Bourdain

The Definitive Oral Biography

By: Laurie Woolever

Narrated by: Laurie Woolever, Christopher Bourdain, José Andrés, Nigella Lawson, W. Kamau Bell, Full Cast

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.

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.

Deep

A great view into Anthony Bourdain. I learned so much more about him than i ever got from his shows.

😭😭😭 It ended!

Such an amazing book, told by so many varied people, who had the same opinions on Anthony Bourdain- but didn’t know each other.
I loved this book.

Amazing

An amazing biography of a truly amazing individual. I really miss seeing him on tv.

Goodbye Tony

You changed my life. When I was 22 and living in New York on 120th street I came to a crossroads. Drugs and alcohol were making me fail, hardly able to keep my head above water. My rent was months past due, I had no relationships of meaning and I was struggling to keep food in the kitchen. I sat down on the couch one day and turned on the tv. I watched my first episode of No Reservations. I watched 6 or 8 in a row, and I was in awe of the person making me feel like I had a friend. Through your books, your shows and your words, I turned my life around. I started going to AA meetings, I got a really good new job and all the while No Reservations was my soundtrack. You taught me to see food differently, you inspired me yo travel. Now, at 35, I have a 9 year old daughter, an incredible woman in my life, a home and a lust for travel, cooking and eating. Thank you so much for making me feel like I had a friend in those really terrible times. I just finished the book, had a good and long overdue cry thinking about you and I’ll never stop enjoying your words. I can’t wait until my little girl is old enough to read Kitchen Confidential, I’m going to gift it to her on her 16th birthday. Thank You Tony for living a life, worth living.