and disguises. 

But what moved me the most in this book was the honesty with which Bruni talks about his troubled relationship with food, how it affected his professional and love life, and how he eventually managed to overcome his issues.

It's really rare to see someone - let alone a man - open up so candidly about bulimia and 'everything it takes to be a successful bulimic in this world'. The struggle. The shame. The low self-esteem. The constant internal bargaining. The ups and downs. The lying to loved ones...

This alone is reason to buy a copy of the book.

Should you need an additional incentive, however, I'll just say two things: 1) the book celebrates the emotional dimension of Italian-American food like no other; and 2) it shows you a facet of the Bush - Gore presidential campaign you've never seen before, a world where seven daily meals are nothing unusual and where food and political spin go hand in hand.

So tell me, dear reader, any good book you'd recommend to start the year on a good note?

Comments

[Jean]

great post that would definitely motivate me to read this book...and I am not a good reader, you know me! Well done.

[Lisa]

Thanks Myriam just downloaded the first chapter on my kindle for a bit of a read.

Cheers,

Lisa

[AskTonyFood]

Thanks Myriam I am going to check this out. I think I am going to relate to Frank very well. Have you seen the movie "Ratatouille" ? I am going to watch that again soon too - wonderfully captures the Parisian kitchen an d food critic!

Best,
Tony

[Myriam]

Thanks Tony - Oh, you're going to LOVE this book, I promise. And so well written too... PS: I loved Ratatouille, I'm a sucker for animated movies anyway. You're right, I should really watch it again some time soon!

[Myriam]

You're welcome Lisa, looking forward to your thoughts on the book!

[Myriam]

Jean, you'd really love this book. Bruni has a fantastic appreciation of good food... You can get it at the Manly library too, so no excuse ;-)

[Lorraine @ Not Quite Nigella]

I'm really curious about this book now. Thanks for the heads up Myriam! x

[gynecologist maricopa]

At this frequency of sexual contact and there is failure of pregnancy, an infertility test maybe in order to both parties.