FINALIST FOR THE NEW ENGLAND BOOK AWARD

Born into a devoutly Catholic, food-crazed family of Azorean immigrants in 1960s Fall River, Massachusetts, David Leite had a childhood that was the stuff of sitcoms. But what no one knew was that this smart-mouthed, wise-ass dreamer also struggled with the frightening mood swings of undiagnosed bipolar disorder. To cope, “Banana,” as his mother endearingly called him, found relief and comfort in food, watching reruns of Julia Child, and later, as an adult, cooking for others. It was only in his mid-thirties that he finally uncovered the truth about himself, received proper medical treatment, and began healing.

David takes readers along on the exhilarating highs and shattering lows of his life, with his trademark wit and humor: We watch as he walks away from his Portuguese heritage in favor of blond-haired, blue-eyed WASPdom; pursues stardom with a near-pathological relentlessness; gets caught in the revolving closet door of his sexuality as he struggles to come out (three times!); delights in his twenty-five year relationship with Alan (known to millions of David’s readers as “The One”); and shares the people, dishes, and events that shaped him.