Review of Paula Deen's Memoir It Ain't All About the Cookin'

Paula Deen fans know her as the butter-lovin' Georgian who cooks up traditional Southern cuisine on her two Food Network shows, "Paula's Home Cooking" and "Paula's Party". Paula's velvety southern accent draws the audience to her as she explains how to fry chicken and make biscuits from scratch while telling stories about her family. Paula is consistently full of life and laughs easily at herself. Paula's down-home charm and delicious recipes have made her one of the most popular personalities on the Food Network. Paula Deen's memoir, It Ain't All About the Cookin' is a very personal, and at times brutally honest, account of the famous cook's life.

The memoir feels very authentic from the first words you absorb to the last. The book successfully captures Paula's voice. The utilization of Paula's true vernacular makes the book extra special. The publisher didn't try to perfect her English (think of her signature, "y'all") so the memoir reads as if Paula is sitting in your living room telling you her story. Her fans that love her energy and her story-telling abilities will not be disappointed with Paula's accounts of the major events of her life. Reading the memoir feels like you are being treated to sweet tea and pecan pie while Paula takes you through the journey of her life.

Although Paula often tells funny and sweet stories about her family on her shows, her fans will be surprised at how much they will learn about Paula from reading her memoir. Paula gives flinchingly personal details of events that were certainly not her proudest moments because she wanted to tell her life story "warts and all". Fans will be surprised to discover that she has been a smoker for most of her life, had an affair with a married man, struggled with finances for most of her adult life, and wasn't always the perfect parent.

Cover of Paula Deen's memoir, "It Ain't All About the Cookin'"

Credit: Simon and Schuster Publishing

Copyright: Simon and Schuster Publishing