Insightful…

Even after a year I can’t believe how hard Anthony Bourdain’s death hit me. I’ve never met him. I’m not a chef. I’m not a traveler. I’m not a drinker. Somehow, though, through his books and shows, I felt close to him (in a non-stalker, healthy way of course) and felt his loss. I mourned for his family, for his friends and the people who admired his easy way around people and his fearlessness when it came to food.

Did I love all the revelations here? Honestly, no. I wish sometimes for the ignorance of youth and the ability to see only the surface where things were happy and worry-free. Instead, the author honestly (and brutally at times) shared the not so positive aspects of Tony’s actions and words. Are they 100% accurate? I’d like to wish they weren’t but, as I’ve come to learn, humans are very complex and within ourselves is the capacity for positive and negative, living side by side….

What I did love was the story. The behind the scenes goings on behind the lens that made the shows, and Tony’s words, resonate so much with me. The armchair travelling that gave insight into shows I watched religiously. I admired the brutal honesty. While I may choose to remember Tony in the filter of my love of his shows, his books, I believe I have a more rounded picture of who he might have been… And I will continue to miss him…

This will be the closest insight into his life, into who he was, I will ever have and I appreciated every word.

It's going to be hard to write about Bourdain for a long time. How Tom Vitale managed to write this book is beyond me. Tom Vitale is an amazing writer. I hope he continues to write - about anything. He could write about paint colors and I think I would read it. He's got a way with words.

Tony treated his team like family and it's very apparent in the affection that Tom has for him. The loss that Tom feels for him is deep - deeper than most, I'm sure. It's felt throughout these pages.

There are many books about Anthony Bourdain - but this is one of the best. This is highly recommended from me, just a girl from Brooklyn, who has loved Anthony "Tony' Bourdain for most of her life.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the opportunity to read and review this book.

Really 3.5. I enjoyed this book, but thought it lacked organization. The chapter order & part division seem completely random. The insights & stories of the filming process for Bourdain’s shows were interesting, but reading In the Weeds just felt more morbid & off-putting as it went on, especially because the author’s hero-worship was so present throughout.

One to add to your permanent collection. The loss of Anthony Bourdain hit many of us hard, especially those who had the privilege to know him. Tim Vitale worked practically hand-in-hand with Bourdain for years and In The Weeds truly feels like we're back there with them once again. He doesn't sugarcoat it. Bourdain wasn't a saint. He wasn't always nice or easygoing. He was hard around the edges, driven, and had flaws. Thankfully you see all of that in this book. While reading I definitely had to take a few minutes to pause and reflect on how this man, whom I've never met, impacted my life in so many ways. How he made international travel and cuisine both real and approachable; how he wasn't for the masses even though by the end he truly was devoured by us. Tom Vitale delivers in this account of his life and travels with Bourdain in a way no one else has.

5/5 Stars.

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

*Special thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review. Pub date: September 28, 2021

TW from the author: INCIDENTS INCLUDED IN THIS book are not intended to glamorize or endorse acts of cannibalism, drug use, smuggling, torture, extortion, bribery, wire fraud, attempted vehicular manslaughter, or the poaching of endangered species.

Obvi TW: suicide

One of the strongest first pages I’ve possibly ever read in a book.

This book is full of tales highlighting the diabolical chaos that occurred behind the scenes while filming Tony’s shows. It’s a glimpse into the minds and mayhem that surrounded Anthony Bourdain. Any fan will enjoy this as a different perspective—truly behind the scenes and immersive—and I look forward to watching back some of the shows this focused on to see how everything plays out again with this extra knowledge.

While it is a fascinating look into Bourdain’s world it also feels very...invasive. Not to say we shouldn’t talk about the dark sides of someone after they pass, especially from someone who was pretty forward with their feelings and emotions but this takes it to an exploitive of level with personal details, and I found it uncomfortable at times yet I couldn’t put this down. I look forward to reading the epilogue once this is published.

In the Weeds is a comprehensive look behind the scenes of working closely with Anthony Bourdain, written by his long-time director. It also includes some self-reflection on the author's part after Bourdain's passing, moving between past and present frequently.

I really wanted to enjoy this book as I would consider myself a fan of Anthony Bourdain, his writing, and his TV shows, but I found myself being turned off the more I read. Reading other reviews, it feels like I read a completely different book than everyone else.

Tom Vitale is a skilled writer, and the way he describes place and events was captivating. That was probably the highlight for me. The behind-the-scenes tidbits about filming Obama and scouting locations, etc., The less successful parts of the book for me were those that featured Bourdain - a chapter is spent highlighting different abusive behaviors and then he says some kind of redeeming statement at the end. After the first few chapters following this format, the book began to feel more hollow for me. As a person who has been in abusive relationships (platonic and romantic), I would have appreciated more of a discussion about this behavior before the very end of the book.

I kept trying to figure out how Vitale feels about his time spent working with Bourdain, and after reading the whole book (sans epilogue, which is forthcoming), I have no clue. Parts of the book highlight how great a friend and colleague he was, and other parts highlight how he could be very difficult to work with and be around. In the end, it felt like this book did not choose one stance or the other, and it didn't explain why it chose to settle on ambiguity. If there had been some writing about that, I may have felt differently in the end.

Thanks to Hachette Books and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Read if you: Want a fascinating, compelling, and heartrending read from one of Bourdain's closest colleagues.

Librarians/booksellers: Definitely purchase if interest in Bourdain is high.

Many thanks to Hachette Books and NetGalley for a digital review copy in exchange for an honest review.

They say the true test of any relationship is to travel with someone. While this is usually applied to friends and loved ones, testing a work relationship with travel is probably the toughest one of all. Vitale succeeds in writing of how aware he is of this saying in the pages of In the Weeds. While the rest of us mourn the loss of Anthony Bourdain as an admired public figure, Vitale suffered his loss as a colleague. Vitale did not shy away from why he's writing this book, but also takes us through enough stories (good, bad, and weird) from the trenches before landing the heavier punches near the end of the book. He doesn't hesitate to go into detail about how much work and stress goes into a show that makes travel and human interactions appear near-effortless, but he also makes it clear that he knows he is lucky to be doing this for a living. In conclusion, Tom Vitale needs a hug but since that would be creepy coming from a stranger, please buy/read this book. It's the closest any of us will ever get to traveling and working with Bourdain. (I received a copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for my honest opinion.)

I will start this review with one word—wow! As an Anthony Bourdain fan and a widow of someone who killed himself, this book really hit me. Written with wit, clarity, vulnerability and ultimately honesty, this book was fantastic. Even though you may not like all the things that Anthony Bourdain does in this memory-filled behind the scenes book, you definitely can see the pain and tortured soul that is Anthony Bourdain portrayed through his long-time director/producer. Tom Vitale did a fantastic job of being honest and raw (something any Bourdain fan could appreciate, I’m sure) and through that honesty, gave a tour like no other. Really enjoyed this book and would recommend to any Anthony Bourdain fan out there.

Absolutely amazing. Lived up to and exceeded all my wants and wishes. There were times I was laughing, reading on the edge of my seat, morally confused, and of course crying. It shined a light on Bourdain that gave me a view of him that I had yet to see anywhere else. I can not recommend this book enough! For fans and non fans of Bourdain alike, you will find a wonderful story in these pages. I think Anthony would have been proud of you for writing this. I hope there are more books to come, regardless of the subject matter.

I was a big fan of Anthony Bourdain and his shows. So when I saw Tom Vitale was making a behind the scenes type book of traveling and working with Anthony. I was in! Tom Vitale worked with Anthony through all the travel shows. If you love Anthony and travel, this is a must read.

This was a chronicle of Tom Vitale's years of working with Anthony "Tony" Bourdain on his television series. For ten years Vitale was Bourdain's director and producer and reports on the realities of filming the various series' episodes (No Reservations, Layover, and Parts Unknown) and many revelations were a real eye-opener! Vitale was privy to Tony's mercurial temperament and writes about their relationship although in the end, still wasn't sure if he would consider Bourdain a close friend.

This book is a must for anyone who has watched the shows or has admired Bourdain's writings and adventures.

If you were/are “fan” of Anthony Bourdain and miss traveling with him around the world then this book is for you. Tom Vitale has done a tremendous job in taking us behind the scenes to not only let us know what and how it was to put on the shows, but to help us better understand this brilliant, flawed man. I highly, highly recommend this book. It is very well done. It was almost like watching one of his tv shows, which I miss so much. The loss of Bourdain was tragic, but at least we have the tv shows he left behind and now we have a great book that provide great stories and insights.

When Tony Bourdain took his life in June of 2018, it was impossible to process. Even my husband, (not
known to be sentimental outside of his family) became somewhat depressed. For some reason, the death of this man who I who I did not know (although we met once at an event) was having a profound affect on me. Now imagine that your whole career was spent in the company of, in fear of, in admiration of , at the beck and call of said man, How do you process his death? How do you process your own life in the light of this man? How do you grieve and move forward? If you are Tom Vitale, you write In The Weeds.
Tom Vitale spent his entire career with Tony Bourdain. Starting as an edit room assistant on his first tv show, Food Network's, A Cook's Tour, he continued on to the Travel Channel with No Reservations and The Layover . Their final destination together was at CNN with Parts Unknown, a title that applied as much to Tony himself as it did to his travel adventures.
Vitale brings us behind the scenes of the making of these shows. The chaotic, high pressure situations he found himself in varies from being in an active war zone in Beirut, having a Libyan militia escort to trying to figure out how to deal with money people back at the network. He tells of Bourdain's attempts of showing kindness and love, which were awkward. All along, Vitale knew there was no job he would rather have, Vitale is still unraveling the impact Bourdain's death has had on his life. It is personal. It is moving. It is grief. It is human, Can not recommend this book more.
My thanks to NetGalley for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

Whatever you think this book is going to be…..it’s not. It’s going to be better. What an amazing memoir from someone who spent so much time and gave so much of his life to Anthony Bourdain and his shows. The descriptions of the people and places were amazing but the behind the scenes look into what ridiculous efforts it took to put the show together was fascinating.

A terrific read a look at the real Anthony Bourdain.The author was a close friend gives us real insight to his personality what drove him.I was fascinated by this well written story.#netgalley#Intheweeds

Since Anthony Bourdain's death, there have been several books written about him by those associated with him during his lifetime. This most recent one is written by his producer of many years, and details the painstaking and meticulous planning that went into the creation of the shows.

Vitale also describes Tony (as he was known to those who worked with him) as the troubled, conflicted person he truly was. Although the book is written with adoration and almost cult-like devotion to Bourdain, we are also privy to his rage, nastiness, and the dismissiveness he wrought on those closest to him. The actual production of the shows and Bourdain's personality swings are described warts and all..

Thank you for the EArc NetGalley and Hachette Books. This is a story about the complicated man, Anthony Bourdain. I have been a major fan of his (and maybe had a little crush) since his first book came out. I went through many emotions reading this as just when I was starting to loathe the things he was doing, Tom Vitale throws something in that makes Tony enduring all over again. He clearly led a tortured existence and sometimes it seemed tortured those who loved him even in the end. This was a great read if you are a fan and it gives you a behind the scenes look at what it takes to make a fantastic show.

Honestly best book I've read in so long!! I've been obsessed with Parts Unknown for a long time and hearing Tom's insightful, honest, authentic, and witty behind the scenes experience was invaluable. I couldn't put it down. Such a beautiful honoring and truthful reflection of Bourdain's life and the experiences that made the show so great. Thank you, thank you for this book!

I confess to being one of those still grieving the loss of Anthony Bourdain, despite having never met him. He was a phenomenon, but that's not precisely fair. He was extraordinary and extraordinarily human, flawed and searching and always moving forward until the moment he stopped.

Author Tom Vitale rose -- or, rather, worked and willed himself from the production office and edit room of his earlier show, to becoming one of Bourdain's preferred directors, and his friend. Whether or not the reader has inhaled every episode of Bourdain's TV travel oeuvre, Vitale's gift is to bring you along with him for the ride, including the bumps, the sights, the smells, the seasickness, the anxieties, and the food poisoning. He keeps the reader turning the page, even though we know the end before it starts.

While Vitale's vulnerable but never sappy writing reveals some of the behind-the-scenes Bourdain, a little bit more of the voice we miss so dearly, In the Weeds is far more than a celebrity-adjacent memoir. He allows the reader into the mind, heart, and struggle of a talented misfit who gives his all in the effort to amplify -- and in some ways purify -- the voice of Bourdain, another talented misfit, a lonely traveler surrounded by genuine admirers, rabid fans, good food, great liquor, excellent drugs, and constant adventure -- or so it seemed to those of us on the safe side of the screen.

Vitale is able to express the awkward moments between himself and Bourdain, neither of whom can bring himself to express affection, and in letting us into Bourdain's yearning to escape his analytical brain, we feel Vitale's yearning to escape his own, as we follow the tangled spaghetti (bolognese) of his efforts to interpret his dear friend and, ultimately, to protect Bourdain from as much of the world as he can control.

In the Weeds is a bemused love story, a travelogue, a treasure map, and a window into the mind of an artist. Readers will likely crack the book looking for Bourdain and perhaps for a why -- why did he kill himself when he seemed to have everything? Vitale's experience has an added dimension -- what could I have done to stop him? How could I have rewritten the ending? That is where Vitale turns a specific moment into a universal experience, and why his memoir is so powerful.

This is a book for the curious, the creative, the lonely, the lovelorn, and the misfit in us all. Heartily recommend.