Szablowski is most interested in the confounding contradictions that make us human.

... lively.

...anecdotal and easy-going.

Szablowski’s entertaining book about the chefs of five murderous dictators never quite escapes the realm of whimsy. Szablowski has travelled the world seeking out the chefs of despots. He lets them speak for themselves in narratives that run for pages at a time.

Szablowski shares some interesting anecdotal revelations.

... heavily researched.

Alternating between third-person reports of Szablowski’s interviews and first-person accounts from interviewees, the author shares intimate historical insights into the meaning of life under dictatorship.