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Paula Deen: It Ain't All About the Cookin'
Do you know the real Paula Deen? You may think you know the butter-loving, finger-licking, joke-cracking queen of melt-in-your-mouth Southern cuisine. You may have even visited The Lady & Sons to taste for yourself the down-home delicacies that made her famous and even heard some version of her Cinderella story (a single mom with two teenage sons started a brown-bag lunch business with $200 and wound up with a thriving restaurant, a fairy-tale second marriage, and wildly popular television shows), but you have never heard the intimate details of her often bumpy road to fame and fortune.
Courageously honest, downright inspiring, and just a little bit saucy, Paula shares the highs and lows of her life in the inimitable charming and irreverent style that you know from her television shows and personal appearances. She talks about long childhood summers spent in a bathing suit and roller skates and hard years living in the back of her father's gas station; a buzzing high school social life of sleepovers, parties, cheerleading, and boys; and a difficult marriage. The death of her beloved 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. Of course, you can't get by on charm alone: as Paula has learned, you need plenty of willpower, hard work, and, above all, the love and support of family and friends to finance, sustain, and run a successful restaurant.
In each chapter, Paula shares new recipes: there's serious comfort food like her momma's Chocolate-Dippy Doughnuts, Courage Chili for when you know life's going to get tough, Sexy Oxtails for seducing that special someone, and the recipe for her new mother-in-law's Banana Nut Delight Cake that Paula finally got just right. And you'll love the never-before-seen photos of her family.
In this memoir, Paula Deen speaks as frankly and intimately as few women in the public eye have ever dared. Whether she's telling tales of good times or bad, her story is proof that the old-fashioned American dream is alive and kicking, and there still is such a thing as a real-life happy ending.
Courageously honest, downright inspiring, and just a little bit saucy, Paula shares the highs and lows of her life in the inimitable charming and irreverent style that you know from her television shows and personal appearances. She talks about long childhood summers spent in a bathing suit and roller skates and hard years living in the back of her father's gas station; a buzzing high school social life of sleepovers, parties, cheerleading, and boys; and a difficult marriage. The death of her beloved 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. Of course, you can't get by on charm alone: as Paula has learned, you need plenty of willpower, hard work, and, above all, the love and support of family and friends to finance, sustain, and run a successful restaurant.
In each chapter, Paula shares new recipes: there's serious comfort food like her momma's Chocolate-Dippy Doughnuts, Courage Chili for when you know life's going to get tough, Sexy Oxtails for seducing that special someone, and the recipe for her new mother-in-law's Banana Nut Delight Cake that Paula finally got just right. And you'll love the never-before-seen photos of her family.
In this memoir, Paula Deen speaks as frankly and intimately as few women in the public eye have ever dared. Whether she's telling tales of good times or bad, her story is proof that the old-fashioned American dream is alive and kicking, and there still is such a thing as a real-life happy ending.
287 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2007
50 people are currently reading
654 people want to read
About the author
Paula H. Deen
33 books120 followersPaula Deen (born Paula Ann Hiers) is an American cook, restaurateur, author, actress and Emmy Award-winning television personality.
Deen resides in Savannah, Georgia, where she owns and operates The Lady & Sons restaurant with her sons, Jamie and Bobby Deen. She has also published five cookbooks. Though married in 2004 to Michael Anthony Groover, she continues to use the surname Deen from her first marriage professionally.
Deen resides in Savannah, Georgia, where she owns and operates The Lady & Sons restaurant with her sons, Jamie and Bobby Deen. She has also published five cookbooks. Though married in 2004 to Michael Anthony Groover, she continues to use the surname Deen from her first marriage professionally.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 492 reviews
July 13, 2009
This was a great break from the long, heavy book I'm currently reading and feeling bogged down in. It was a nice, light read. I felt like I had invited Paula Deen in to sit down at the kitchen table and tell me about her life. Her voice came through perfectly, yet toned down enough that every sentence didn't contain a "y'all." Also, Paula Deen's personality came through perfectly - warts and all, as she says. It took a lot of courage to share some of the secrets she shares. She also shares some very interesting recipes! I'll definitely have to try some of them.
Yet probably my favorite part was the great advice she gives:
"Here's what I think: you take the risk if you can live with the worst-case scenario you can imagine. If you write a book and it gets awful reviews, if you open a restaurant and it fails, if you go skiing and you break a leg, if you go to Italy by yourself and not one single person talks to you the whole time, if the man you ask out on a date says thanks but no thanks--will you just wither and die from disappointment or embarrassment? If the answer is yes, play it safe and don't risk what you can't live with. If the answer is no, go for it, girl. Otherwise, you might just drown in a sea of woulda/coulda/shoulda and for the rest of your life rue the day you didn't give opportunity a shot."
Yet probably my favorite part was the great advice she gives:
"Here's what I think: you take the risk if you can live with the worst-case scenario you can imagine. If you write a book and it gets awful reviews, if you open a restaurant and it fails, if you go skiing and you break a leg, if you go to Italy by yourself and not one single person talks to you the whole time, if the man you ask out on a date says thanks but no thanks--will you just wither and die from disappointment or embarrassment? If the answer is yes, play it safe and don't risk what you can't live with. If the answer is no, go for it, girl. Otherwise, you might just drown in a sea of woulda/coulda/shoulda and for the rest of your life rue the day you didn't give opportunity a shot."
June 22, 2008
It was a quick read for me, but the second half was little more dull than the first. I guess once I got to the part where she had her own show, the interest level died off. I did get tired of her southern sayings and starting a sentence with "Look, ..." - it's not literary but conversational and it gets old quick. Not a bad book though.
June 30, 2023
I love Paula Deen! She is such a funny, strong and genuine person. She has such an amazing story - literally going from rags to riches. But I don't think fame has changed her one bit. She is the kind of person who stays true to herself no matter what others say. I was so inspired by her story and her incredible strength. And I can't wait to try some of the recipes in the book!
April 28, 2008
Paula Deen is quite a character. I started reading the book, then downloaded the audio book and she was the narrator. I thoroughly enjoyed hearing her spoken words. Her southern accent and the way she describes the ups and downs of her life was so endearing. I recommend the book to anyone who has seen her on TV and likes her.
May 17, 2011
She might be bawdy, ballsy, have a potty mouth, but she is REAL! I'm glad she told the truth, warts & all, because I feel like I have a new friend in Savannah Georgia & we've just been chatting it up over a piece of pie.
I so admire her drive, her ambition, her passion for living, her easy laughter & her Southern charm. I love to read about successful women in business & I wasn't disappointed. She's an amazing woman.
I so admire her drive, her ambition, her passion for living, her easy laughter & her Southern charm. I love to read about successful women in business & I wasn't disappointed. She's an amazing woman.
May 27, 2014
This book raised red flags for me when I read it. There's nothing wrong with the writing style in this book; it's pretty straightforward as an autobiography. But Paula's questionable attitudes shine through this book, making it uncomfortable to read.
For one, she seems to dislike white collar workers. She shuns a dental hygienist job because she is in love with the man who would become her first husband. We can blame this on her youth, but she later makes a flippant comment on liberal universities in reference to Jamie leaving college to help her start The Bag Lady. Later she generalizes writers as "poor." I don't know how she got this attitude, but it's a very closed-minded attitude.
The second, most obvious attitude is her attitude on race. She mentions the burger she was forced to rename the "Beau Burger" because the original name contained an offensive epithet. The fact that several people, including several of her former employers and her fans, glossed over a thing like that is troubling and telling. It's even more telling when her attitudes about African-Americans as well as the treatment of the African-American workers at restaurants she owned were revealed last year. (And it's even sadder when the treatment of the African-American workers was brushed aside to sensationalize the fact she said another offensive epithet in mass media. It's the only way the media seems to work these days, alas.)
If you want to learn about Paula Deen during her glory years on the Food Network, this is worth a read, but it might leave you with an uneasy feeling when you're done with it.
For one, she seems to dislike white collar workers. She shuns a dental hygienist job because she is in love with the man who would become her first husband. We can blame this on her youth, but she later makes a flippant comment on liberal universities in reference to Jamie leaving college to help her start The Bag Lady. Later she generalizes writers as "poor." I don't know how she got this attitude, but it's a very closed-minded attitude.
The second, most obvious attitude is her attitude on race. She mentions the burger she was forced to rename the "Beau Burger" because the original name contained an offensive epithet. The fact that several people, including several of her former employers and her fans, glossed over a thing like that is troubling and telling. It's even more telling when her attitudes about African-Americans as well as the treatment of the African-American workers at restaurants she owned were revealed last year. (And it's even sadder when the treatment of the African-American workers was brushed aside to sensationalize the fact she said another offensive epithet in mass media. It's the only way the media seems to work these days, alas.)
If you want to learn about Paula Deen during her glory years on the Food Network, this is worth a read, but it might leave you with an uneasy feeling when you're done with it.
May 14, 2024
I enjoyed the story more than anticipated, it entails her struggles and triumphs. Truths that are not charming are told but you feel her honesty and how hard it was to tell these truths. Read it if you are a fan, or read it if you are just plain curious as to how she has created the success she has.
June 15, 2009
I really enjoyed this book and I laughed out loud in a bunch of places. Paula is even more blunt and honest in her memoirs than on her show or in her magazine. I don't watch the show anymore because we don't have television channels, but I love her magazine.
The upside of this book is that it's a great story about someone achieving the American Dream through hard work and gumption. She had nothing when she started a business at the age of 42. You don't have to be young, educated, or dishonest to make a successful business, you'd just got to be willing to work 16 hours a day.
Paula did include some of the details of her life that she admits she's not proud of. If it was my life and I was writing my memoirs, I would have left those parts out. (Note to self: don't do anything in your life that you couldn't stand to write in a memoir.)
So yes, I love her food. I use a recipe from the Paula Deen magazine for sweet potato bake at Thanksgiving and holidays that gets me rave reviews from family and strangers alike. (It's not sweet potatoes with marshmallows, though I'm not opposed to that one, I just like her version with brown sugar and pecans on top. And I confess, I double the recipe without doubling the butter she calls for.)
I didn't always like her earthy language, so I hesitate to recommend the book all the way around. But that doesn't stop me from daydreaming about Paula Deen coming in and running my house and kitchen. :)
The upside of this book is that it's a great story about someone achieving the American Dream through hard work and gumption. She had nothing when she started a business at the age of 42. You don't have to be young, educated, or dishonest to make a successful business, you'd just got to be willing to work 16 hours a day.
Paula did include some of the details of her life that she admits she's not proud of. If it was my life and I was writing my memoirs, I would have left those parts out. (Note to self: don't do anything in your life that you couldn't stand to write in a memoir.)
So yes, I love her food. I use a recipe from the Paula Deen magazine for sweet potato bake at Thanksgiving and holidays that gets me rave reviews from family and strangers alike. (It's not sweet potatoes with marshmallows, though I'm not opposed to that one, I just like her version with brown sugar and pecans on top. And I confess, I double the recipe without doubling the butter she calls for.)
I didn't always like her earthy language, so I hesitate to recommend the book all the way around. But that doesn't stop me from daydreaming about Paula Deen coming in and running my house and kitchen. :)
January 16, 2009
I knew going into this book that it would be interesting and probably make me laugh a bit and cry some too. That said, I did not expect it to make me feel those emotions so deeply. As is Paula's charm, I honestly felt like I was sitting on my couch drinking sweet tea with my beloved late Great Granny Pearl. They are so alike in so many ways it almost hurts. I have a new found respect for Paula for her true and uninhibited honesty in the face of fearing rejection from fans. I am sure there are those out there who will no longer look at her the same now that the world knows of some of her past mistakes, whether it be in parenting or love affairs. But I am a firm believer in not throwing stones while I am sitting in a glass house. She is an amazing woman that is ok with just being normal and down to earth. And with an amazing story that surprisingly endears her to your heart even more than her mega-watt smile, she grabs hold of your heart and makes you just crave some fried chicken.
March 7, 2009
Well this book was a surprise! It was better than I expected! It's an autobiography about the famous restaurateur and TV chef. If you've ever watched her show, you know that she's pretty cute and funny. She also cooks the most decadent food and is known to looooooove butter! You'll get a look at the humble beginnings Paula experienced as a single mom with two young sons to raise. It will amaze you. You truly do not need a degree in anything to succeed! You need heart, dedication, perseverance, creativity, and prayers!
What made this book a five star read is the level of disclosure. Paula doesn't 'sugar coat' her life and her choices, she tells the real way things went down, and all of it isn't so pretty.
Well, who's life is 100% great choices? Her honesty is one of the traits that make her so endearing to American's.
You GO, Paula!
What made this book a five star read is the level of disclosure. Paula doesn't 'sugar coat' her life and her choices, she tells the real way things went down, and all of it isn't so pretty.
Well, who's life is 100% great choices? Her honesty is one of the traits that make her so endearing to American's.
You GO, Paula!
July 13, 2012
Remain a fan even though I have mixed feelings about the memoir.
Some of it felt like things I rather she kept private but I also know, when you become famous, either you provide the information on your own terms, or some internet nazi or gossiper will out you for profit. That makes me admire her courage. Don't think she needed to dwell on some parts so much but then, that is her style. If Paula is half as talkative as she is in the show, I suspect Sherry pruned the book a lot just to keep it at this level.
As far as the last few chapters, her life is good now, in sharp contrast to the long drama-filled years. She is able to have some peace, to not stuggle for every penny nor to be alone. I wish her and her family the very best.
Some of it felt like things I rather she kept private but I also know, when you become famous, either you provide the information on your own terms, or some internet nazi or gossiper will out you for profit. That makes me admire her courage. Don't think she needed to dwell on some parts so much but then, that is her style. If Paula is half as talkative as she is in the show, I suspect Sherry pruned the book a lot just to keep it at this level.
As far as the last few chapters, her life is good now, in sharp contrast to the long drama-filled years. She is able to have some peace, to not stuggle for every penny nor to be alone. I wish her and her family the very best.
May 3, 2012
A very inspiring woman, an embodiment of "ceasing the moment". I truly admire her courage of taking the plunge and that calculated risk. I hope I can have that bit of courage so that life will not pass me by. Paula at 42 - that means it's never to late for me to take the dive. I'm trying in my own little way to pursue my passion w/c has been long set aside and reading this book (just in time when I'm taking the curve) makes me more committed to pursue the road I did not dare not thread. I like her candid style and each recipes at the end of each chapter. I can't wait to try it out. Happy cooking! : )
September 12, 2015
I've always loved Ms. Paula. Now I feel like she is my friend. I started reading this book and just didn't realize how hard life had been for her. She didn't let that stop her. She is open and very honest in this book. I don't think she'll ever know what this book meant to me at this time in my life. I just remarried and I'm experiencing some trouble with my step children. Her openess helped me so much. Thank you Ms. Paula
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May 10, 2011Frank, revealing, humorous....read this shortly after visiting Paula's restaurant in Savannah, GA...I have so much respect for this woman and how she created a successful career out of virtually nothing. Is she a bit overexposed on tv these days? Well, yeah, but...still love her homespun stories and recipes! And if you EVER get a chance to eat at her restaurant, it will be one of the best meals of your life!
August 13, 2009
I just love Paula Deen after reading thia book!! Paula was very sincere and honest with her words. After reading this book as well as At Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil, I want to take a trip Savannah, Georgia. Paula is an amazing woman that found authentic self in her 40's, she is truly one inspiring Southern woman!!!
June 20, 2011
Wow. Where is the fried chicken? This was a fun read about a woman who has it all and deserves exactly what she has. I listened to this in the car and I'm pretty sure I now have a southern accent.
September 21, 2007
this ememoir was excellent. paula is so honest and down to earth, she makes you feel like a freind!! loved it, and her!!
January 21, 2008
I thought this book was wonderful, not at all what I expected. It felt like and intimate chat with Paula herself. I also found her life to be a surprise to me, not at all what I expected.
July 25, 2008
Interesting life...interesting story.
September 1, 2012
It was okay. I've liked her show. I think she's an interesting lady, but the book is blah and disorganized. It was nice to have some recipes though.
Read
March 10, 2011Loved getting to know The Lady! She is honest and hilarious :)
Authentic, brave and inspiring.
Authentic, brave and inspiring.
July 29, 2025
"You don't have to be Southern to admire the smell of grits cooking'..."
Reading Paula Reen's memoir was like sitting across from the cook herself, on a chair in her very own kitchen...listening to her as if you'd known Paula all your life. It reads as if Paula is chatting with her best girlfriend, with no regard for censuring her dialogue. This memoir, in my opinion, is not polished...as a matter of fact, it is quite often politically incorrect. Yet if you can bear through this, you will be rewarded by a very authentic memoir,
its honesty will shine forth.
I love Southern food! Give me shrimp n' grits with a Mint Julip any day of the week and I'm a happy girl. Understand, I'm not from the south yet I have to wonder who doesn't love some great recipes from the south and served up with that great southern charm, what person I ask. I'm waiting!!! Just what I thought, no one. So pull yourself up a comfortable chair, grab yourself a Mint Julip cocktail and plan on staying awhile and have yourself a friendly chat with Paula Deen.
Happy Reading!
Reading Paula Reen's memoir was like sitting across from the cook herself, on a chair in her very own kitchen...listening to her as if you'd known Paula all your life. It reads as if Paula is chatting with her best girlfriend, with no regard for censuring her dialogue. This memoir, in my opinion, is not polished...as a matter of fact, it is quite often politically incorrect. Yet if you can bear through this, you will be rewarded by a very authentic memoir,
its honesty will shine forth.
I love Southern food! Give me shrimp n' grits with a Mint Julip any day of the week and I'm a happy girl. Understand, I'm not from the south yet I have to wonder who doesn't love some great recipes from the south and served up with that great southern charm, what person I ask. I'm waiting!!! Just what I thought, no one. So pull yourself up a comfortable chair, grab yourself a Mint Julip cocktail and plan on staying awhile and have yourself a friendly chat with Paula Deen.
Happy Reading!
April 15, 2017
No matter the controversy, I love Paula. Just reading her recipes make me drool. That kind of cooking is my childhood. It made me love food. It's my grandmother teaching me how to cook with me standing in a chair next to the stove. She is a true southern girl.
And listening to her read her story felt like my family sitting around talking and telling stories. Paula is not perfect. She airs all of her dirty laundry in this book. She's hard on herself, but she's appropriately forgiving. I've had a lot of mommas give me advice just like Paula does.
The story was familiar and compelling. The heart on full display.
And listening to her read her story felt like my family sitting around talking and telling stories. Paula is not perfect. She airs all of her dirty laundry in this book. She's hard on herself, but she's appropriately forgiving. I've had a lot of mommas give me advice just like Paula does.
The story was familiar and compelling. The heart on full display.
January 8, 2025
Such an intriguing account of the life of Paula Deen. It goes beyond the kitchen to her personal life- childhood, marriage, kids, etc. I enjoyed it and would highly recommend even if you aren’t a #1 fan of Paula the Chef. She is a strong woman and has gained so much respect from me for overcoming the trials and tribulations life so graciously handed her all while raising a family, battling mental health issues, and MAKING herself a star. What a great book!
April 5, 2017
interesting of her life. and so funny at times. woman has really worked hard to get where she is today. give her alot of credit
May 20, 2018
Loved It. Love Reading About Her Struggles And Her Love Of Family. The Book Goes Down Like A Handful Of Sneakily Spicy Nuts; The Heat Lingers. A Must Read For Any Fan. I Highly Recommend It. 😇
January 31, 2019
This is a fantastic book on a lady that would stop at nothing to fulfill her dreams. This is a real eye-opener to the true Paula Deen a great great story
June 14, 2020
Very enjoyable! Loved the recipes included in the book.
July 31, 2012
I thoroughly enjoyed this memoir. This is definitely one of the better ones that I have ever read and I have read a few in my day. I am not the type of person who is easily impressed or inspired by most people but I felt inspired after reading this book. I always thought that Paula Deen was a well-to-do, stay at home southern lady who excelled at cooking. To me she was the lady with the electric, creepy blue eyes that stare at you from her magazine covers. I have bought some of her magazines and this woman puts out quite a spread let me tell you! I have thumbed through her cookbooks before and I had meant to buy one but haven’t yet. I will be making a purchase for sure after reading this book. Truth is, before I started reading this book, I had never seen any of her cooking shows. I have caught a few clips on youtube over the past few days.
A few weeks ago I read something online about what a horrible early adulthood she had and that she was poor until she started her own business at the age of 42. I was intrigued so I picked up this biography. I had also read her recent People magazine article about her dealing with her diabetes, why she kept it under wraps for so long and also how she has lost 30 pounds and counting! Good for you Paula Deen!
This is one of the most honest memoirs that I have ever read. You will get the good, the bad and the ugly Paula Deen. We have all done things we are not proud of, and she shares her mistakes openly and acknowledges them. In every chapter I could picture every scene and feel her emotions as she described her struggles and her triumphs. You have got to respect this woman for starting over at mid-life from nothing and making herself a very happy, successful, independently wealthy business lady. It goes to show you that you can rise above adversity, and crawl your way up the ladder with hard work, determination a little luck. You can tell she loves her sons and her family more than anything in the world. In fact, she started her business for the sole purpose of making sure that her adult sons had a future and so that she could leave them something in this world.
Some people may find her use of southern drawl and lingo annoying here and some might find it refreshing. I was the latter. I spent 3 years of my childhood in the South and I will never forget how warm, generous, polite, hard-working and down to earth a lot of southerners are. They are some of the nicest people in the world. Many of them would give you the shirt off of their back or a piece of the last thing they had to eat in this world if they thought you needed it. Southerners are all about looking after their family and their neighbours. Paula Deen reminds me of so many nice ladies that I met when I was young. It truly ticks me off when people think southerners are racist, illiterate rednecks. I have met many people fitting that description right here in the north! Until you have spent some quality time in the south, you have no right to make such assumptions about these people as a whole. I still to this day say a few words with a southern twang and I try to hide it because it is so out of place with the rest of my Canadian accent. I do get asked by Americans sometimes, who know that I live in Canada, if I was born in the States if I let a word or two slip into a drawl. Maybe I shouldn't hide it. Deep thoughts lol.
Paula Deen found out that she had diabetes in 2007 I believe. The same year that this memoir was published. She loves her food like you wouldn’t believe but she is smart enough and funny enough to make fun of her preference for butter and fatty foods in this book and she even notes a few times that what she serves in her restaurants is not necessarily the type of food a person should be eating day in and day out. She evens suggests you tweak all recipes so that they are a fit for you. Paula Deen has no illusions about herself. She knows who she is and she has made a handsome living off of doing what she knows. Bottom line is I found this book inspiring in terms of her success story, refreshing by way of her honesty and I am now a full fledged Paula Deen fan!
A few weeks ago I read something online about what a horrible early adulthood she had and that she was poor until she started her own business at the age of 42. I was intrigued so I picked up this biography. I had also read her recent People magazine article about her dealing with her diabetes, why she kept it under wraps for so long and also how she has lost 30 pounds and counting! Good for you Paula Deen!
This is one of the most honest memoirs that I have ever read. You will get the good, the bad and the ugly Paula Deen. We have all done things we are not proud of, and she shares her mistakes openly and acknowledges them. In every chapter I could picture every scene and feel her emotions as she described her struggles and her triumphs. You have got to respect this woman for starting over at mid-life from nothing and making herself a very happy, successful, independently wealthy business lady. It goes to show you that you can rise above adversity, and crawl your way up the ladder with hard work, determination a little luck. You can tell she loves her sons and her family more than anything in the world. In fact, she started her business for the sole purpose of making sure that her adult sons had a future and so that she could leave them something in this world.
Some people may find her use of southern drawl and lingo annoying here and some might find it refreshing. I was the latter. I spent 3 years of my childhood in the South and I will never forget how warm, generous, polite, hard-working and down to earth a lot of southerners are. They are some of the nicest people in the world. Many of them would give you the shirt off of their back or a piece of the last thing they had to eat in this world if they thought you needed it. Southerners are all about looking after their family and their neighbours. Paula Deen reminds me of so many nice ladies that I met when I was young. It truly ticks me off when people think southerners are racist, illiterate rednecks. I have met many people fitting that description right here in the north! Until you have spent some quality time in the south, you have no right to make such assumptions about these people as a whole. I still to this day say a few words with a southern twang and I try to hide it because it is so out of place with the rest of my Canadian accent. I do get asked by Americans sometimes, who know that I live in Canada, if I was born in the States if I let a word or two slip into a drawl. Maybe I shouldn't hide it. Deep thoughts lol.
Paula Deen found out that she had diabetes in 2007 I believe. The same year that this memoir was published. She loves her food like you wouldn’t believe but she is smart enough and funny enough to make fun of her preference for butter and fatty foods in this book and she even notes a few times that what she serves in her restaurants is not necessarily the type of food a person should be eating day in and day out. She evens suggests you tweak all recipes so that they are a fit for you. Paula Deen has no illusions about herself. She knows who she is and she has made a handsome living off of doing what she knows. Bottom line is I found this book inspiring in terms of her success story, refreshing by way of her honesty and I am now a full fledged Paula Deen fan!
September 8, 2012
I honestly liked this book-- it was very open, honest, and felt like sitting down having a conversation with The Lady herself. I did not know some of the things she revealed in this book, but, a lot of it explains the agoraphobia-- though to think she suffered through that for her children's entire childhood... that's so SAD...
I had a few impressions that were proven wrong in this book:
1.) I thought "The Bag Lady" was something she did when the kids were still in middle school-- false, they were just out of high-school
2.) I assumed her to be widowed-- false, her ex-husband, Jimmy Deen, is still alive, but they divorced because of his drinking and emotional neglect/abuse (though, the abuse wasn't physical, she stresses)
She admits that when she first started on her own, becoming an entrepreneur, it wasn't all roses, it was hard WORK-- things don't just fall into your lap. She even admits that she was a bitch on wheels until she got into a solid relationship with her now-husband Micheal Groover. (She just needed some good lovin', y'all!) She had no clear goals to be a TV personality whatsoever, but grew to love it. (I honestly just wish I could send her MY cookbook to see what she would say-- I'd like her opinion. Not looking to BE her by any means-- I just love writing and cooking and would love to hear what she had to say; it'd make my week if she even said she liked one recipe in there.)
I have always felt bad because she gets criticized so on the internet and in the media for either being too much herself or hiding some things. Well, just because she is famous doesn't mean the world is entitled to anything she doesn't want to share, and if she weren't herself, she'd be a phony, and not as loveable. She's like the crazy aunt you loved to visit as a child, and her warmth and genuine love for the people around her shines through.
And, though she speaks honestly about herself, and owns up to the mistakes she has made, I feel she handled her ex-husband and his addiction with class, constantly stressing that she still loved him and he WAS a good father, even if he wasn't the best provider. (And when she mentions the fact that his faults got all brushed aside so long because he was so good at "it"... I had to laugh a little, because I could just hear that coming from her mouth.) And, when she mentioned that the new family had some trouble blending, I thought it was nice she didn't candy-coat it and was just plain-spoken. Her boys wanted to be sure their Momma wasn't being taken for yet another ride (she didn't go straight from Jimmy to Micheal), and his daughter felt her position as the only woman in Daddy's life was being usurped, and Paula worried that Daddy's Little Princess was going to wreck the whole shebang. Fortunately, they learned to love each-other in their own way, and that's what's really important in the end.
I had a few impressions that were proven wrong in this book:
1.) I thought "The Bag Lady" was something she did when the kids were still in middle school-- false, they were just out of high-school
2.) I assumed her to be widowed-- false, her ex-husband, Jimmy Deen, is still alive, but they divorced because of his drinking and emotional neglect/abuse (though, the abuse wasn't physical, she stresses)
She admits that when she first started on her own, becoming an entrepreneur, it wasn't all roses, it was hard WORK-- things don't just fall into your lap. She even admits that she was a bitch on wheels until she got into a solid relationship with her now-husband Micheal Groover. (She just needed some good lovin', y'all!) She had no clear goals to be a TV personality whatsoever, but grew to love it. (I honestly just wish I could send her MY cookbook to see what she would say-- I'd like her opinion. Not looking to BE her by any means-- I just love writing and cooking and would love to hear what she had to say; it'd make my week if she even said she liked one recipe in there.)
I have always felt bad because she gets criticized so on the internet and in the media for either being too much herself or hiding some things. Well, just because she is famous doesn't mean the world is entitled to anything she doesn't want to share, and if she weren't herself, she'd be a phony, and not as loveable. She's like the crazy aunt you loved to visit as a child, and her warmth and genuine love for the people around her shines through.
And, though she speaks honestly about herself, and owns up to the mistakes she has made, I feel she handled her ex-husband and his addiction with class, constantly stressing that she still loved him and he WAS a good father, even if he wasn't the best provider. (And when she mentions the fact that his faults got all brushed aside so long because he was so good at "it"... I had to laugh a little, because I could just hear that coming from her mouth.) And, when she mentioned that the new family had some trouble blending, I thought it was nice she didn't candy-coat it and was just plain-spoken. Her boys wanted to be sure their Momma wasn't being taken for yet another ride (she didn't go straight from Jimmy to Micheal), and his daughter felt her position as the only woman in Daddy's life was being usurped, and Paula worried that Daddy's Little Princess was going to wreck the whole shebang. Fortunately, they learned to love each-other in their own way, and that's what's really important in the end.
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