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Book Review of Born Round: The Secret History of a Full-Time Eater

Born Round: The Secret History of a Full-Time Eater
cheermom140 avatar reviewed on + 85 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 3


Frank Bruni writes in much detail about his struggles to lose weight and to keep the weight off once he's lost it. I thought this book was going to be humorous but it wasn't. There are some funny one-liners, especially when he's being particularly snarky about other people, but for the most part, Bruni is so filled with self-loathing that the entire book comes off as somewhat depressing. He just doesn't feel that he's worth anything to anyone when he's overweight. It's sad. The best parts of the book are the sections about his absolutely wonderful Italian family - especially his mother and grandmothers. However, if you want to read a very enjoyable book about what it's like to be the NY Times food critic, read Ruth Reichl's "Garlic and Sapphires" instead.