Anthony Bourdain's suicide in June 2018 shocked people around the world. world.
The celebrity chef seemed to have it all: an irresistible personality, a dream job, a beautiful family and international fame. However, the reality It was more complicated than it seemed.
Bourdain became a celebrity with his bestselling book Kitchen Confidential. He turned it into a series of hit TV shows, which included Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations of Food Channel and Parts Unknown, from CNN.
But his charisma hid a tormented spirit. addiction and obsession perfection and personal integrity ruined two marriages and made him one hell of a boss, even as millions were intrigued by the ever-curious, genuinely empathetic traveler they saw on television.
Anthony Bourdain pictured here at Les Halles restaurant in 2003. Source: The New York Times
Bourdain was already running out of strength, physically and emotionally, when he fell in love with an actress Italian company (Asia Argento) who could be even colder with him than she sometimes was with others, and that unfortunately drove a wedge between him and his little daughter.
Por eso Down and Out in Paradise, by Charles Leerhsen, is an unauthorized biography that is braver than anything published before about Bourdain.
He talks about the many prostitutes he met, the one night stands he had, and also the rumored affairs he had with other personalities from the food world.
Bourdain committed suicide in a room at Le Chambard, a boutique hotel in Kaysersberg, France. Source: The New York Times
This book is completely honest. He talks about his use of steroids, human growth hormone and Viagra.
Leerhsen provides accurate and disturbing details about Anthony Bourdain's suicide, discussing his heroin addiction and how coldly he was to many who loved and worked with him.
The 308-page book provides many gory details about the chef that many people gave him to Leerhsen, making this a biography similar to that of the great rock stars, where the excesses and explosions are part of crucial.