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I can't say I really knew anything about Typhoid Mary going into this, so the complaint other reviewers have about this being light on fact doesn't really resonate with me. This is a much less Bourdain style of a book than Bourdain's usual works. I did enjoy how much he seemed to LIKE Mary, despite her flaws. Fun, fast read.
This is an ok popular history. But it's a POPULAR history. So, not a lot of historic detail and more than a fair bit of failure to fact check. 1900 World's Fair?? Way to just make up stuff, Bourdain!
I'm not exactly sure how I felt about the tone with this, but it was interesting. If we're to believe our author all cooks are arrogant and prideful, which I don't believe. I also don't particularly like the whole 'she infected people with typhoid but look, she was a cook so here is why that's okay...' tone it had. I do feel she was treated badly but she seems to have been very aware of what was happening and didn't much care. It was a messy situation that was handled poorly on all sides. The bo...
Bourdain looks at the life of the Irish woman who came to be known as Typhoid Mary due to her being a carrier of the disease and infecting the people she worked for. It was interesting up to a certain point but there is very little known about the woman. As a biography this was only really good for a brief overview of Mary and the times she lived in.
What a tragic but interesting story! This book is well written from the perspective of the descriptive nature of the people...the characters and the general population, as well as the historical background and events. This no doubt is from the perspective of a cook! The author starts by telling you the premise of the story, the fact that little evidence can explain or support or deny what took place then he offers the backdrop against which the judgements of the time are given. He delves into th...
A short book, a quick read, well-researched and engaging. This is part historical telling of the circumstances of Mary Mallon and part postulation on her life and motivations as a chef, through the lens of someone who also lived that life. And it works, Bourdain’s voice is sympathetic but not cloying, his anecdotes - both real and imagined - amusing. An enjoyable read.
Color me surprised that Anthony Bourdain (who I've only been tangentially aware of as a chef and food personality) of all people could put together what has to be one of the more illuminating histories on this oft (and incorrectly) maligned woman that I've ever read. I think it's because Bourdain comes at this not from a "I'm going to write the authoritative work on this" standpoint but from a "wow, I really can sympathize with this woman in a lot of ways, because we have something major in comm...
At first, I really enjoyed it. He had chapter titles like "Typhoid Sucks" He was tellilng history with wit, humor, and personality. And then he made, what to me at least, was a glaring error. He started talking about the 1900 Chicago World's Fair. There was no World's Fair in Chicago in 1900. There was one in 1893 and 1933. In 1900 (and I looked it up, because I was pissed), the only World's Fair was in Paris. France, not Texas. And though this is a fairly minor error, it is the kind that's fair...
As a factual account, this book frustrated me a great deal, because it's really such an overview into the topic. Granted, Bourdain's interest in Mary Mallon stems from his experience as a cook (and he riffs on this topic continually) -- I simply wanted a deeper factual account (and make sure the facts are correct, please -- there are some glaring errors in the book!). The idea of a cook of his caliber writing about Typhoid Mary is brilliant, but I think he could have developed these ideas in the...
In a lot of ways, this book reads more like a college dissertation than a book. More than anything else, it’s a defense of Mary Mallon’s odd behavior that essentially cost numerous people their health and lives. Bourdain does bring up some fascinating contextual points that are generally overlooked in an effort to vilify Mary Mallon, but at the same time, it’s difficult to empathize too much with her, regardless of how passionately Bourdain writes.This is the first book I’ve read by Anthony Bour...
I wanted to check out this book on Typhoid Mary after I saw it is written by none other than the Travel Channel's Anthony Bourdain. I forgot he was the author once I started reading it, and just enjoyed it for itself on the subject. It seemed to have more background and detail than anything else I'd read about Mary Marron previously. Thanks to the eagle-eyed reviewers who caught that he got the date of the World's Fair wrong in it. Makes one wonder what other errors of fact there may be, hmmm.
This was a book I picked up about a month or so ago just to read for myself out of curiosity. It was very enlightening. I sure had shock value from this book! It sure makes you NOT want to go out to eat in ANY restaurant or at least a restaurant that did not serve cooked food, for that matter! I think I'll pass, or at least I will for a little while!I happened to have grandparents who were 'germophones'. They really would lovingly joke around and call me 'Typhoid Mary' if I had a cold or sounded...
Without a doubt, one can find other books on the subject of Typhoid Mary, but would be hard-pressed to find one examining Mary Mallon from the same angle chosen by author Anthony Bourdain. Early in the book, Mr. Bourdain tells us he has chosen to approach this subject differently, and explains his intentions to tell the story of “…a proud cook…who at the outset, at least, found herself utterly screwed by forces she neither understood nor had the ability to control.” To that end, he has been succ...
This had some interesting historical information in it on cooks in general and 1800s Irish women in particular, but Bourdain's approach was definitely biased. He seemed to start with the idea that Mary, as a cook, was innocent and every public health official she came in contact with was evil and incompetent at their job. I had to stop 50% of the way through the book -- I just couldn't trust anything I was reading.
I first read this book in college. I did not know who Anthony Bourdain was at the time, so I probably didn't fully appreciate his viewpoint as a fellow cook. I remember that I did appreciate the approach of book as a more modern take on non-ficton. As a stressed out college student, I probably also appreciated that the book was small and a quick read.However, upon second reading, the 150ish pages don't seem to offer a ton of fact regarding Mary Mallon, the woman who became known as Typhoid Mary....
This is a quick, interesting read, but it's often distracting how often the author wants to inject himself in the story. I know, I know. It's Anthony Bourdain, so most people are probably looking for his personality, and are reading this because he is the author. However, the shtick gets tiresome, especially in the intro and epilogue. It took 4 pages before he's making fun of feminism's take on this story, and yet he presents a picture of a woman who he is clearly sympathetic towards. It's hard
There seems to be a discrepancy as to what sort of book this is, which would account for the low ratings. This book is not a scholarly work, nor was it meant for academic purposes. You will not find it with heavy citations, nor pages of notes. It is primarily an anecdotal account of an infamous cook, which many know very little about.This book is for Bourdain fans, and the general layperson, wanting to know a little about a (small) historical figure. I appreciated the way Bourdain wove historica...
This was a quick but interesting read.
Who knew Anthony Bourdain wrote a history book? This was a highly enjoyable quick read but let's get a few things straight.Anthony Bourdain is a cook who writes books about cooking, traveling and murder mystery things (haven't read those). So this is quite the departure.This book is NOT for people looking for an indepth study about typhoid mary. This book is NOT for people looking for a deep analysis and a completely comprehensive storyline.I knew nothing about typhoid Mary so it was all new to