How could I have known that I would love this book this much? I was not a watcher or fan of Anthony Bourdain but I'm a sucker for a memoir remembering the past through a lens of grief. I loved that Vitale narrated this audiobook, as it gave special meaning to the narrative.

Thank you to NetGalley for a copy of this one!

I’ve waited a long time to read this. I am a huge fan of Anthony Bourdain. Television or books I’ve loved them all.
This is a heartfelt memoir written by his longtime producer and director Tom Vitale. It tells the behind the scenes world of working with Anthony Bourdain. It’s humorous and sad and a fantastic travelogue. It reads slower than I was expecting but the more time to savor.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review. 4⭐️

I was incredibly jealous of Anthony Bourdain. Watching him No Reservations and Parts Unknown made it seem like he had the best job in the world. Travel the world with friends, experience once in a lifetime moments, eat incredibly food - he made it all look so easy and enjoyable. But it's easy for us watching to romanticize it; not realizing all the time spent away from home and family, the danger he encountered in Lebanon and other locations of political unrest; and the planes/cars/boats/,mopeds/trains/buses that took him from A to B.

The only other Bourdain related book I've read is Kitchen Confidential, which provides more of a glimpse into his culinary life. Bourdain can be brash and elitist, and he's earned that right, but it was great to get another look at Bourdain from an outside observer. We all feel like we knew Bourdain, but did we really know him?

Thankfully Vitale's book provides a look into Bourdain during the time when most of us fell in love with him. Some details are surprising and some aren't because Bourdain was an unpredictable person who loved ribbing his friends. I liked this more than World Travel because it's a behind the scenes and *not* a travel guide, which is what I've been looking for from a Bourdain collaborator. Highly recommend!

I’d always considered Anthony Bourdain a brilliant, larger than life, if somewhat mercurial, personality, and was shocked to hear of his suicide in June 2018.

Tom Vitale, Bourdain’s longtime director and producer, traveled with him on a near non-stop run of 80 trips – roughly five trips a year – to almost every corner of the globe, constantly meeting strangers, often through the context of their food and culture, in the process making over 100 episodes of television. Vitale is a masterful travel writer and his richly detailed observations of people and faraway locales with the emphasis on his behind-the-scenes work with Bourdain make “In the Weeds” an exhilarating page turner.

I believe “In the Weeds” will resonate with many readers as a travel and entertainment memoir, exploration of grief, and tribute to a beloved figure.

This memoir was honest and reflective, and full of interesting anecdotes about Bordain and the show, and Vitale didn’t try to beatify Bordain, whom, known to the crew, as someone not easy to work with. From the book, he seemed to me a leader who bullied his staff, often throwing profanities, at times belittling them when an edit wasn’t up to his standard. Vitale wrote he had to film every food to make sure he had the footages when Bordain asked for it. So if he didn’t know what Bordain was going to eat, Vitale would have to order every possibilities multiply by seven, because not having what he wanted was an invitation for trouble (Vitale called their operation a “fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants” operation), but sometimes, he can surprise them with kindness too, like thanking them and/or congratulating them for their good work, or complimenting them in his own snarky ways.

Bordain, as shared by Vitale, was a shy person in real life, even becoming agoraphobic later in life, so it shouldn’t be surprising if he was uncomfortable with how fame had made him center of attention. However, he was aware he wouldn’t be where he was if not for his fans. He was quoted, “If you’re going to enjoy the perks of being famous, you have to be obliging to the people who make it possible.” “He compared TV to a nightmarish carnival in which he was the side-show freak”, at one point admitting “I like making television; I just don’t want to be on television.” Even with all his success, Bordain, according to Vitale, often wrestled with self-doubt, and was even baffled when President Obama requested to appear in his show. Living his life a walking paradox bothered him a lot, and having to travel 250 days of the year, it’s no wonder he felt so lonely.

Reading this made me appreciate the show even more and I’m saddened that the world had lost such a brilliant mind and talent.

If you’re a fan of Bordain, his show, or curious about this enigmatic personality, read this book.

Full review will be up on my blog hookedonbookz.com

Thank you NetGalley and publisher for a free eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are mine.

I really enjoyed this book. I never watched his show nor did I read any of Anthony’s books but it was interesting to see behind the curtain and see what life was like on the road filming the show. Crazy times! I have a couple of friends who have read Anthony’s books and will tell them about this one

This is such a tough book to review. The background stories to No Reservations, were great and revealing. What would have helped is a chronological timeline, because it is hard to follow the author's emotional journey when events aren't in order. Also, I think I was disappointed that it wasn't more of a history of the show, instead it is more the author's personal experience in the mental issues that working on the show caused him.

I really wanted to love this book. Vitale is an excellent writer and is very thorough in his descriptions of regions and settings explored during his time with Bourdain, but not much reflection on that relationship, which unfortunately, I think needs quite a bit of reflection. I'm left with the belief that this could have been a 5-star book for me if it had been tackled after a couple of years of therapy. Perhaps it was cathartic for the writer, but I couldn't find much to enjoy in this book.

Anthony Bourdain's death deeply affected me, and to be honest, I've had trouble consuming any media about him or from him since he died. This was the first piece of media I've consumed about him since his death, and I'm really glad I chose this book as the way to reacquaint myself with him. This wasn't just a book about Anthony Bourdain - it was a book about grief and about seeing people complexly, and how important it is to remember that the people around us are just *people* - complicated, messy and imperfect - rather than whatever ideals we build up in our minds. This book was brutally honest, raw and beautiful. I absolutely loved it.

I haven’t been able to revisit an episode of Parts Unknown or No Reservations since Tony’s death. I was one of his many fans who was shocked by his suicide and mourned the loss of a figure so much larger than life, but who was relatable and human at the same time.

While reading this memoir, I finally watched a few episodes to jog my memory and to add the perspective of Vitale. And what a wonderful way to watch: to understand what was happening behind the scenes, to hear what was on the minds of the crew and Tony, and to see the light and happiness again. Vitale struggles to understand his relationship to Tony in this book, and understandably so, but as a reader, it’s clear that Tony truly cared for him. He may have had a tough way of showing it - a mean way, even - but the respect is there.

Vitale is a good writer, too. I enjoyed every single chapter and only wish there was more.

I'm a big Anthony Bourdain fan, and have spent the past couple months revisiting his show and written works. Like many of his fans, I have questions about his final days that we may never get answers to. Tom Vitale had the job that most of us could only dream about, and he knew Tony like few people did. He manages to give lively behind the scenes anecdotes of being on the road making the show, while also painting a picture of what Tony was like - both the good and the bad. This is not a hagiography, and Vitale is ultimately trying to come to terms with the loss, like all of us are. I found this book to be more illuminating than the recent Morgan Neville documentary.

I really enjoyed this! I recently listened to Kitchen Confidential, and this was the perfect follow-up read. It was honest and insightful, entertaining and endearing. I am also wholeheartedly obsessed with the cover.

Thank you to Hachette Books for giving me an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I am not ashamed to admit that I am an Anthony Bourdain fangirl and I jumped at the chance to read a book written by his longtime producer and director. This was such a special book to me written by someone who probably spent more time with Tony than anyone else. It took me so long to get through this book because I was frequently going back to revisit episodes that we are given a behind-the-scenes look throughout the book. And mostly because I wanted to savor one last adventure. Tony’s shadow looms large, as his crew processes his tragic, sudden death. He was someone that was their idol, constant companion, tormentor and livelihood. One of them described it like being a part of cult—one they both loved and hated. After leaving No Reservations behind, there was a push to go beyond what a normal tourist could ever experience. With CNN, they were putting themselves in dangerous situations, even requiring training for combat and hostage situations. When you feel like you have seen and done it all and you travel 200+ days a year.. what is there really left to explore? Tom Vitale, the author, paints an honest portrayal of his conflicted star talent. He also describes the painstaking process behind filming each episode. Whether you have read all of Bourdain’s books, watched his show or have only seen one episode in passing, this is a must-read.

Like most of the world, I have become fascinated and invested in this man's story and In the Weeds brought me new knowledge when I thought I'd read it all. Even if you've seen the recent documentaries, this is so worth your time.

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.

This beautiful book goes beyond memoir to chronicle Vitale's crazy, exhilarating, and stressful career as a producer, but most importantly, his relationship with Bourdain and the influence Bourdain had on his life. This is an excellent addition to the Bourdain canon and will be enjoyed by anyone who has ever watched an episode of one of his shows.

Out today!⁣
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I thought I'd do a different type of review for this one...⁣
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Why I loved Bourdain's shows:⁣
"...This episode had the potential to do what Tony had always aimed for and I was proudest of: challenge stereotypes while resisting the othering of people we met by treating them with dignity, respect, and approaching a complex situation with an open mind."⁣
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Why I loved Bourdain's love of people:⁣
"...Tony championed the marginalized and gave a voice to the voiceless, stuck up for the little guy."⁣
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Why I loved the sentiments found in this book:⁣
"A glass of Amaro at the end of a meal embodies the Italian point of view on life: You can't fully appreciate the sweet without a taste of the bitter."⁣
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If you've loved any of Anthony Bourdain's shows you are going to want to read this book. The author recounts so many beloved episodes and reading so much of what happened behind the scenes is mind blowing. ⁣
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This book is part:⁣
🔸Behind the scenes⁣
🔸The author's perceptions of a larger-than-life man⁣
🔸The author's reflections on life⁣
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I read this a few months ago and while reading I made a list of all the episodes mentioned in the book. I've just recently finished rewatching them and it was such a fun way to rewatch them! Most are from Parts Unknown but a few were from No Reservations. ⁣

Thank you @netgalley for this eARC in exchange for my honest review.

TW- suicide, references to food, workplace abuse

This 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? (Review continued below)

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! @hachettebooks #anthonybourdain #travelbooks #booksaboutfood

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.

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.