Book Review: Frank Bruni's Born Round

Born Round is as much a book about food as it is about Frank. The man loves food -- fancy food, trashy food, homemade food, take-out -- you name it, he likes it. And as a reader, you want to eat most of it.  So while the book features relatively little about his tenure as the most feared man in New York dining, Bruni's memoir is a fascinating read. [bxA]

Frank Bruni attacks life.  From a young age, he was a champion (almost Olympic qualifying) swimmer, a gifted student who rode through college on a full scholarship, and as an adult, a crack journalist who shot through a series of increasingly prestigious assignments and positions. Although the through-line for his story may be the personal ups and downs of his career in journalism, he always brings it back to what he ate along the way. 

Frank Bruni's relationship with food is complicated, but one that I think a lot of people will identify with.  Growing up in a middle class suburb in Connecticut, he had a belief instilled in him from his first generation Italian American family that an abundance of food meant prosperity, and that well cooked meals were a sign of love.  Bruni describes the epic Italian feasts and holiday gatherings from his youth with an exhilaration reminiscent of the best scenes in Goodfellas. Some of the most compelling passages of the book detail with awe the culinary traditions that his immigrant grandparents celebrated long before was even born. 

Like many people, Bruni also derived tremendous fulfillment from the act of eating too much, and a lot of his progression through life is seen through the lens of his body image issues. Over the years his diets and the relapses from them included Atkins, periods of purging, fasting, using Mexican speed and Ex-lax to keep the pounds off.  In the hands of a different writer these passages might seem maudlin, but Bruni gives the impression of being in control of his habits and you don't feel sorry for him, so much as admire his perseverance and honesty. 

On the road to becoming restaurant critic for the Times, Bruni writes about the good and the bad with humor, clarity and a lightness of touch that is completely charming.  While it's a treat to hear about his feuds with Jefferey Chodorow and other gossip from his stint as The New York Times restaurant critic, his tales from the epicenter of candidate George W. Bush's press entourage, and his days as an unlikely film critic for the Detroit Free Press are equally compelling.  It's true that some parts do drag a bit, like the details of the his fitness regime for the Times, which close the book. But more than anything, reading Born Round feels like catching up with an old friend over a sumptuous dinner and discovering the remarkable life you never knew they lived.  

As a side note: 

Because of his larger-than-life status and anonymity, Bruni has been the source of much playful teasing from many a food blog and journalist (myself included). I now present the best pieces of trivia from Born Round:

-- Bruni is a cheesteak man.  

-- Bruni loves Tori Amos. 

-- He once watched Sandra Bullock undress in her trailer on the set of While You Were Sleeping while listening to Des're's "You Gotta Be." 

-- He was inspired by Flashdance to get a bicycle.

-- He calls former New York Times restaurant critic William Grimes, "Biff." 

-- As an intern at Newsweek he once started the rumor that Mary Tyler Moore had died--the story was eventually picked up by the New York Post. 

-- He saw action in an armored vehicle during the outbreak of the Gulf War. 

-- For a time, Bruni frequently ate Tyson ready made chicken breasts while driving in his car, leaving the discarded bones in the passenger side seat for months on end. 

-- In his acknowledgments, he thanks incumbent food critic Sam Sifton. 

Thanks for the memories, Frank. See you in the funny papers.