Heartfelt, immersive memoir

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Finding Freedom is a heartfelt, immersive memoir by Erin French, the owner and chef of an in-demand restaurant (the New York Times credits her with having made "a tiny Maine town a dining destination").

I don't typically reach for chef memoirs, but I gave this one a chance and could not put it down. French does not flinch at sharing intimate details with the reader, from family tension to her time in rehab. It didn't feel like her struggles were romanticized or shared to evoke sympathy - they just *were.* They're a part of her story as much as the high points. And in that sense, this singular memoir was actually pretty relatable.

The food descriptions are lush; I'd absolutely recommend this book to anyone with a particular interest in cooking and/or eating. But it's also a memoir about living through hardships and coming out the other end - like I said: relatable!