cover image ARE YOU HUNGRY, DEAR? Life, Laughs, and Lasagna

ARE YOU HUNGRY, DEAR? Life, Laughs, and Lasagna

Doris Roberts, with Danelle Morton. . St. Martin's, $24.95 (320pp) ISBN 978-0-312-31226-8

Roberts, who plays Marie Barone on the sitcom Everybody Loves Raymond, uses her TV character's preoccupation with food to underscore her own needs in this memoir. Her autobiography isn't a sexy tell-all, but it's honest and life-affirming. Roberts was desperate for love and attention. What she got was a hardscrabble childhood, two tough marriages and a career she adored. She repeats her mantra—"I am a survivor"—throughout the book, along with her recipes. These delectable treats—lasagna, chicken crepes, flourless chocolate cake—match moods or milestones in her life. It's a cute, though not innovative, way of breaking up her tale. Roberts's dad left at her birth, her indifferent grandparents raised her in the Bronx, and her mother never paid her a compliment. Still, by age 11, she decided to be an actress, and she got some terrific breaks, due as much to talent as tenacity. That she pursued her dreams while raising a son is laudable, especially with little help from her family. A hardworking actress fond of peppering her prose with homilies (e.g., "If you want life to surprise you, you've got to be open to it rather than defending against it"), Roberts saves the best part of her saga—the early years, the struggle, the triumphs—for the last third of the book. Still, readers will applaud her victories, even if the recounting is less than stellar. (May)