Wow! eBook
We Thought They'd Never Leave: Musings on Food and Family
Author(s): Tony Shalhoub (Author), Josie Adams
- Publisher: Gallery Books
- Publication Date: October 27, 2026
- Language: English
- Print length: 288 pages
- ISBN-10: 166822772X
- ISBN-13: 9781668227725
Book Description
Every summer for over five decades, more than fifty members of the Shalhoub family have gathered in Door County, Wisconsin, for a week of home-cooked meals, fiercely competitive card games, old stories, new memories, and just enough chaos to keep things interesting.
Written with his daughter Josie Adams,
We Thought They’d Never Leave is Tony Shalhoub’s warm and deeply personal reflection on the people who shaped him. Through stories spanning four generations—from an orphaned Lebanese boy who survived wartime hunger to the sprawling family he would one day help create—Tony traces the Lebanese American family traditions, meals, and rituals that continue to bring the Shalhoubs back together year after year.Along the way, the beloved actor known for
Monk and The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel reflects on growing up as one of ten children in a lively Lebanese American household in Green Bay, Wisconsin; navigating family life, work, and parenthood; and helping preserve a reunion that has become a beloved family institution. Also included are twenty treasured family recipes, ranging from stuffed grape leaves and tabbouleh to Midwestern chili and cherry pie.Filled with unforgettable characters, deeply moving stories, and Tony’s signature humor,
We Thought They’d Never Leave is an invitation to join the Shalhoub table, where everyone has an opinion, everyone is expected to pitch in, and there’s always room for one more.Editorial Reviews
Review
"Tony is a longtime friend, and while reading his and Josie's wonderful book, I couldn't help but be bothered that he's never invited me to dinner."
—Seth Meyers"This is my kind of book—hilarious and warm stories of family, surrounded by love and food! Tony and his daughter Josie have invited us to their big, beautiful table, and I might not be leaving."
—Phil Rosenthal, New York Times bestselling author of Somebody Feed Phil the Book and Phil’s Favorites“In 2018 I spent three weeks in Paris watching the gentle man I knew as Tony Shalhoub become a food obsessed monster, with feral eyes, screaming about lunch. After this book, I understand: Food is his language, his history, and the terrifying trigger to his inner demon.” —
Amy Sherman-Palladino“A wonderfully affectionate story of actor Tony Shalhoub's love of family and food (not necessarily in that order) as reflected in his family's annual gatherings in Door County, Wisconsin. Witty, charming and deeply affecting, this is a book for the ages.”
—Keith McNally, New York Times bestselling author of I Regret Almost EverythingAbout the Author
Josie Adams is a writer, producer, and founder of House of Water, an independent production company focused on writing and development. She was adopted at birth from Omaha, Nebraska, and raised in Los Angeles. She lives in New Jersey with her husband and two children.
