Relish: My Life in the Kitchen

I think this may be the first graphic novel I've written about here. I'm not a graphic novel fanatic. I like what I like. And I find with graphic novels - that sometimes I like the art and hate the story or vice versa. And then after reading some titles, there is my occasional thought of why did they choose to make this book a graphic novel? It is a lot of work!!  Words and pictures! But sometimes those elements can be a powerful combination.

With my previous experiences in mind, I look at graphic novel memoirs with an skeptical eye. But then I discovered Lucy Knisley's latest book Relish: My Life in the Kitchen. I was immediately charmed by the art - quirky, colorful, not too stylized - so I was hopeful while flipping through the pages. And then I read her story.  She tells the tale of growing up with a foodie family in New York. Mom worked at Dean and Deluca, then went on to catering and farmer's markets. Dad was a gourmand. Food was seen as a powerful element in their family, sometimes bringing them together when other forces (time, distance, divorce) separated them.

Her chapters show various stages of her life and the food dishes that have left a place in her timeline, and she has chosen to share with us, the reader, her experiences. And some of them are awkward and funny - aren't all teenage years?

And then there are the recipes. I really thought the recipe graphics after each chapter were great - even when I knew that there was no chance I would ever make the dish. (I think that Knisley would make a great cookbook illustrator!) To me, she brought across the idea that cooking was fun.

So I love this book. But I love the art - it appeals to me, and her story is familiar to anyone who has read a few foodie memoirs. Or those who remember an awkward adolescence and trying to find your place in the world.. And then there is the Chicago angle, that was a surprise. But most important thing (to me) when reading a contemporary memoir is - are you still interested in finding out what is happening currently with that writer? Are you going to look them up? I was still interested, and I did here.

It is a fun frothy read. And I'm looking forward to her other works.

The Astronaut Wives Club: The Story of the Ladies Behind the Spacemen.

I'm not sure what it is about July, but I always think July = the Moon Landing. It was on July 20, 1969 to be precise.  Such an adventurous time! Was Neil Armstrong going to disappear in Moon dust? Would they be able to come back to earth? These were questions that were debated before and during the mission.

But what if that spaceman was your husband or Dad and you were waiting for them to come home? Lily Koppel's book The Astronaut Wives Club tells the other side of the story - from the wives' perspective. They too, had a part to play in the space race. They got to be involved in a lot of the PR, whether they wanted to or not. They had to present the perfect home and family life to LIFE magazine writers and photographers even if that was fiction.

Based on extensive interviews with the wives and a vast amount of research, Koppel presents an entertaining and thought provoking picture of these women who went from being military wives on desolate air bases to having tea with Jackie Kennedy in the White House. And all of this was taking place during the turbulent 1960's and 70's.  

Because the wives were living under NASA's shadow and living in 'Togetherville,'  life felt very different when their husbands got out of the space program. Finding out what happened to the couples and their families afterwards is another fascinating part of the story.

Definitively an inspiring story of the women who helped make history and the space race happen - even if it was mostly behind the scenes. I have read many books on the space program, and this one will be added to that shelf. I highly recommend it. 

An advanced reading copy of this title was received (well, grabbed really cause I was looking forward to this title) at the American Libraries Association (ALA) conference from the publisher.

Bossypants

Tina Fey's Bossypants is really a series of sketches. Sketches about how she grew up - bit and pieces. Chapters about her parents - bit and pieces. And how Second City, SNL and 30 Rock work - bit and pieces. She gives us a good tale, punches it up with some laughs and moves on the the next topic - which makes this book a very fast read. And an enjoyable one. It really is. She really has a nack for showing her reader that she is just like us - and just lucky.

I think my favorite part of the book - besides the essay on child rearing (The Mother’s Prayer for Its Daughter) which can be found wandering online - is where she tells us how hard it was to break the comedy barriers that were still around by the time she got to Second City. She was part of one of the first casts to have an equal number of men and women on it. Before her cast apparently, they had only needed two women to be funny. As someone who knows several funny women, and has worked and performed with some more, I find that insulting to our gender.

I thought she was very polite about gender politics at SNL. It is obvious she still works with them and is on the NBC Network. But you can tell she is thrilled that sketches with just female members of the cast get on the air. And her chapters about "becoming Sarah Palin" are interesting. She comments how she was never good at doing impressions - mostly because she never 'looked' like anyone famous, and then this happens. She just got lucky.

Lucky my eye! The woman has talent! A very fun read, but I wished it was longer!

Shark's Fin and Sichuan Pepper: A Sweet-Sour Memoir of Eating in China

I discovered this book from an excerpt in The Best Food Writing 2008. I was impressed by the writing and thought the concept of going to a university in China was pretty bold for an English girl. But that what was thought I learned from the excerpt. But when I actually got the whole book, it was an even better story!

Fuchsia Dunlop went to China to study Chinese policy on ethnic minorities, on a British Council grant in 1994. She was working at the BBC. She ended up at Sichuan University in the foreign students wing. She wasn't quite sure what she was doing there. Her Chinese was too poor to do scholarly work, and the topic she had chosen was a "subject fraught with political sensitivities." She ended up writing down her impressions of the food. She had thought about being a professional cook, but that is not where her path lead her. But here, she finds herself curious about Chengdu and the region's food, it's cooks and their kitchens and she tours around asking questions, making friends and writing down recipes. And because China was just beginning to open itself up the world, Fuchsia and her fellow students are a curiosity to the locals too.

Shark's Fin and Sichuan Pepper: A Sweet-Sour Memoir of Eating in China is more than just a book about food. It is a story of finding one's place in the world - even if that happens to be China, and creating a life. It is a traveler's journey and Dunlop writes with insight and humor about a time and place that has changed irrevocably since she has been there. And then there is the food. She writes with such knowledge and discription you will be craving Chinese food there after. Makes you wish you went with her. And after reading the book, I guess I did. A very good read.

Foodies, This Title is for You!

I'll start by saying right off that I have never had the pleasure of eating at Alinea, and I do not think I have the money to do so either. With that said, let me tell you about chef Grant Achatz's memoir Life, on the Line: A Chef's Story of Chasing Greatness, Facing Death, and Redefining the Way We Eat by Grant and his business partner Nick Kokonas.

Grant grew up in Michigan in a family that had been in the resturant business a long time. He attended culinary school right out of high school and was working for the chef, Thomas Keller, at the French Laundry by the time he was 22 years old.  Let's talk about drive, here people. I think you can say he has it. His drive led him to work at Trio in Chicago area. One of his best customers was Kokonas. But he really wanted to try something further and the ideas for Alinea were born. 

That is where Kokonas comes in. He partners up with Achatz in his restaurant venture. And he tells his version of the "we are going to build a restaurant" story. And they do. And Achatz and Alinea win acclaim and awards. But he is also diagnosed with tongue cancer. How can a chef taste with out his tongue? 

So it is the story of a vision, food techniques, a partnership, a theatrical presentation (I'm sorry, opening night of a restaurant reminds me of a theater production), a sickness and the drive to get the most out of life while you're still here.  And as a book - it works. Fact is stranger than fiction sometimes. And it seems to have a happy ending - they opened up their latest restaurant venture - Next - and Grant is in remission (I'm sorry, I can't say cancer free- it is bad luck to me.)

Are they perfect people?  No, but they have a unique story to tell and it is done well. So for foodies (and other readers) who like books about challenges and struggles and of course - food, this might be the one for you. A very good read.

Here We Go Again: My Life in Television - Betty White Is So Cool!

I have always thought that Betty White was cool. She reminds me of a favorite aunt of mine with her humor and laughter. So maybe that is why I responded so well when I started listening to her audiobook of  Here We Go Again: My Life in Television. And the fact that she reads it doesn't hurt either!

Betty White has been in television since 1949! I had no idea she was such a pioneer. I must admit my TV memories of her are of her playing Sue Ann Nivens on the Mary Tyler Moore show in the 70's. But in this memoir you find out about her early days of broadcasting on a daily show for over 6 hours a day, as well as countless variations of the Betty White Show, her regular spots on the Tonight Show with Jack Paar, and her many guest spots on game shows, and talk shows. And then there is MTM and the Golden Girls.

I think anyone who is interested in the history of the television industry would be interested to check out her story. The story is told with good humor (hello! It's Betty White!) But not everything is rosy - she tells the story behind the scenes as well.

My only problem with this audiobook is that it is abridged! (And it does not say it on the container.) I wanted more! Have a listen and laugh. A fun read.

Keith Richards - The Man, the Myth, the Musician, and the Junkie

In the age old question which rock group is better : the Beatles or the Rolling Stones - if you answer the Stones - this is the book for you.

Life by Keith Richards with James Fox, gives the Rolling Stone fan a glimpse into the creative and sometimes chemically enhanced mind of a founding member of the band. Richards is very straightforward on some issues (the music, his ex- girlfriend and Brian Jones), and cagey on others (Altamont.) It is amazing he remembers as much as he does and it is fun when he has others in his circle being interviewed about the topics at hand.

I must admit it is pretty wild reading about the crazy life on tour with the Stones in the 1970's. And it brings up (for me at least) the question of how much time was wasted on the drugs and how much original music was lost in the process. Keith is such a raconteur that he is even funny during the dark times of his excess. You keeping hoping he's gonna get out of the daze and back into his music. He goes into great detail on this and I will admit most of it was over my head since I'm not a guitarist. I would be curious to hear a musician's perspective on this part of the book. But I can hear the results - and have had his song "Happy" in my head for weeks.

At 564 pages, this is a long read, but Keith's humor and unique perspective make it worth while. Definitely a must read for anyone who is interested in the 60's and 70's music scene in England, and in one of the biggest rock bands of the last century. Just a warning - you might as well get your Stones music out when reading, because you will be hearing the songs in your head!
 
To continue with a Rolling Stones frenzy take a look at the Rolling Stone magazine issue 1105 from May 27th, 2010. There is an excellent article called  "Making of 'Exile on Main Street'"  by David Gates. Put out to coinside with the rerelease of the album (38 years old!) it has a lot of information in it on the creation process behind the album and it is very different from Keith's perspective which is fairly detailed in his book.
 
Get out your albums and CDs and let it bleed. A very good read.

Gunn's Golden Rules: Life's Little Lessons for Making It Work

Tim Gunn, Tim Gunn, Tim Gunn. Just saying his name makes me squee! I love the man! He is one of my favorite parts of Project Runway (PR) and he is just a classy guy.  I knew I would like this book right away, after all I did like his last one - see former review .

Gunn's Golden Rules: Life's Little Lessons for Making It Work by Tim Gunn with Ada Calhoun is a fun book if you are a fan of Tim and PR. It is a wacky mixture of PR gossip, behind the scenes info, and a mini memoir of Tim's life and career. And he tries to teach/remind us that good manners will get you far. And if that doesn't work - karma - might do you in...

But really it does not sound like he had a great home life growing up. It appears that he is enjoying his fame for what it is worth, but does not take it too seriously.  I think that is the secret to his success as a mentor on PR. He knows what it is like to be the nerdy kid in the room, and he relates to the designer's struggles.

Just when you are thinking the book gets a little too serious, he will come out with some snarky comment or PR gossip to keep the reader interested. A fun book. Definately a frothy one. And if your a fan of the man - a must read. We love you Tim Gunn!

Confections of a Closet Master Baker: A Memoir

Confections of a Closet Master Baker: A Memoir by Gesine Bullock-Prado is not your typical foodie book. Going from Hollywood to a bakery in Vermont might not be the regular career path that everyone takes, but Gesine isn't everyone. She's Sandra Bullock's younger sister and was involved with her production company. But her passion is baking. And that is what kept rearing it's head in La La Land.

Rather then the stories of Hollywood, what I really loved about the book was her stories of growing up in Germany - her mother was an opera singer there, and staying with her relatives. And her German pastries! (Yum! I'm not a big baker - but even I'm encouraged to try some of the easier recipes in here.) When Gesine makes her transition to full time baker, she finds she feels closer to her deceased mother through her memories of baking with her.

I really like the reminiscing in this book and thinks Gesine tells her tale well. Now if I can just get her to send me a batch of macaroons... A good read.

Bright Lights, Big Ass & More

What can you say about Jen Lancaster's books? They are funny. They are relatable. And sometimes she says those not so nice things that you were just dying to say!

Bright Lights, Big Ass: A Self-Indulgent, Surly Ex-Sorority Girl's Guide to Why It Often Sucks in the City, or Who Are These Idiots and Why Do They All Live Next Door to Me? is her sequel to Bitter in Black and it continues the tale of money and job woes and their slow recovery. It also tells the story of Jen's book deal which happens whiles she's in temping hell. And then there are those wacky neighbors? They never have those on the glam TV shows!

Such a Pretty Fat: One Narcissist's Quest to Discover If Her Life Makes Her Ass Look Big or Why Pie is Not the Answer is a story about losing weight. But it also the story of someone trying to accept their body, make it healthier, and figure out how she got that way and make some changes in her life. She makes the working out horror story seem funny, and brings a great "everyday" woman appeal to the typical "trying to change myself" memoir. If it is on thing you learn - Jen is not typical. Very funny and inspiring.

Lancaster's next book is supposed to be a memoir about growing up. I can't wait to see her perspective on it. And to laugh about it. Her books are very good reads.

Bitter is the New Black

Jen Lancaster is not a nice person sometimes. Come on and sit next to me, sister! In her memoir Bitter is the New Black: Confessions of a Condescending, Egomaniacal, Self-centered Smart Ass, or Why You Should Never Carry a Prada Bag to the Unemployment Office - yeah what a subtitle - she tells it like it is. She goes from being a "on her way up the corporate ladder" yuppie/shopaholic to being an unemployed mess, and trying to recover from the downfall. In the meantime, she marries her long term boyfriend (for the gifts - their broke, but the fact that the hotel where they have it is having a porn convention is a stitch), gets a pair of dogs that like to chew her expensive footwear, and starts a website to get rid of the frustrations. And that website catches on. And thus a writing career is born.

This book is a combination of many things. It's a a study of employment dos and don'ts, job searching dos and don'ts (if they tell you they want you to work on a pretend business plan and come back for another interview - they really are just scamming you out of a consulting fee - cause they are going to steal it if it is good.), and learning how to live within your means. Along the way you have the wacky family stories (her mother being hungover the day of the wedding - insisting she only had one glass of wine - that kept getting refilled), the touching moments between Jen and Fletch (he's a keeper!), and an example of what not to do while your drinking too much (phone calls are bad). It is also a book about the myth of the American dream that mass marketers want everyone to spend their money and time achieving. She learns that one the hard way. But everything is done with humor and being a smart ass doesn't help sometimes - but it sure is funny.

Take the Office, mix it with Bridget Jones, with the acidity of Seinfeld, and add Chicago and there you will have this book. Cause you know it is all about Jen. Very funny. I can not wait to read the next one.

Thin is the New Happy

Thin is the New Happy: A Memoir by Valerie Frankel is a thought provoking book. Frankel who is a prolific writer of magazine articles, Chick Lit fiction, Young Adult fiction and a few non-fiction titles, has her work cut out for her when she decides to explore her obsession with body image. She is brought to this self discovery when she realizes that her daughter is the age she was when she started dieting. At 11, Frankel started down the road of weight loss and lack of self esteem about her body weight. Having a mother who focused on it, didn't help either. Frankel takes the brave step of exploring her past and changing her future.

Frankel is a funny quirky writer on her best days, and she brings those skills to play here as well. Certain passages of the book will hit too close to home for many women, and others will bring you tears with her self effacing humor. She compares her story to other women, and finds that she is not alone in the body image struggle. But she is determined to conquer her demons and not pass them down to her daughters.

Part of this book is memoir, part of it is self help too. She reveals her past bluntly and with humor. (Sometimes however, with contemporary memoirs, I find myself saying "Too Much Information!" here.) But she does triumph. No, it is not instantaneous. It is a struggle; within her family, her professional life, and with herself. A good and inspirational read.

Bento Box in the Heartland

As much as we like to think that society has changed how it views race, it really depends mostly on the individual - on your environment, your upbringing and sometimes where you live. In the book, Bento Box in the Heartland: My Japanese Girlhood in Whitebread America, A Food Memoir by Linda Furiya, she points out the situation when telling her story of growing up Japanese American in small town Indiana in the late1960s and 70's.

This book is as much a memoir of her childhood as it is of her family's. Her father was born in the U.S. but was sent back to Japan, in the late 20's, to stay with relatives after his mother's death. He was trapped in Japan when the war started and only made it back to the States in the 1950's. Her mother came to the U.S. in 1961 as an arranged marriage fiance. One of their commonalities was their love of food from their homeland. And it becomes a focus in her book as well - perhaps because she later became a food writer, or perhaps because she realized that their ethnic food brought them together as a family.

One of the most enjoyable parts of the book is when a Japanese family friend in Chicago tells them about the Japanese grocery stores and restaurants they have found in the area. The Furiya family makes a trek to the big city, with coolers for some authentic Japanese supplies. Her father is overwhelmed by the bounty. And her parents decide that if they drive all night home they can spend the money on fresh fish, that they had put aside for a hotel! It was the first of many treks to Chicago.

I was enthralled with her views of her family's life and their struggles. I grew up in an area in the Midwest that had an influx of Asian immigrants, and was curious to see the view from the other side. And her descriptions of the food they ate, made me look up ingredients and recipes. A wonderful book. And it will make you want to go out for some Japanese food.

One Drop

Anatole Broyard - a New York Times book critic- was dying of cancer. He told his children his secret. He was black. He had been "passing" for white for decades. How do you handle this kind of family secret? Does it destroy you? Do you put the information away in the recesses of you mind - never to bring it out again? Or do you explore your family's background and your father's decision? In the book, One Drop: My Father's Hidden Life - A Story of Race and Family Secrets, Bliss Broyard, Anatole's daughter, starts looking at her father's Creole origins in New Orleans.

This is a book about discovery. Bliss discovers more about her father and herself in the process of her search for answers. She delves deeply into the history of Creoles in New Orleans and how their story and lives changed throughout the centuries. And she reveals how New Orleans and its culture was a very unique place in America before the Civil War.

Although it may be a bit slow in places, the story of the Creoles of New Orleans is fascinating. And this book makes you think about the question of race and what would you do if faced with the same situation : to pass or not? A good read.

Color of Water

James McBride's book, The Color of Water: A Black Man's Tribute to his White Mother is at first most, a tribute to his mother's tenacity to educate her children. It is a recognition of his mother's struggles to keep her life and her struggles from impeding her children's futures.

His mother was raised an Orthodox Jew in the South. Her childhood was fairly horrendous and her father although a Rabbi, was an abuser. The very fact that she escaped this environment, moved to New York and created a new life for herself among the Black Baptist community is pretty remarkable. She married and between being widowed and then remarried, had twelve children. The title comes from when her son asks her what color is God. She replies that God is the color of water - always changing...

McBride is proud to be her son, and it is reflected in his book. This book is written well and proves that truth is sometimes stranger than fiction. It is a selective memoir. The reader really only gets to hear about what he and what his mother reveals. And I think the author's struggles to bring this much of his mother's past out of her, reflects on his determination to tell her story.

I have discussed this book in conversation with others who have read it and have gotten mixed responses. Some have not liked the "character" of the mother. They say she should of not of had so many children when she was poor, and she that she abandoned her own mother and sister. But I think that anyone who looks at the time period this woman was in, and the limited choices that were available to her, they will realize that above all, this woman was a survivor. And sometimes to survive one must do "horrible" things in order to move on. These choices may be reprehensible in hindsight, but how do we know we might not have done the same? The human instinct to survive is not always a "pretty" one. A fascinating look inside an interesting life.

Eat, Pray, Love - a traveling memoir of learning

Elizabeth Gilbert's Eat, Pray, Love: One Woman's Search for Everything Across Italy, India and Indonesia is a book about self discovery. After a divorce and a bitter follow-up relationship, Gilbert decides that she needs to travel and get away from her current life and decides to spend several months in Italy, India and Bali. The "Eat" chapter focuses on Italy and her learning to open herself to new friends. "Pray" takes place in India where she travels to an quiet Ashram where she studies with a local guru. (And to my surprise, my favorite section.) And "Love" takes place in Bali where she starts a relationship with someone new.

When I started this book - I did not necessarily like Gilbert. And you need to like her or empathize with her, to care about her journey. I read the first section and then stopped. I picked the book up again several months later and gave it another try. This time, I was much more receptive to her and her tale of self discovery. So give the book a chance if you have a hard time getting into it. It really is true that there is "the right book at the right time" for you to read. So if you are in an introspective mood, or coming out of a bad relationship - this may be the right book for you.

Here's something from my favorite section - which was "Pray". There is a lot of food for thought in these chapters...

When talking to a fellow yogi about the man she thought was her soul mate - he replies -

"He probably was. Your problem is you don't understand what that word means. People think a soul mate is your perfect fit, and that's what everyone wants. But a true soul mate is a mirror, the person who shows you everything that's holding you back, the person who brings you to your own attention so you can change your life. A true soul mate is probably the most important person you'll ever meet, because they tear down your walls and smack you awake. But to live with a soul mate forever? Too painful. Soul mates come into your life just to reveal another layer of yourself to you, and then they leave. In this case, you can't let go. His purpose was to shake you up, drive you out of that marriage that you needed to leave, tear apart your ego, show you your obstacles and addictions, break your heart open so new light could get in, make you so that you had to transform your life....That was his job."

So, something to think about and ponder. Try the book - maybe you will like it too. At the very least, the "Eat" section will make you crave good Italian food!

I Feel Bad About My Neck...

Gee thanks, Nora - now we can all be self conscious about our necks. Never realized it was an issue until reading her book.

I Feel Bad About My Neck and Other Thoughts on Being a Woman by Nora Ephron, provides one with a bit of humor for your day. The short essays are fun to read in a pinch or that last bit of reading before going to bed. Ephron has a great sense of humor and she reminds me of a snarkier Erma Bombeck. A fast, fun read.

Tender is the Bone

Tender is the Bone and Comfort Me with Apples are 2 memoirs written by Ruth Reichl. Reichl is currently the editor in chief at Gourmet magazine. She was a food writer and the former dining critic for the New York Times. She has been in the food industry for awhile.

Tender is the Bone, her first work, is the story of how she grew up with a mother who would sometimes serve food that was slightly off. Ruth's tales of how she would keep guests away from certain dishes is very funny. And slightly scary! The book really focuses on how she found her place in the world and where she "fit" in. Every experience is geared toward the foodie she becomes, from learning French in a Canadian school, learning dishes from her relatives, to making snack food for her fellow teenagers. She ends up in California at the start of the organic and locally grown food movement that started there in the 1970's. She ends the book at the start of her food writing career.

Comfort Me With Apples, her second book, takes up the story where she left off. She goes from food writing to becoming a reviewer. In the meantime, her personal life changes and evolves as well. It is interesting that what behavior a reader will accept from a adolescent memoir, they will not accept from a "grown-up" memoir. There were parts of this book where I just wanted her to grow up and move on in her life. But then again - it is easy to say when you are the reader and not the person living that life.

As she travels through what is going to become the chef/restuarant explosion of the West Coast (hanging out with Wolfgang Puck and others), it is interesting how she lets us see the sights along the way. A must read for a food lover, and someone interested in the California restaurant scene.

I will eventually read her third book, Garlic and Sapphires: the secret life of a critic in disguise, but until then I will recover from ingesting these two.

Running with Scissors or My Family Is More Dysfunctional Than Yours

Running with Scissors by Augusten Burroughs is a book about a seriously dysfunctional family. Someone told me that it was funny. It is in parts, but then somewhere in the midst of reading it, you realize this is not fiction. Even if the story is 50% true, (it is just one person's perspective) it makes everyone else's family look extremely normal and bland in comparison. Thank goodness!

Augusten's mother is mentally ill and depressed. She sends him to stay with her doctor and his family because she can not handle anything. The Finches are self-aware eccentrics who can quote Freud to each other, but can not handle getting rid of the live Christmas tree in the living room. The fact that Augusten can handle the chaos - and he is given no choice - gives the reader some admiration of his coping skills.

He is writing about his adolescent self, which is sometimes likeable - sometimes not, and all the angst that adolescence contains is merely magnified in his environment. It is hard enough on a teenager, without having a sick parent, an unhealthy family life, and a developing gay sexuality to deal with.

Blame it on the 70's, blame it on the drugs, blame it on a sick parent - whatever the case, Augusten manages to learn how to survive in this environment. He writes well, but the story reminds me of a bad gorey accident. You know that you should look away, but your eyes are being drawn to the chaos and mess.

Julia and Her Love Affair with France

I don't remember watching Julia Child regularly (that was in my pre-Food Network obsession days,) but when I did, it was just as much fun - to watch her in action as it was to see what was cooking. And when I had the pleasure of seeing her kitchen at the Smithsonian - yes, they have the whole thing!- it was interesting to realize what a true pioneer she was. If you want to recapture the essence of Julia then try the book, My Life in France by Julia Child and her grandnephew Alex Prud'homme. Her voice and enthusiasm come across loud and clear.

Julia had quite a few adventures before becoming a cooking goddess. She went with her husband Paul to Paris in 1948, when he got posted there for his government job. And there she discovered Paris and French food. She got started at Le Cordon Bleu, made friends with future collaborator Simone Beck, and discovered the job of sharing her cooking techniques. And if that were not enough, the Childs got posted to Germany and Norway and got involved with McCarthy politics, as the senator attempted to "clean up" the government. All that and she wrote a monumental cookbook too! What a life!

Discover the joy of Julia once again! Bon Appetit!

And if you want to try her famous French cookbook vicariously, try Julie and Julia: 365 Days, 524 Recipes, 1 Tiny Apartment Kitchen by Julie Powell. A thirty-something's culinary challenge, and obsession with Julia and the art of French cooking. Pretty funny writer and an equal part of this book is about life and how to live it, and yes - food.