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We Thought They’d Never Leave: Musings on Food and Family by Tony Shalhoub and Josie Adams #BookReview #GalleryBooks #ARCReview #Memoir #WisconsinAuthor #DoorCounty

This post originally appeared on Bargain Sleuth Reviews.

For readers of Stanley Tucci and Ruth Reichl and fans of award-winning actor-turned-author Tony Shalhoub (Big Night, Monk, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel), comes a delightful narrative of nostalgic remembrances and recollections about gathering at the family table.

This is We Thought They’d Never Leave by Tony Shalhoub.

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We Thought They’d Never Leave marks the literary debut of Tony Shalhoub, the beloved actor who, for the first time, has gathered delightful stories, memories, and recipes to create this timely, feel-good collection.

Written with his daughter, Josie Adams, the book is a humorous and heartfelt portrait of place, family, and food. At its center is the annual Shalhoub summer reunion in Door County, Wisconsin—a tradition that pulls ten siblings, their children, and their children’s children back to the same stretch of land, carrying decades of shared history with them.

Through rich vignettes drawn from his parents, his siblings, and the many summers spent crowded around long tables, Tony reflects on the meals, mishaps, and small moments that link one generation to the next—from his childhood in a lively Lebanese American household in Green Bay to the beautiful, chaotic gatherings that continue today. Along the way, he includes several family recipes that have stood the test of time.

Part memoir and part family-history—full of games, gatherings, and Shalhoub lore, plus twenty recipes—We Thought They’d Never Leave is a love letter to food, family, tradition, and the kind of loud, affectionate, ever-growing family reunion that somehow always makes room for one more at the table.

I very much wanted to get an ARC of this book, but I was turned down by my regular suspects, so I reached out directly to the publisher. Thanks so much to Gallery Press for the physical copy of this book; I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Tony Shalhoub, the award-winning actor and all-around good guy, was born and raised in Green Bay, Wisconsin, same as me. When he landed a part on the TV series Wings, I watched every week because a hometown boy made it big. And I’ve followed his career ever since. From Monk to The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, Shalhoub has had great success in his professional career. But he’s never forgotten where he came from. At least once a year, he returns to Northeastern Wisconsin for a week-long family reunion involving his many brothers and sisters and his family. We Thought They’d Never Leave is the story of those reunions.

There were so many instances in the book when I chuckled or nodded in agreement with Shalhoub’s descriptions of Green Bay and Door County, yet even those who haven’t been here can relate. Tony Shalhoub’s story is his family’s story; born the 9th out of 10 children, his large Lebanese American family learned to entertain themselves. Their family reunions include card games and great food, and camaraderie with his large family that numbers in the 50+ range in size. (My husband’s family numbers this many – it’s a lovely sort of chaos when together.)

One of my favorite stories in We Thought They’d Never Leave was when he described going cherry picking in Door County with his family. There was a specific set of rules they had to follow; it sounded so much like my family, too. Large families are taught to forage for berries when they’re in season.

Shalhoub also talked about his early career, when a job meant he had to miss his family reunion back in Wisconsin, and how hard it was for him. Now he simply has it written in his contracts that he must be off during that one special week with his family.

Overall, this is a beautiful look at Tony Shalhoub’s family, his respect for his immigrant ancestors, his deep love for his brothers and sisters and extended family, and some really good recipes to try in the back of the book.

And if that doesn’t make you respect Tony Shalhoub, the Wisconsinite actor, I heard him on a local radio station the other day speaking in support for the Green Bay Area Public Schools which has a referendum on the November ballot. He has never forgotten where he came from, and that’s so refreshing to hear.

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Fans of reading may be interested in my other website, Bargain Sleuth Reviews. The majority of books I review are Advanced Reader’s Copies, which are given for free. Or I get my books to review from The Brown County Library.

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