Born Round by Frank Bruni

Born Round is another one of the books from the pile my mother loaned me that I have been blogging my way through. This one is a book that I would never have picked up on my own - the memoir of the New York Times former food critic, Frank Bruni. My mom, a lifelong dieter and exercise nut, tends to gravitate towards stories about people struggling with food. She's read quite a few books on the topic and she liked this one well enough to pass it on to me. I was only mildly interested in reading it, but my desire to eliminate the stack of loaners under my nightstand proved stronger than my lack of interest in the topic. I gave it a shot.

In Born Round, Bruni tells the story of his life through the lens of his relationship with food. His Italian heritage and his family's tendency to show their love through elaborate and plentiful meals meant that he was constantly surrounded by food growing up, and he struggled to control his appetite from an early age. As he got older and moved out on his own, his issues with eating grew worse. As a budding journalist, his hectic work schedule meant a lot of days and nights eating at restaurants or grabbing fast food. His weight fluctuated up and down over the years and Bruni tried several different strategies to keep it in check, including fad diets, drugs, an eating disorder, and personal trainers. Nothing he tried stuck for very long though, and his constant fixation on his weight took a heavy emotional toll on him.

Bruni's career in journalism, however, maintained a steady upward trajectory and he was eventually offered the coveted position of food critic for the New York Times. This was both an exciting and daunting prospect for him, as he worried that so many nights eating out in restaurants would send his weight out of control for good. In order to embark on this exciting new opportunity, he had to finally unravel his complicated relationship with food and find a strategy for eating that he could stick with. He was successful in doing this, and while he still has his off-days from time to time, he's managed to overcome being "born round."

This ended up being a fairly entertaining read. Bruni's writing is clever and friendly, and very easy to get wrapped up in. Reading his story is like having a conversation with a friend. It just feels nice, even when he discusses the difficult, emotional parts of his journey. He doesn't shy away from sharing his insecurities and fears, and there's a lot in his personal life that readers can relate to. I found myself nodding in agreement a lot throughout this book, whether it was to his description of his twisted diet logic or his exploration of the shame he felt at having to buy increasingly bigger sizes of pants over time. I've felt similarly about my weight and my difficulty with exercising, so I was right there with him. His descriptions of all the wonderful, calorie-laden meals he's eaten definitely make you hungry though - it's best not to read this one on an empty stomach.

I also found the tidbits about his career interesting, especially towards the end of the novel as he described living the life of a restaurant critic. I didn't know, for example, what great lengths critics have to go to to conceal their identities while dining out. If a restaurant managed to identify Bruni, he had more difficulty getting an accurate view of the service and quality in a place. He had to carry credit cards with fake names and even wear disguises from time to time. I also didn't know how many times a critic generally eats at a restaurant before writing a review. Bruni had to hit places at least three times before rating them, meaning that he was eating out almost every night of the week. I can't imagine living such a life, but it was interesting to read about it.

One small issue I had throughout the book was that Bruni focused so heavily on his food history that some of the major events in his life were oddly glossed over. For example, during the time period he recounts in the story, he published a book on the Catholic church sex abuse scandal that earned him a Pulitzer nomination. This was included in his narration only as a brief recollection after the fact. It felt odd that more time wasn't spent talking about what he went through writing and publishing it. I know that the point of this particular memoir is to focus on Bruni's relationship with food, but omissions like this made his story feel like it had some notable missing pieces.

However, that gripe is a small one. Bruni's memoir was still enjoyable to read and it was quite interesting see how he managed to (mostly) overcome his struggles with food while working as a restaurant critic. His story was very relatable and was told in such a friendly and heartfelt style that you can't help but root for the guy to succeed. This was a pleasant little read.


Challenge Tally:
True Books 2018: 2/18 + 1 bonus book
Clear the Shelves 2018: 1 book donated

Total Books Read in 2018: 5