If you watch Top Chef, read food magazines or websites, or buy cookbooks you've probably heard of the James Beard Award.  But just who is this James Beard guy?

In this new biography, writer John Birdsall has assembled a look into the life of James Beard from the time he was a child up through his death.   James Beard was born and raised in Oregon where he learned an appreciation of cooking from his mother.  He was precocious from a young age and loved eating raw oysters while on trips to the beach.   Born in the early 20th century, James came of age in a time when it was not easy to be a gay man.   He found his way into working in the cookbook industry and published several books himself that met with varied success.   He was publishing books that touted cooking with real/fresh ingredients in a time where America was infatuated with the arrival of convenience foods like frozen foods and boxed mixes.   James Beard became a premier name in American cookery though his books were never very successful.   

Birdsall discusses a lot of what it meant for Beard to be gay and how he had to hide this aspect of himself from the public eye.   In Beard's older years he saw more freedom for gay men through gay rights events like the Stonewall riots. 

I highly recommend this book to people interested in food, biographies or about the life of a gay man living in America in the early-mid 1900's.

Narrator is a good choice of audio but this one is a hard title to get in to. There is so much presented as fact that is impossible to prove, and the writing style is so detailed that much of the meat of Beard’s life is lost. Biography is a tricky thing and this one is too conjectured to get lost in.

I love this book!  I've been so fascinated by James Beard, and didn't know anything about his early life-- or his private life.  Such an important story, and I'm glad to see the intersection of LGBTQ issues and food writing.  Perhaps this will encourage similar intersections in other very public (but also forcibly private) fields.

I couldn't finish this book. The details were over the top, the names and dates and locations were hard to follow, and it wasn't entirely interesting despite my deep love of cooking and food history. Unfortunately I wouldn't recommend it to others.

There was much more to James Beard than genial chef and cookbook author. James Birdsall sets up this biography by outlining how Beard’s homosexuality, which he was compelled to keep from his adoring public, shaped his life as he was reshaping American ideas about food. But although the story is fascinating, the audiobook, out Jan. 26 and read by the author, does it no favors. The telling feels not just exhaustive but also exhausting, and I  didn’t make it to the end before it was whisked away to the NetGalley archive.

The Man Who Ate Too Much by John Birdsall is a biography of James Beard, the father of American cooking. I was attracted to this book because I love eating and cooking. I have heard of the James Beard award many times, but have never learned about the man himself. I enjoyed this book immensely and would be delighted to listen to it again.

The beginning of the book is as much a biography of Beard’s mother as it is of him. She was an amazingly independent woman for her time.

James Beard is much different than the man I imagined him to be. He is chief of America’s home chefs, the son of a caterer, and a gay man who remained closeted his entire life. I am left wondering if he was ever truly happy.

This account of Beard’s life is entertaining and full of amazing stories. Was the author actually there? How did he find out so much personal information? His stories are detailed, fun, and shocking. This is one of the best biographies that I have ever read. I could not stop reading it. That is saying a lot for an audiobook that is almost 15 hours long!

I was most surprised to learn that he embraced plagiarism freely in most of his published works – both self-plagiarism and plagiarism of others. Beard wasn’t afraid to ‘very’ slightly alter a recipe and then call it his own.

The James Beard described in this book is full of personality. I wish I could go back in time to meet him! He would have been so interesting to share a conversation with. He was a loyal friend (when convenient, of course).

Beard was a food pioneer who wasn’t afraid to live his own life and own his homosexuality – as long as no one outed him. This book is full of Beard’s personal and sexual escapades.

Daniel Henning narrated this book. He did a great job! I enjoyed the light-hearted and fun feel that he brought to this book. I am impressed that he was able to pronounce the names of every dish and cooking technique described in the book. I am not sure that I could!

The Man Who Ate Too Much will be released in audiobook format on January 26, 2021. If you would like to hear engaging stories about James Beard and don’t mind learning more about his sexuality than you thought possible, then I highly recommend this book.

Sensitivity Warning: If you are not comfortable reading detailed accounts of a gay man’s efforts to both hide and live his sexuality, then this may not be the book for you.

Source: I was given temporary access to this audiobook at my request in exchange for an honest review.

Let me first start with HOLY MOLY! Daniel Henning is an amazing narrator and really drew me into this book in ways I couldn't have imagined! I thoroughly enjoyed learning more about James Beard, the good, the bad, the weird, and the perplexing this story really has it all. I think what I enjoyed most was learning about his background, his family, and the people he chose to surround himself with. Obviously what most of us know about Beard is only surface knowledge, leftover tales from the people who got to meet him, work with him, and be a part of his life if for only a moment; but the legacy he left will continue through many generations to come. The Man Who Ate Too Much is more than just a biography, it's a story that really needed to be told, explored, and celebrated; and I hope we have many more of these stories to come. 

5/5 Stars!

Thank you to NetGalley and HighBridge Audio for providing me with an e-arc of this book in exchange for an honest review.

A vivid description of James Beard’s life. A deep insight into his background beyond just his cookbooks and fame. Highly recommended and engaging audiobook.

Gave up on this audiobook.  I've read much about James Beard and, in spite of the promises of the introduction, I found the first few chapters so banal, I dropped the book.  Perhaps I will skip ahead and try again at a later date.