Paula Deen: It Ain't All About the Cookin'

by Paula Deen

Hardcover, 2007

Status

Available

Genres

Publication

Simon & Schuster (2007), Edition: 1st, 288 pages

Description

You may think you know the finger-licking, joke-cracking queen of Southern cuisine. You may have even visited her restaurant to taste for yourself the down-home delicacies that made her famous, or even heard her Cinderella story (a single mom started a brown-bag lunch business with $200 and wound up with a thriving restaurant, a fairy-tale second marriage, and popular television shows), but you have never heard the intimate details of her often bumpy road to fame and fortune. She talks about long childhood summers; hard years living in the back of her father's gas station; a high school social life of sleepovers, parties, cheerleading, and boys; and a difficult marriage. The death of her parents precipitated a debilitating agoraphobia that crippled her for years. But even when the going got tough, Paula never lost the good grace and sense of humor that would eventually help carry her to success and stardom.--From publisher description.… (more)

Rating

½ (97 ratings; 3.9)

User reviews

LibraryThing member abbylibrarian

Paula Deen's life is a true success story. When she started her first business at the age of 42, she was struggling to hold her rocky marriage together and barely had two nickels to rub together. Throughout all her troubles, Deen has persevered and followed her dreams. The book is an interesting

read and it's told just as if Paula was sitting in your living room telling you her life story. She includes recipes for some of the foods that she mentions in her chapters. An excellent read if you're looking for something fairly light and conversational. I enjoyed it immensely!

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LibraryThing member tcrutch

I loved reading this book - I read it in only a few hours. Paula shares some of her secrets with classic southern charm...what more could you want!

LibraryThing member sunshine608

Pretty good. Written just like she talks. Good Inspiration for overcoming and following your dreams. Honest.

LibraryThing member hellobooks45

Paula Deen smokes and curses! Who woulda thunk it?!

LibraryThing member lyssrose

Every bit as fun and goofy as you'd expect from Paula Deen!

LibraryThing member E.J

I actually wanted to read this book because someone told me Paula Deen suffered from severe anxiety and agoraphobia and wrote all about it. I'm not agoraphobic but I get panic attacks and I was curious. She only brought it up briefly a couple times and then seemingly figured out her reasons why and

cured herself.

I liked this book a little because I like the cook, not the book, and it really needed to be cut in half. She gave out odd advice on opening a restaurant. That said, she told some "secrets" about who she really is. She's a real person, and she's lived a real life. I saw some reviewers who really trashed on her for what she's done. Dude. Like you haven't ever made a mistake? Come on. She was brave for being so real in this book. Other than that the only good thing were the recipes.

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LibraryThing member auntieknickers

Autobiography is not my favorite genre, but having watched Paula Deen's show a few times, the book caught my eye when I saw it on the new book shelf at the library. Paula Deen is known for Southern-style "comfort food" and it appears she has needed quite a bit of comfort in her somewhat turbulent

life. Fans of Ms. Deen will enjoy the book and be happy for the much better life she has made for herself with the help of her sons.

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LibraryThing member booklover3258

I've always been a fan of Paula Deen's shows and her food. I've made a few of her recipes and they always came out delish! I had a chance to meet her and her family a few years ago at an autograph session at her restaurant in Savannah. This was the book she signed. I enjoyed this book and her

stories of growing up with agoraphobia, being penniless and rising her way up to stardom and fame. She seems to be a very down to earth person and the book was very cute just like her. I'm excited for the recipes at the end of each chapter and look forward to making them in my home.

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