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Bourdain  By  cover art

Bourdain

By: Laurie Woolever
Narrated by: Laurie Woolever, Christopher Bourdain, José Andrés, Nigella Lawson, W. Kamau Bell, full cast
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Publisher's summary

An unprecedented behind-the-scenes view into the life of Anthony Bourdain from the people who knew him best.

When Anthony Bourdain died in June 2018, fans around the globe came together to celebrate the life of an inimitable man who had dedicated his life to traveling nearly everywhere (and eating nearly everything), shedding light on the lives and stories of others. His impact was outsized and his legacy has only grown since his death.

Now, for the first time, we have been granted a look into Bourdain’s life through the stories and recollections of his closest friends and colleagues. Laurie Woolever, Bourdain’s longtime assistant and confidante, interviewed nearly a hundred of the people who shared Tony’s orbit - from members of his kitchen crews to his writing, publishing, and television partners, to his daughter and his closest friends - in order to piece together a remarkably full, vivid, and nuanced vision of Tony’s life and work.

From his childhood and teenage days, to his early years in New York, through the genesis of his game-changing memoir Kitchen Confidential to his emergence as a writing and television personality, and in the words of friends and colleagues including Eric Ripert, José Andrés, Nigella Lawson, and W. Kamau Bell, as well as family members including his brother and his late mother, we see the many sides of Tony - his motivations, his ambivalence, his vulnerability, his blind spots, and his brilliance.

Unparalleled in scope and deeply intimate in its execution, with a treasure trove of photos from Tony's life, Bourdain: The Definitive Oral Biography is a testament to the life of a remarkable man in the words of the people who shared his world.

Featuring the voices of Adam Epstein • Alex Getmanov • Alex Lowry • Alison Mosshart • Amy Entelis • Ben Selkow • Beth Aretsky • Bonnie McFarlane • Chris Collins • Christiane Amanpour • Christopher Bourdain • Daniel Halpern • Dave McMillan • David Choe • David Rosenthal • Diane Schutz • Eileen Opatut • Fred Morin • Helen Cho • Helen Lang • Hilary Snyder • James Graham • Jared Andrukanis • Jason Rezaian • Jeff Allen • Jeff Formosa • Jeff Zucker • Joe Coleman • Joel Rose • John Lurie • José Andrés • Josh Ferrell • Karen Rinaldi • Kimberly Witherspoon • Laurie Barnett • Laurie Woolever • Lenny Mosse • Lizzie Fox • Lolis Elie • Lydia Tenaglia • Maria Bustillos • Matt Goulding • Matt Walsh • Michael Ruhlman • Michael Steed • Mike Ruffino • Morgan Fallon • Mustafa Bhagat • Nari Kye • Natasha Phan • Nathan Thornburgh • Nick Brigden • Nigella Lawson • Panio Gianopoulos • Pat Younge • Patrick Radden Keefe • Patti Jackson • Peter Meehan • Philip Lajaunie • Rennik Soholt • Rob Stone • Robert Vuolo • Robin Standefer • Roy Choi • Sally Freeman • Sam Goldman • Sam Sifton • Sandy Zweig • Shant Petrossian • Steven Tempel • Todd Liebler • Tom Vitale • W. Kamau Bell • Web Stone • Whitney Ward • Yeganeh Rezaian • Aspen Miller • Barbara Rosenblatt • Billie Fulford-Brown • Cheryl Smith • Dan Bittner • Ewan Chung • Gabra Zackman • George Newbern • Hillary Huber • James Lurie • Jason Culp • Jean Brassard • Joe Knezevich • Oliver Wyman • Rob Shapiro • Roger Wayne

Supplemental enhancement PDF accompanies the audiobook.

©2021 Laurie Woolever (P)2021 HarperCollins Publishers

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

After listening to the bio of AB…

The audio book is so-so. Mediocre. Something its subject never was. Stranger still, after listening to this bio of AB, I feel like I know even less about him, his feelings and his suicide. Many key players either not interviewed or not in-depth. Overall it’s a disappointing experience, answering few questions and skimming the surface of a deep.talented and troubled individual who will continue to be misunderstood.

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33 people found this helpful

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    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Not An Easy Listen, But Very Honest

I am among those who felt devastated when Anthony Bourdain died, and so I picked this up- I still miss the Bourdain world, the reality where he is teaching us new insights, and listening to his family’s and colleagues’ stories resurrects him, even if just in their stories.

Anyone who decides to give this a go should understand that it is a mixed bag. Not everyone who participated in the written biography is reading it in their voice, so if you wanted to hear Eric Ripert speak in his own voice, you won’t. And, some interviews seem too brief and kind of shallow. But, these are minor considerations.

If there’s anything that listening to this brings, it’s the experience of seeing someone you you love do infuriating things and create their unhappiness, and if you are open to hearing about the very real flaws Bourdain had behind his effortless persona, I suggest this. It isn’t easy to learn how he had a hand in making his own chaos (as well as the chapters approach the end of his life), but it is a poignant experience nonetheless, and as honest a portrait can get.

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15 people found this helpful

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Heartbreaking and honest.

This was a tough listen, but necessary for me in my own processing of Tony's suicide. I only met the man once, but he was kind to me and made time for me that he didn't need to do. Even that one tiny encounter gave me so much more esteem for him than I'd previously had. I miss his voice. Hearing about him through his friends and colleagues was difficult and perfect. Thank you to everyone who participated, to Laurie for taking on the task, and to whomever his assistant was that day in late 2005 who told a pink-haired girl at the bar in Les Halles, "He'll be going out for a smoke in a few minutes. You should go join him." I am grateful to you all.

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12 people found this helpful

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Beautiful, reflective and heartbreaking

I’ve never written a review before but this book left me so deeply reflective. I purchased this to know more about an author and personality I loved. I related to so much of his struggle as an addict myself. The story painfully resonated. It hits hard and in a sense is a reminder to slow down and ask for help. While it may have no been then authors intent I hope that those struggling with addiction or mental illness find inspiration in this book to ask for help. To know they are not alone. They are loved. Break free from the dark side and find the light that is within. You are enough. You are loved. You are worthy of love. You don’t have to “do” to be loved. Thank you to the author and those who shared their story.

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8 people found this helpful

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    3 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

A strange format for a good story

If you’re someone who considers themself a fan with deep feelings and decent understanding of the backstory, some parts of this will be jarring. While awesome to hear some of the early stories and to hear the words of part of the cast who knew him best, the actual formatting of the production causes problems. I understand and grant that some people simply might not have had the time to go and record their lines. I respect that many want to keep some of their privacy intact by not speaking the words themselves. But it was weird to have surrogates for several well-known voices like David Chang, Bill Buford and Eric Ripert. I know that many of the people from Bourdain’s early life could be dead, feel betrayed or embittered or were simply not findable to share stories from the crucial and formative experiences of his junkie years. Those stories and how they shaped Tony and his worldview would have helped us further understand how things went so wrong in such a seemingly rapid way. More words from those who knew him in his “wilderness years” as he referred to them wouldn’t have gone amiss. Overall it was a good listen with lovely insights and anecdotes, but the format did leave something to be desired.

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5 people found this helpful

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Breath taking

So human, and raw and so very sad
RIP Anthony Bourdain, you are a legend.

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5 people found this helpful

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    4 out of 5 stars

Banal —> Painful

I feel like I heard most of the first half from AB in Kitchen Confidential, and saw most of the rest in No Reservations and Parts Unknown. The part that hurts, is painful, and is not especially well known . . . was not well written, researched, vetted, or edited. I don’t think Tony would’ve let this out of the room.

My first review here so take it as you wish.

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2 people found this helpful

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Will re-listen - several times

An open book on A. Bourdain. Very deep insight into the man we thought we knew...and knew we loved. RIP Tony

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2 people found this helpful

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Fantastic

A great weekend listen. Just listen. Absorb. Listen some more. If you appreciated Bourdain. You will embrace this… 🙏🏼

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2 people found this helpful

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Boring!

I thought it would be great - but I found it to be boring and couldn't keep focused on it. Maybe it's my fault though - I listened to it right after I listened to Kitchen Confidential which was amazing!

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2 people found this helpful