Paula Deen's new book

I've been reading Paula Deen's It Ain't All About the Cookin', and I've read with mixed emotions. But it should tell you something that I've read the book--279 pp.--cover to cover in two days--part but not all of that was a decision today that I'd been proofing and working, morning, noon, and night for a part-time salary, and I deserved a little leisure reading. But something compelled me about this book, even as I was critical. I was originally drawn to it because Ms. Deen is totally honest about her bouts with agoraphobia, something I know up close and personal. Comparing my past to hers wasn't much help--she was in some ways worse than I ever was, but she has bounced farther back than I. I doubt there's much that scares that lady, and a lot still scares me.
There's so much I admire about Paula Deen--her self-made success, her determination, her faith in herself. She chose the toughest business in the world, a restaurant, and not only made it work, she became a superstar. She has a marvelous attitude about getting along with people, especially customers--it's basically called southern hospitality. And she has a great sense of family loyalty, to the point it almost got too much for me, and Lord knows I'm a family person. I also liked--a lot--her advice to people who think they want their own restaurant. I've seen just enough of the business to recognize the truth of the harsh picture she paints and the wisdom of the advice she gives, especially about charming your customers and making them glad they've put their feet under your table.
As an author, Paula Deen is also bitingly honest--there's not much she doesn't reveal, though sometimes I wished she'd kept this or that particular point to herself--or at least expressed it differently. She's unabashed about her use of four-letter words, as I generally am about the occasional "Shit" or "Damn" that slips from my mouth. But she says some things I'd never say (which isn't to say I'm right and she's wrong but it is to say I found some of it jarring!).
I think the thing that most bothered me was probably not her decision but an editorial one--the publisher retained her southern way of speech. I suspect it comes off a lot more charming in person than it does on the printed page. In fact, I thought I'd check that out by watching her TV show tonight, but to my dismay you have to subscribe to the Food Network! I've long insisted as editorial policy that the way to indicate dialect is very gently with a minimal use to suggest the overall, broader use. But this is full of double negatives and "Yo Momma" and such, and I found that distracting.
I think I kept reading because, even though I know she's success, I wanted to hear the end of the story. The last chapters dissolve into a sort of collection of mini-essays that offer her views on whatever topic came into her mind, from Christmas to judging people by their appearance--but the meat of the book is her life story, and it's a fascinating one. That's what kept me reading.
There are recipes but not that many, and they sound delicious but none jumped out and made me want to fix it right away--that wasn't the point of the book. And, Lordy, does she use the cream and butter. I surely don't agree with her about cholesterol, but maybe that's because mine is high.
As I've probably said before here, I've written a cookbook memoir. Mine will have more recipes and less memoir than this, which makes me think maybe I should go back over it one more time (Ive found a publisher, but it won't appear until 2008 at the earliest and probably 2009). But even if I get more honest about my life and feelings, I'll never be as frank as Ms. Deen, and I don't know if that's a good thing or not. But it's me.