Julia Child

by Laura Shapiro

A biography of Julia Child from the award-winning author of Perfection Salad

One of the most beloved figures in 20th century American culture was Julia Child, the bouyant French Chef who taught millions of Americans to cook with confidence and eat with pleasure. With an irrepressible sense of humor and a passion for good food, Child ushered in the nation's culinary renaissance and became its chief icon. Unlike the great cooking teachers who preceded her, she won her audience through the revolutionary medium of television. Millions watched as she spun threads of caramel, befriended a giant monkfish, wielded live lobsters, flipped omelets and unmolded spectacular desserts. Her occasional disasters, and brilliant recoveries, were legendary. Yet every step of the way she was teaching carefully crafted lessons about ingredients, culinary technique, and why good home cooking still matters.

Award-winning food writer Laura Shapiro describes Child's unlikely career path, from California party girl to cool-headed chief clerk in a World War II spy station to bumbling amateur cook and finally to the classes at the Cordon Bleu in Paris that changed her life. Her marriage to Paul Child was at the center of all her work. Unlike much of what has been written about Child, Shapiro portrays a woman who was quintessentially American, and whose open-hearted approach to the kitchen was a lesson in how to live.

Genres: Biography, Nonfiction, Food, Audiobook, Biography Memoir, Book Club, Cooking

185 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2007

About the author

Laura Shapiro is an award winning author who worked at Newsweek for over 15 years.

Reviews

[Jill Moore · Rating 4 out of 5]

There is a difference between the Julia Child we want to believe we know and the human being that existed. I've had a fascination with Julia for the longest of times and have read lots of books about her, her cooking, her marriage to Paul Child, and her life in France. Ms. Shapiro provided me with a deeper look into the woman beneath the surface. Alongside the stories of her rise to culinary stardom are quotes that show a different side -- one of disdain for homosexuality in the 50's and 60's (although she had a reversal of conscience when a dear friend died a slow, agonizing death from AIDS), and more than a bit of snobbery for housewives. Julia even went so far as to suggest that there should be more men in cooking because women weren't serious enough. She felt that women leaned towards hysteria and fear in the kitchen and made housewives sound like chowder-headed twits.

I have to admit that learning these things has tarnished my admiration for Julia. I always thought that if I could have met her and known her, we could have been great friends. Sadly, I know now that her viewpoints on women and human sexuality would have made that impossible.

[Chinchilla · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was not a very impressive book. Anyone wants to know more about Julia Child's personal life and her journey to becoming an icon in the culinary world should just read her autobiography "My Life in France". This book didn't offer many new insights that weren't already covered in Child's own book. I did find Child's view on traditional male-female roles and her disapproval on homosexuality interesting. One would assume she could be a feminist as herself being a working wife, and yet, her personal opinion was quite the opposite.

I listened to this book only because I needed an audiobook... my library OverDrive is running thin of options, which was not ideal as I promised not to waste my time on books I knew I wouldn't like as much.

[Jean-Luke · Rating 4 out of 5]

My third (and final) book on Julia Child, who was most recently sanitized for mass consumption by HBO. While that Julia attends a San Francisco drag show with James Beard, for example, the real Julia was an unabashed homophobe who wanted to "defagify" the industry—at least until we all began to die of AIDS in the 1980s. But hey, at least the "fags" bought plenty of cookbooks—ca-ching, ca-ching, cashing in. Sad, but true, and I appreciate Shapiro's frankness on the subject. Although as brief as Julia's Cats, this one doesn't make a saint of the woman so beloved by millions.

The childhood section of any biography is always my least favorite, and luckily this one devotes only a few paragraphs to the subject. Julia grew up in a wealthy family and her father was a right-winger who, in the 1950s, beame a staunch supporter of Joseph McCarthy. She attended Smith College and majored in history. She joined the OSS and married snotty Paul Child, who initially found her dumb and annoying. They moved to France, where Julia learned to cook, and in 1961, at the age of 49, she became the Julia Child, author of Mastering the Art of French Cooking and host of The French Chef. She was a supporter of Planned Parenthood and abortion rights, yet held very antiquated and often conflicting views on gender, gender roles, and sexuality. She would not have done well in this era of misinformation, believing until the end that the government and various industry-dominated regulatory bodies have our best interests at heart. Later in life, she underwent several cosmetic procedures including a blepheroplasty ('eye job') and a face lift.

There, I think I've outdone Shapiro in brevity. Canned onions and cream of avocado soup may have fallen out of fashion (not that they were any good, according to Julia) and most of us will never own a bottle of white vermouth, but Julia's life and legacy will continue to delight and inspire for decades. "She was the rare celebrity who never fell from grace."—Maybe not in her lifetime, but from a modern perspective I beg to differ.

[Mariah Dawn · Rating 4 out of 5]

A little something fun! Julia was quite the character, and so was her husband. She had some very strong views about Americans and their casseroles. She was appalled at dinners that included a can of cream of something soup and corn flakes on top. 👀🤣 Cooking was all about love and time and instinct, and anyone could learn it.

I need to take my knives more seriously and maybe this year is the year I roast a duck. 😏

[Lindsey · Rating 3 out of 5]

A joyful quick audiobook about an amazing woman.

[Elisabeth Ensor · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this as an audio book! I have been interested in Julia Child more recently since watching the Julie & Julia movie and I am glad I listened to this!

Her life is fascinating and I love how much her life changed by living in Paris, France- I just got back from Paris myself and it changed me forever!!!

I was disappointed at the end with her refusal of the organic food movement! She always sided with the large food companies over small food movements and would not acknowledge food allergies in the USA? I was sad for her and I think she has fallen off that pedestal I put her on after seeing the movie!

But I can admire someone and be inspired by their life-whether I agree with them 100% or not- we can all choose to see the good in others!

One of my 2019 goals is to make her famous Beef Bourguinon!!

[Kristina · Rating 3 out of 5]

A succinct biography of the beloved Julia Child; although it seemed like the author was attempting to make her controversial

[Natalie · Rating 3 out of 5]

“To find cruelty in every steak, cholesterol in every spoonful of cream, to sneer at the green beans because they came from a box in the freezer; this wall of suspicion between Americans and their meals was far worse than anything in the food itself. If fear of food continues, it will be the death of gastronomy in the United States.”

[Dan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this on the tail of reading "Gastronomical Me" and it feels like a crash tour in 20th century American popular culinary education. Without Julia Child, it's really hard to picture a world with Food Network, Hell's Kitchen, Smitten Kitchen- it was Julia who made good cooking both a home hobby and a recreational sport. Reading Shapiro's book, it's easy to see how she did so- the sheer force of her personality, soft, inviting, inclusive while also serious and authoritative drew audiences in and made them believe in both her and themselves. Shapiro did the biographer's duty of showing her subject warts and all, but I do wish she had not packed all of the negatives into two compact chapters right before the end of the book, as the reader leaves the book ruminating on Child's shortcomings- her Rowling-esque views on gender identity and sexual orientation, her unfailing faith in the food industry, her rejection or disinterest in foodways that are not French or European- instead of on her great accomplishments and unique identity. There's no question she did things no one else could, because she was uniquely her and because she put in the work. So very much work. I have a love for the Penguin Lives Series but there are obvious limitations to the format. While Julia's life with her husband Paul is drawn colored in thoroughly enough, I would have liked to know more about the other people in Julia's orbit, the producers of the show, her relationship with Jacques Pepin, etc., but these things clearly were not going to fit into a book dedicated to be between 170 and 200 pages. As it is, it fulfills the mission of giving you an idea of who she was and why she was important in one entertainingly written quick hit of a book that you should finish in a day or two, which is what I always liked about the series.

[Samantha]

julia child had plastic surgery? 😱 a true queen. i love her sm.

i think its very interesting that the author really tried to portray julia as a feminist while simultaneously having to be honest about her opinion on gender roles, other women, and gays lol i dont think shes quite the feminist icon youre looking for

time to rewatch julie & julia 🫡

[Schmacko · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is an easy-to-read account of Julia Child, her life, her marriage, and other information about her. It has the benefit of not being to wandering or in-depth, as are some other bios about the American woman who helped create the seminal French cookbook for the home cook and brought public cooking shows back to life.

Shapiro probably spends a little too much time defining Childs' politics - beliefs shaped by her time, her dislike of her dad's conservative, but her unwillingness to understand her importance as a working woman whose husband played a supporting role. A whole section is spent on Childs' thoughts on homosexuality...perhaps that's important considering that her contemporary and friend James Beard was. However, I never knew of Childs' biases, nor did I care to (and I'm a gay man). I know people of her time would've had less exposure and more trouble with gender questions and sexual identity.

Still, most of the rest of the book is breezy and reverent enough of the woman - her legend and her flaws.

[Madhulika Liddle · Rating 4 out of 5]

The woman who demystified French cuisine for the average American, and pretty much singlehandedly taught American food lovers how to navigate the depths, twists and turns of French food, Julia Child was a legend. Millions of TV viewers fell in love with her (and actually told her so, in gushing letters of adoration), millions bought her books, and she lives on, more than fifteen years after her death, as one of the most popular and best-loved American gastronomes of the 20th century.

Laura Shapiro's Julia Child is a very well-written biography of the wonder that was Julia Child. From Julia McWilliams's formative years, her early forays into jobs ranging from fashion writing to selling furniture, Shapiro moves on to the job that was to change Julia's life: her wartime stint with the OSS. Her meeting, friendship and subsequent marriage to Paul Child, and the influence he had on Julia as a person, form a significant part of this story.

The bulk of the book, naturally, is about Julia's serendipitous first visit to France, and the meal when she first tasted French food. From there on, through her training at Cordon Bleu, her friendship with Simca, the writing of a book (which went through many twists and turns of its own), and the eventual taking off of Julia's career as a television celebrity chef... It's all there, documented in a readable way which brings Julia vividly alive. Shapiro brings in details of how the TV shows were organized; the amount of behind-the-scenes work they entailed; the goofs and gaffes that were part of the shows.

And she makes Julia live. I must admit I've never watched Julia Child, but I could just imagine her warmth, her enthusiasm, her dedication and her genuineness: Shapiro uses little incidents form across shows, as well as excerpts from Julia's correspondence, etc to build a personality that's forceful, magnetic, charming.

Like a good, objective biographer, Shapiro doesn't even shy away from talking about the none-too-pleasant aspects of Julia's personality. Her homophobia, for instance, comes across as rather shocking. And her attitude towards GM-heavy agriculture (favourable), organic food (very derisive), is pretty contrary to what some of the best food minds and palates in the world today are saying (or have been saying for many years now).

A very good insight into the life of Julia Child; the only thing I wished for were photographs. Barring the portrait photo of Julia on the cover, there are no photos in this book.

[Jeannie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is my second book about Julia, a woman who travels through time to show me that there are others so similar to me. This time however, my heart dropped as the author began to discuss her homophobia--- strange since she abhorred her father's bigotry. However, with a little time, a little understanding and a little empathy, Julia came through for me and remains still, despite this learning point, a forever heroine of mine and a darling soul. Just like Paul Child, you can't help falling in love with Julia.

[Cmeread · Rating 3 out of 5]

I prefer the Julia that is in my head from watching her shows on PBS with my Gma, than the woman who was at times, staunchly revealed in this book. I was taken aback when I heard her disdain for homosexual individuals and her derogatory names for such individuals.
I realize that she was from a different generation and background and will always love my time with Julia.

[Sarah Choquette · Rating 5 out of 5]

An engaging biography that summarized Julia’s life with excerpts of letters and snippets from her whole life. Enjoyed the audio book, and this felt like a good introduction to her life and her cooking.

[Sophia Kleo · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love this diva

[Ronnett · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved it!!! Always such a joy finding out the whole story of a persons life, expanded from the little bit that first drew you :)
Delightful :)

[Jessica · Rating 3 out of 5]

I loved to sleep over my grandparent's house a lot when I was younger. I used to watch her cook. She was so deliberate yet graceful in her movements as she folded eggs into flour or packed a cabbage leaf with a mixture of butter, onions, and hamburger. She could spend hours working on a dish then to my amazement deem it "not good enough" and put it in the fridge for our family to eat, or if it was "not right" (only in her discriminating opinion was there anything "not right" with the food she had made)she would throw it away. This would usually happen while the ingredients were still being mixed and the concoction wasn't the desired consistency, etc.
She taught me never to be afraid to throw something away I was making or had made, because mistakes were a part of the learning process of cooking. She had never had lessons herself and rarely did I see her use measuring cups or spoons, but her attempts alway appeared (and tasted) just fine to me.
I don't know whether she watched Julia Child on the television but she certainly shared her spirit when it came to the love of cooking and creating. Time and love were the two ingredients Julia demanded of her own cooking as well as from those she was teaching; My grandmother still embodies Julia's spirit when she prepares meals for herself and my grandfather but due to the constraints of age that affect us all, she spends less time in the kitchen making entire meals for birthday parties, holiday gatherings, Christening celebration and wedding and baby showers, as I'm sure she'd like.

[Erin Beckwith · Rating 4 out of 5]

this book was given to me as a birthday present in September and, having little to no interest in Julia Child, I put off reading it until recently when my other options were dense tomes that I didn't have the stamina to touch. Having just read Sarah Vowell, who's writing voice is so original, honest, and non-cliched, this book seemed utterly dry and typical at first. About 50 pages in, I'd learned enough about Child's life to care about her future, so I kept reading. It was really Julia that made me like this book--who could resist reading the life of a heroine that became one because she stood up for what she believed it, never gave up on herself, and was unflaggingly positive and honest at the same time? While I don't agree with all she did and said, as it's clear the author doesn't (or may not) as well, I appreciate her life's work, and feel a bit as if I know her. There was more to this book than at first was apparent--in a sneaky, albeit highly intelligent manner, it sucks you in and lets you know all there is of interest about Julia's life, and flows along effortlessly then suddenly you realized you've been reading for an hour and a half! Easy to read, informative, inspiring, and all in all an, pretty enjoyable.

[Sophia Musgrave · Rating 4 out of 5]

Since seeing Julie and Julia I was more interested in the real life of Julia Child. This author does not disappoint! Although this biography was a bit short, it gave all the details necessary to make an informed picture of one of the world's most fascinating women. I also liked how Julia's truly personal and human characteristic were brought to light and praised. As said in this biography, Julia was always Julia to everyone she met, not just the formal Mrs. Child. She dispensed with all formalities with her warm and down to earth personality. This novel gives an in depth look into the shaping of her character and her history as she became one of the world's most well known and loved cooks. I do wish it went more in depth into her childhood and later years, but altogether, a phenomenal good read and if you are fascinated with learning more about her, this would be a great start!

[Vicki · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a short listen, but it's really engaging. The narration is done by a niece of Julia Child's, and she really does a good impression of her aunt's voice without it being campy or annoying -- kind of essential for an audiobook about Julia Child!

What's interesting about this book, despite how fast it goes, is that it doesn't skate over Julia Child's flaws -- she was a human, just like all of us, not just a good kitchen fairy. What's so interesting about Julia Child is her charisma, and this book offers a good view of that by looking at the whole of her life. Not just the cute parts.

[Carol Ann · Rating 3 out of 5]

While this was an interesting behind the scene look at Julia Child, I realized that bringing her to life was impossible. Ms Shapiro described Julia's enthusiasm and told us of her love affair with food, but Julia remained one dimensional. Because of repeats of her PBS show I knew what Ms Shapiro was trying to say. Unfortunately I still do not really know what French cuisine is, other than a set of rules. I do have something in common with Julia, I too love oysters!

[Bookish.Midnight. and. black · Rating 2 out of 5]

De Julia Child am auzit dupa ce am vazut un film acum muuulti cu o tipa care voia sa gateasca toate retetele din cartea ei de bucate. Dupa film, am cautat si eu cartea si am gatit beef bourguignon si broccoli gratinat cu sos mornay,apoi mi am dat seama ca e prea multa munca si am ramas la snitele si cartofi prajiti 😂
Recunosc ca mi a luat o vesnicie sa citesc cartea asta, pt ca e plina de detalii irelevante pt povestea personajului...sau ce putin asa mi se pare mie. Multi ani,multe nume,multe titluri. O voiam putin mai ...povestita.
Julia child a vrajit America dupa anii 40 cu dezinvoltura ei si cu modul simplu de a vorbi si a explica. Show ul tv in care a aparut avea foarte multi telespectatori si oamenii erau fermecati de ea si de faptul ca parea un om normal care uneori, ups, punea mai multa sare decat trebuia,sau mai scapa vesela pe jos. I a facut pe telespectatori sa intelega ca si un om simplu poate sa gateasca bine, dupa retete frantuzesti.
Mi a placut cum a inceput povestea de dragoste dintre ea si sotul ei, mai intai ca amicu, prieteni buni si apoi suflete pereche. Mi a placut ca am vazut o parte din corespondenta celor doi si ca din ce am vazut,sotul a parut sa o sustina in tot ce facea. Nu a fost foarte mult dezvoltata relatia sotilor la batranete, dupa ce starea de sanatate a lui a inceput sa se deterioreze.stim doar ca a fost nevoita sa il dupa ca un azil pt ingrijiri medicale de specialitate si ca i s a rupt inima facand asta. Julia a mai trait zece ani dupa ,murind la 91 de ani, insa a ramas in mintea americanilor ca o mare personalittae in domeniul culinar.

[LibraryCin · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

This is a (short) biography of Julia Child, though the bulk of it does focus on her career, food, and cooking. Julia, of course, learned to cook in France, and she was not a natural at it! She later wrote cookbooks and hosted tv shows. Her first tv show in the ‘50s was very popular and it catapulted her to stardom. People loved her. Though the cooking may have been more work than housewives wanted at the time (when convenience foods were becoming popular), Julia insisted her show wasn’t for housewives, anyway.

I listened to the audio, which was entertaining. The narrator did a decent job of Julia’s voice, I think. It didn’t sound exactly, but I can’t say for sure, as I’ve never watched Julia’s shows. I am also not “into” cooking, so the detailed descriptions of cooking and food might be of more interest to someone who does like cooking and/or is more of a “foodie” than I am. It was unfortunate to learn of Julia’s homophobia, although I suppose she was a product of her time (even though she and her husband, Paul, knew and were friends with gay people).

[Simon · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have read a few books about Julia Child and her life and journey, yet it had been a while and I felt like exploring more about her was in my interest.

I learned a lot about Julia in later life and had no idea about her views and stances on such things as political and social justice issues. I was aghast to learn of some of her options of others and surprised at how she perceived some elements and histories of cooking, thinking in a way that reminded me of my grandmother, and how she always had to interject her history and truth in the forefront so that it would be counted as valid and the most important view over any others.

Disappointing really, of course I still love Julia for who she was and what she did. Her books have helped me and my family explore and learn much about French cooking and food indulgence.

[Kristin · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've been fascinated by Julia Child for years, ever since I read My Life in France and absolutely loved it. This was a pretty good, reasonably short overview of her life. I think the audiobook was less than 6 hours. I was really impressed by the narrator's "Julia Child voice" as she read quotes and things that Julia had actually said...apparently she's one of Julia's nieces?

I thought it was pretty weird that near the end she dwelled so much about Julia's opinions of housewives, homosexuals, etc. It just didn't seem the place to focus on that so much...it felt like she was just trying to be politically correct.

This book did make me want to reread My Life in France (which I've already been wanting to do lately), and finally get to that unread book of Julia's letters to her friend Avis.

[Grayce Andersen · Rating 2 out of 5]

Before reading this book I had not consumed much Julia child content but knew who she was. I was wary of this book because I don’t often like life stories told by someone other than who it’s about

I really do not like Julia and find it shocking she’s been so revered for so long considering how anti woman and prejudice she was. She was constantly complaining and putting down “the house wife” instead of considering that maybe they cooked the only way the knew how and didn’t realize there was better food to be had

I also found it frustrating that she so often didn’t stick to what she said. She’d complain about how women weren’t let into the professional food world and then complain about the type of women who were buying her books, it made no sense to me

Please note: this book makes a few offhand comments about sex but there’s nothing graphic

[Lindsey · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am quite taken with this slim biography, which is straightforward and has buoyed my spirits. The prose is well-written but not the point; the personality of its subject is, and that is infused throughout the book. A great selection for those of us who feel we’re stumbling in the dark or haven’t yet found our callings, for artists, for teachers, for optimists (and potential converts), and for lovers of food.

The author also does a fair job of illustrating Child’s confounding views on feminism, prejudice against gay people (esp. gay men), and suspicion of the organic food movement.

The one thing that truly irked me was a sentence about Child having found “her tribe,” which aside from being appropriative and cliché, felt anachronistic and out-of-place.

[Lauren Schnoebelen · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.25 ⭐️

This was such a fun and heart warming story. Being someone who was born shortly before her passing, I never got to experience this moment in American culture. Listening to this story and how impactful she was in trying to teach Americans to value a cooked meal as well as pushing more women to be chefs was exactly what I needed. It was definitely a surprise though to hear the chapter on her homophonic views and how they influenced her relationships with well known gay chefs in America. Being someone who loves a good book on food and the culture surrounding it, I highly suggest taking a listen (or read).

[Marjorie Elwood · Rating 5 out of 5]

A well-written, well-balanced look at Julia Child and her effect on the food world. The narrator does a good job with Julia’s voice.

While I’ve read quite a few books about her, this still had nuggets I didn’t know, such as why vermouth is used in so many recipes (at the time, Americans didn’t drink wine but did have cocktails, so instead of white wine in a recipe, they used vermouth), or that the chicken story (that Julia dropped a chicken on the floor, retrieved it, and continued cooking with it) was apocryphal. I appreciate that the author included the controversial aspects of Julia – her homophobic, somewhat misogynistic nature, and that she was pro-industry and anti-organic.