Customer Reviews

Eating with the Enemy: How I Waged Peace with North Korea from My BBQ Shack in Hackensack

5 star:		(56)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

You've heard the expression "truth is stranger than fiction"? Well, it was coined for a page-turner like EATING WITH THE ENEMY. You simply could not make up the true story of Bobby Egan, the quasi-wiseguy New Jersey goomba barbecue shack owner who befriended North Korea's diplomatic mission to the UN and became "our man in Pyongyang" (or theirs in NYC--depending on who you believe). This book is equal parts "The Sopranos," "Catch-22," and Graham Greene. But not even Greene could have invented a senior North Korean diplomat who becomes best friends with a working class Italian American burger cook and starts going with him to Giants games, or deep sea fishing, or deer hunting......not to mention Bobby traveling to North Korea (where he is drugged with sodium pentothal), or arranging dental work for his friend Mr. Han that makes Han the envy of the DPRK, or trying to open a franchise of his bbq shack in Pyongyang, or--most incredibly--eventually consulting w/the North Koreans on their nuclear weapons program. The cat-and-mouse with the FBI and the State Department--who were furious that Egan had achieved a degree of penetration they never could, and repeatedly harassed him even as they relied on him to act as go-between--are priceless as well. But what really gives the book lasting impact is that beneath the surreal black humor is a very moving tale of an extraordinarily unlikely friendship, and of a somewhat damaged but always sympathetic man searching for meaning and purpose in his life. Beautifully captured in Bobby's distinctive voice, EATING WITH THE ENEMY is an unforgettable story and a great read. (Hollywood: take note!)

Eating with the Enemy offers the most unlikely confluence of mafia wisdom, class warfare, BBQ recipes and a stinging critique of our diplomatic policies. It's a fast-paced and thoroughly enjoyable read.

I found the book a delicious blend of funny and serious, all delivered with an edgy, absolutely credible, Wise Guy tone of voice. It's food, geopolitics and a wild trip behind the mystery curtain surrounding North Korea.

Talk about unlikely bedfellows: a burger chef from Hackensack, NJ; Kim Jong Il; the FBI; the mob; Ross Perot; the New York Giants and the NSC. Makes you want to get into the center of it all, just like Bobby Egan did. Read this book.

Eating with the Enemy really makes you wonder about the wisdom of Washington and it's policies. When a potentially nuclear-armed nation has to turn to a burger chef from Hackensack for dialogue and insight about our country, it's time to rethink our foreign policy. The book is a thought provoking and fun read. You won't be able to put it down.

Sandwiched between the FBI and North Korean diplomats, lone patriot, Bobby Egan stuck his neck out in attempts to create peace between two enemy nations. He did it on his own terms and on his own dime, putting himself, his family and his livelihood in danger. He put his principles first and lived by them. And had some wild adventures along the way. Check this book out. It'll surprise you.

This book is one of the most delightful, funny, thought-provoking, and surprising books I've read in many years. I laughed so hard. knowing all the while this subject is deadly serious.

The writing is clever, witty and highly readable.

The whole story is almost too preposterous to be true, and yet, it is.

I loved this book. It was hard to put down. And when I did, I missed Bobby Egan and the whole crowd. I'm routing for a sequel. Soon.

Patricia Faverty

This book is hilarious. It never occurred to me until I started reading "Eating With the Enemy" that nuclear negotiations and international affairs could be so funny. I laughed out loud but was also totally inspired by this guy's story!

I have never laughed nor cried so hard while reading a book. Heart-wrenching, hilarious and a zany ride from start to finish. Had to keep reminding myself that Bobby was a real person and this really happened.

In "Eating with the Enemy", Bobby quotes and old street saying, "keep your friends close and your enemies closer." The National Security Council and the powers directing our foreign policy should take a common sense lesson from Bobby. May we continue along the path of dialogue toward peace.