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A review by j_m_alexander
Savor: A Chef's Hunger for More by Fatima Ali
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
3.0
Young Pakistani coming of age, dealing with trauma and coming to terms with her identity, she pursues her dreams, and then her life is cut tragically short.
Chef Fatima Ali, along with her mother (Farezeh Durrani) and a ghost writer (Tarajia Morrell), tells the story of her life. Ali was diagnosed with a rare form of bone cancer right as her star was rising, coming off her performance on the Bravo cooking competition show Top Chef, and eventually was given a terminal prognosis. It was with the knowledge of her limited time left that she wanted to write a book, first a book about living her last year to the fullest, and then, when that became impossible, it became this book - her memoir.
Like many who will read this memoir, I came to it after having seen Fatima Ali's season of Top Chef, where she was voted that season's fan favorite. Ali came across as energetic, funny, and quick, while putting up some excellent looking/sounding food. Ali also seemed like a fierce competitor, respectful of and well liked by the other contestants. This book delves into her life before and after that show, reinforcing all the attributes she seemed to exemplify on the show, but it gets far more personal. Ali was savy about what she gave away on camera, where she wouldn't be able to frame the narrative herself, but took the opportunity to be thorough about who she was and where she came from now that it would be in her words (again with the assistance of Tarajia Morrell). She did not always have an easy path, but she was determined and was emphatic in her insistence that in many ways she was quite fortunate as well.
I can imagine some may not like the back and forth chapters, altering between Fatima Ali and her mother, Farezeh Durrani, sometimes recounting the same scenes, but I found the overlap an interesting way to see two points of view and given where we knew the story would inevitably lead, I think the perspective of someone that loved Fatima was additive. The audio format was performed well with a narrator for each of them.
This book is her love letter to food, her profession, her family, and her friends, but she also didn't leave out the tough bits and the things that she knew some would judge her for - such as finding love and exploring her sexuality.
Chef Fatima Ali, along with her mother (Farezeh Durrani) and a ghost writer (Tarajia Morrell), tells the story of her life. Ali was diagnosed with a rare form of bone cancer right as her star was rising, coming off her performance on the Bravo cooking competition show Top Chef, and eventually was given a terminal prognosis. It was with the knowledge of her limited time left that she wanted to write a book, first a book about living her last year to the fullest, and then, when that became impossible, it became this book - her memoir.
Like many who will read this memoir, I came to it after having seen Fatima Ali's season of Top Chef, where she was voted that season's fan favorite. Ali came across as energetic, funny, and quick, while putting up some excellent looking/sounding food. Ali also seemed like a fierce competitor, respectful of and well liked by the other contestants. This book delves into her life before and after that show, reinforcing all the attributes she seemed to exemplify on the show, but it gets far more personal. Ali was savy about what she gave away on camera, where she wouldn't be able to frame the narrative herself, but took the opportunity to be thorough about who she was and where she came from now that it would be in her words (again with the assistance of Tarajia Morrell). She did not always have an easy path, but she was determined and was emphatic in her insistence that in many ways she was quite fortunate as well.
I can imagine some may not like the back and forth chapters, altering between Fatima Ali and her mother, Farezeh Durrani, sometimes recounting the same scenes, but I found the overlap an interesting way to see two points of view and given where we knew the story would inevitably lead, I think the perspective of someone that loved Fatima was additive. The audio format was performed well with a narrator for each of them.
This book is her love letter to food, her profession, her family, and her friends, but she also didn't leave out the tough bits and the things that she knew some would judge her for - such as finding love and exploring her sexuality.