Anthony Bourdain Unloaded by Juliana Sharaf on March 11, 2025
Genres: Non Fiction
Pages: 144
Format: Hardcover
Source: Publisher
Goodreads
Amazon, Barnes & Noble
To quote the man himself, Anthony Bourdain once bragged he could “unload my opinion on anybody at any time." And that he did. His entire life seemed like a compendium of insightful (sometimes inflammatory) quotes, witty observations and touching moments he shared openly with the world. As prodigious as his quips and quotes have become, they all have two things in 1. They grab your attention. 2. The man was never at a loss for words or an opinion. Bourdain’s unusual perspective was born out of decades of listening, tasting, writing and adventuring, allowing him to opine on everything from food to politics - with the same high level of enthusiasm.
Regardless of the success he achieved, Bourdain’s stance was always that of a perpetual outsider who made it a point to embrace underrepresented voices, cultures, ideas and, yes, food. He found fame as a cook, a tv host and writer all while he circled the globe in search of more - encouraging his fans to take chances, step out of their comfort zones, and not just accept differences, but celebrate them.
This handsome book collects the edgiest, wittiest, most revealing of Bourdain’s quotes in one highly desirable package. He once said “Essentially, I treated the world as my ashtray.” Just eight words. But he somehow painted a picture more detailed than others could in a novel. This collection, filled with hundreds of similarly compelling quotes, is a celebration of the man’s wit, intelligence and soul.
Keeping it real with the chef who exposed the high end restaurant industry to the light of day and introduced us to the world’s ‘salt of the earth cooking’. Having watched Anthony Bourdain’s cable shows now and then, loving his style and enjoying how he made even the most exotic foods seem like an experience not to be missed, I was eager to pick up Juliana Sharaf’s latest book that fans, foodies, and those who want a fascinating biography will be interested to pick up.
Anthony Bourdain Unloaded is a little bit of everything. Bourdain quotes, Bourdain thoughts on life and food in that order, and Bourdain’s life and career told slice of life-style. The small, slim giftable volume is formatted to be a new adventure with the flip of the page. Readers will find colorful, glossy pictures paired with long quotes or anecdotes to match. Short quotes with the author’s biography segments give a fuller picture of the man behind those best-selling books and award-winning shows.
I enjoyed meeting something of the person of Anthony Bourdain while appreciating career and colorful way of pulling together words. I think this will have broader appeal than just fans or foodies to those who want to read about life’s adventurers and exotic places.
- The links are all for hardcover since that is the only format available right now.
As a lifelong reader, it was inevitable that Sophia would discover book blogs and the joy of blog reviewing.Sophia is a prolific reader and audiobook listener which allows her to experience so many wonderful books, authors, and narrators.Few genres are outside her reading tastes, but her true love is fiction particularly history, mystery, sci-fi, and romance.Though, sorry, no horror or she will run like Shaggy and Scooby.
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Sophia, this book sounds great! I’ve always been fascinated by Bourdain but have never been an avid fan because, well, I rarely turn on the tv. But his witticisms were appealing. I was saddened when he died. I’ll check out this book and maybe I can catch some of his shows so I can get to know him better.
I can’t claim to be a huge fan of the TV show, but I enjoyed it when I had them on. He made it so fascinating to explore foods from all over.
I’m a huge fan of his. While his show was marketed as a food/travel show. I think it was more about the people and the culture and how food opens to the world to those different than us. He was such an amazing man and left us way too soon. Wonderful review, Sophia.
Yes, your point about how he made the people behind the foods and cooking shown with such love and respect was definitely brought out in her book about him. Thanks, Melanie!
I never watched his show, but I’m sure I’d enjoy it because I love cooking and travel. It was sad to hear he died.
Oh yes, it was a great armchair travel experience that I know you’d love, Rachel. I think they are on now and then still. So sad about his death.
My late husband used to watch his show all the time. It was sad when he died.
I only saw a half dozen of the shows, but I was captivated. It really was so sad.
I will have to pick this one up. I have read a few of Bourdain’s books and enjoyed them but haven’t read anything about him since his death.
It was a nice tribute to him and his adventurous life, but also was reflective.
I have no clue who he is. But this sounds like a great read for fans.
Oh yeah, this was definitely aimed at his fans. 🙂
I don’t really watch the types of shows like he did, but he does sound like a really interesting person. Thanks for sharing your thoughts on this one!
Yeah, I’m not generally a cooking show follower, but his travels and his way of drawing focus on the people and foods all over captivated me.
May have to read this.
For me, who rarely read biographies of current people, I was really interested because of his exploration of food and fighting personal demons. It’s not too long and intimidating either. 🙂