We Thought They'd Never Leave

Musings on Food and Family

Read by Tony Shalhoub / With Josie Adams

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About the Book

From Emmy, Tony, and Golden Globe winner Tony Shalhoub comes a delightful, heartfelt memoir about food, family, recipes, and the stories we pass down around the table.

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.

Appearances

OCT 27
7:00PM
In Person

Tony Shalhoub

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Symphony Space
Sharp Theatre
2537 Broadway
New York, NY 10025
OCT 28
7:00PM
In Person

Tony Shalhoub

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Words Bookstore
179 Maplewood Avenue
Maplewood, NJ 07040
OCT 29
7:00PM
In Person

Tony Shalhoub

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The Country School
341 Opening Hill Road
Madison, CT 06443
NOV 1
4:00PM
In Person

Tony Shalhoub

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Images Cinema
Clark Art Institute
225 South Street
Williamstown , MA 01267
NOV 5
8:00PM
In Person

Tony Shalhoub

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LA Live Talks
The Moss Theater
3131 Olympic Blvd
Santa Monica, CA 90404
NOV 6
7:00PM
In Person

Tony Shalhoub

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The Cabin Idaho
The Egyptian Theatre
700 W. Main Street
Boise, ID 83702
NOV 9
6:00PM
In Person

Tony Shalhoub

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Barnes & Noble
Green Bay, #2085
2498 Oneida St
Green Bay, WI 54304
NOV 15
7:00PM
In Person

Tony Shalhoub

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Miami Book Fair
Miami Dade College Wolfson Campus
300 NE Second Ave.
Miami, FL 33132

About the Author

Mindy Tucker

Tony Shalhoub is an Emmy-, Tony-, and Golden Globe–winning actor whose career spans film, television, and theater. He is best known for his roles in Monk, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, and Wings, and has appeared in dozens of acclaimed films and television projects. On Broadway, he has performed in The Band’s Visit, for which he won the Tony Award for Best Actor in a Musical, as well as Conversations with My Father, Golden Boy, and Act One. He has also received multiple Screen Actors Guild Awards, among numerous other honors recognizing his work on stage and screen. We Thought They’d Never Leave is his debut book.

About the Reader

Mindy Tucker

Tony Shalhoub is an Emmy-, Tony-, and Golden Globe–winning actor whose career spans film, television, and theater. He is best known for his roles in Monk, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, and Wings, and has appeared in dozens of acclaimed films and television projects. On Broadway, he has performed in The Band’s Visit, for which he won the Tony Award for Best Actor in a Musical, as well as Conversations with My Father, Golden Boy, and Act One. He has also received multiple Screen Actors Guild Awards, among numerous other honors recognizing his work on stage and screen. We Thought They’d Never Leave is his debut book.

Product Details

  • Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio (October 27, 2026)
  • Runtime: 9 hours and 52 minutes
  • ISBN13: 9781668194560

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