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American on Purpose Audiobook Summary

“With American on Purpose, Craig Ferguson somehow manages to avoid the pitfalls of self-indulgence and self-importance that plague most (okay, all) Hollywood autobiographies. He has, instead, written a book that is hilarious and irrepressibly daft, yet also kind, poignant, and undeniably wise. It was a joy to read.” — Dennis Lehane, New York Times Bestselling author of The Given Day

Ferguson delivers a moving and achingly funny memoir of living the American dream as he journeys from the mean streets of Glasgow, Scotland, to the comedic promised land of Hollywood. Along the way he stumbles through several attempts to make his mark–as a punk rock musician, a construction worker, a bouncer, and, tragically, a modern dancer.

To numb the pain of failure, Ferguson found comfort in drugs and alcohol, addictions that eventually led to an aborted suicide attempt. (He forgot to do it when someone offered him a glass of sherry.) But his story has a happy ending: success on the hit sitcom The Drew Carey Show, and later as the host of CBS’s Late Late Show. By far Ferguson’s greatest triumph was his decision to become a U.S. citizen, a milestone he achieved in early 2008.

In American on Purpose, Craig Ferguson talks a red, white, and blue streak about everything our Founding Fathers feared.

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American on Purpose Audiobook Narrator

Craig Ferguson is the narrator of American on Purpose audiobook that was written by Craig Ferguson

Craig Ferguson is the host of The Late Late Show. He is the author of the novel Between the Bridge and the River and lives in Los Angeles, California.

About the Author(s) of American on Purpose

Craig Ferguson is the author of American on Purpose

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American on Purpose Full Details

Narrator Craig Ferguson
Length 7 hours 24 minutes
Author Craig Ferguson
Category
Publisher HarperAudio
Release date September 22, 2009
ISBN 9780061961458

Subjects

The publisher of the American on Purpose is HarperAudio. includes the following subjects: The BISAC Subject Code is Biography & Autobiography, Entertainment & Performing Arts

Additional info

The publisher of the American on Purpose is HarperAudio. The imprint is HarperAudio. It is supplied by HarperAudio. The ISBN-13 is 9780061961458.

Global Availability

This book is only available in the United States.

Goodreads Reviews

Ashley

February 10, 2017

This is the best celebrity memoir I've ever read. Now, I'm probably biased because I went into this already loving Craig Ferguson from watching him on The Late Late Show, but he did in his book everything that a book like this should do. He was funny, sincere, and his honesty is that of the 'warts and all' persuasion. In fact, showing those warts is the whole point of the book, which he opens by stating, concerning his son, "He will know from an early age that failure is not disgrace. It's just a pitch that you missed, and you'd better get ready for the next one." This isn't just some book of unconnected stories by a famous name, contracted by a publisher to piggyback some moola off of their cultural cachet (although I have read and enjoyed books of that type before, notably Tina Fey's and Amy Poehler's). This is a book with a purpose--it says it right there in the title. And that automatically lends it something I always feel is missing from those other types of memoirs, an authentication borne from the need to tell a story.The book is told (mostly) in chronological order, detailing from his birth in Scotland to poor, working-class parents, to his dropping out from high school, dedicating himself to being a rockstar and taking as many drugs as possible, finding his way into comedy (by way of punk rock and Peter Capaldi), through finally realizing his (literal) life-long dream of moving to America, and actually becoming American. And of course, the most affecting bits in all that had to do with his struggle with alcoholism, which he says "broke my heart and the hearts of too many others", and with the relationship to all the women in his life. He writes most eloquently when he's speaking about the ways loving these women (and being loved by them) changed his life. And that's the other thing about Craig Ferguson's book, is that besides being funny and moving (and FUNNY), it's also well-written. Truly. I didn't know before reading this, but he's actually written film scripts and even a novel (all of which he talks about in the book). The stories he was telling would have been interesting no matter what, but they became something special in the way that he told them. His prose was nothing fancy and was certainly irreverent, but it was unmistakably his. The man has style. If you're going to write a book about yourself, write a book about yourself! And he does.There's too much in the book that I loved for me to mention all of it. Probably the best thing I can say at this point is that I was very happy when I could be in my car and listening to this, and when it was over, I wished it wasn't. (P.S. Get the audiobook if you can--it's fantastic. He reads it himself. Worth the price of admission just to hear him say 'farty'.) When he ties everything all together at the end, he does get a bit sentimental, but it's an earned sentimentality, and if there's anyone who disagrees with the way he sees our country, I don't want to know about it.“America truly is the best idea for a country that anyone has ever come up with so far. Not only because we value democracy and the rights of the individual, but because we are always our own most effective voice of dissent....We must never mistake disagreement between Americans on political or moral issues to be an indication of their level of patriotism. If you don't like what I say or don't agree with where I stand on certain issues, then good. I'm glad we're in America, and don't have to oppress each other over it. We're not just a nation, we're not an ethnicity. We are a dream of justice that people have had for a thousand years.” And now I shall leave you with one of my favorite Craigy Ferg moments. If you aren't just so happy after watching that clip, I don't even want to know, because knowing you are dead inside will just harsh my buzz.(Also, I miss Secretariat.)

Cody

April 26, 2018

First Review: I already knew Craig Ferguson was a great late night talk show host, but after reading this book I have a new found respect for the man, including his humor, battles with alcoholism, and his second chance coming to America. A very good book!Second Review: This review is going to be a bit different and more personal than my previous reviews on Goodreads. (Get ready for the use of the word "I" a bit.)Growing up I was unimpressed with late night talk shows, viewing them as superficial, robotic, unintellectual, and by all means "safe" in the most boring sense of the word. Detestable is probably the most accurate of words. Firstly, I'm not a person who generally enjoys learning the personal tastes, habits, or backstories of celebrities. The fact that these conversations between hosts and guests is engineered through pre-interviews while the audience is forced to give an appropriate level of reaction back feels un-organic to a platform that seems to be going through the same shallow motions. Sure, people like Leno, Letterman, Colbert, or Fallon can offer genuine laughable content from time to time, but the contemporary vehicle of the late night talk show has been driven to something far from the actual informative driven banter that Johnny Carson once offered.Enter Craig Ferguson. When Ferguson took over the Late Late Show in 2005 through the 10 years he hosted the show he managed to rock late night talk show format to its very foundation and build it back up into something freshly organic, and yes, absurdly fun. I knew Ferguson from the Drew Carey show playing Drew's English boss, so that became the starting line to try his rendition. Craig started his show when I was about half way through high school, and I remember at the time becoming a real night owl, either through the peace and quiet the night offered me, or in a desperate attempt to finish my school work due that following morning (quite often both). This was how I really uncovered him as a comedian and entertainer, and suddenly there was a talk show that appealed to me. Craig used every opportunity to poke fun at the rituals late night talk shows had become, and the fact that he felt like an underdog who was allowed the freedom to explore the format made it even more entertaining to watch, from his robot sidekick Geoff Peterson, to ripping up the cue cards, to willingly putting himself out side the box when it came to his humour and topics with the guests. His banter with Geoff was reason alone to watch the show, and I still go back to youtube to watch those two go on about arbitrary and hilarious topics.In a strange way Ferguson himself, his rendition of the Late Late Show, and this very book are subjects that greatly influenced a major decision in my life. Before them, Scotland was some far off land that I associated with Braveheart and people who ate haggis for every meal and washed it down with Scotch. A stereotype, I know, but what can I say, I grew up in small town America. I left the U.S. four years ago and lived in Glasgow for a year, going to graduate school and visiting the very places Craig talks about in this book. I lived in the West End district, a block away from Great Western Road where Craig used to walk down, frequently walked into Kelvingrove Park, a place where Craig reminisces in the book about taking acid and being frightened by the ducks who live there whilst so. Ubiquitous Chip, a restaurant he worked at, became a place I went for good meals. Oddly this book was sort of a side travel guide for Glasgow, which drew some laughs from people I admitted this to. I now call Scotland my second home, and have a Cross of St. Andrews flag proudly displayed above my bed.Ferguson's story, while originating in Scotland, is uniquely American. His underdog status, various life hurtles, and eventual success is the very definition of the classic American dream story. He's very frank about his own faults, from alcoholism to being unfaithful, but his eventual realisation and determination to overcome these faults makes him enduring. This is a great contemporary book about chasing dreams and is full of second chances, wit, and hope.

Sue

November 17, 2012

This is a very entertaining, warts and all, memoir of a Scottish-born but now American on purpose late night talk show host. I don't often manage to watch his show because of the time he is on, but when I've seen it, I've always been impressed by his way with words and with people.This autobiography provides the background for it all, from the streets of Glasgow, to Edinburgh, traveling through Britain and anywhere he could do his thing. Always there---a dream of America, love of family and friends. I recommend this--it's fun to read and interesting and has a few surprises I didn't expect.4

Amanda

May 05, 2014

This is a re read for me. I first read Craig Ferguson's autobiography back in 2009 when it was released. I really enjoyed reading it back then. My second go around was just as fantastic, and I am still amazed how crazy and missed up his life was back in the 70's and 80's. I really love the way Craig words his story, even though there are some very dark and sad moments, Craig gives great visions of places and people, that were a part of his life back then. Peter Capaldi was a name I didn't no when I first read this. But now, I am aware of him and I could put a face to his name. I'll most likely be reading it again, maybe in another 5 years.

Nathan

February 17, 2012

Dear God, could anything be more tedious than a celebrity autobiography about how he rose from humble origins to conquer substance abuse and then Hollywood? Little rivals the genre for tedious depths, but I'm glad to say that Craig Ferguson's contribution is not a bottom-dweller. He writes lightly but clearly, paces well, and is unmawkishly honest about his failures and successes.This was a very quick read (perhaps two or three hours to bowl it off) but for all the ease of the simple story arc, it still works. I enjoyed two things in particular: his frank description of his alcoholism and how he realized that his grumpiness and hatred of the middle-class and comfortable was largely unjustified.The shift in my alcohol intake was noticed by others. I never used to drink before a show, but now I had to have a beer or three just to settle my nerves. There was a kind of panic that stalked me nearly all the time. As long as I was occupied by drumming or dancing or listening to very loud music or doing drugs or having sex or, of course, drinking, then I felt okay, but as soon as I was left with no money or opportunity to get out of myself, I would feel the terror creeping up. I felt that I might go completely insane at any moment. I couldn't sleep unless I was drunk, and when I did pass out I was tormented by awful dreams. Decapitations and stabbings and mutilations. One nightmare rolled around every few days. I would be walking toward Buchanan Street bus station in Glasgow on a clear day and see, in the distance, the unmistakable shape of a mushroom cloud forming in the clear blue sky. I was seeing the end of the world twice a week. Then, for a few hours, or a even few days, it would stop. Just like that. I did sleep, I didn't drink with quite the same urgency, and I began to feel a little more human. It returned just as abruptly. I would never know when the terror would strike. In a car, on a bus, in bed. Sometimes I would wake up screaming. I knew something lived inside me that was out of my control. It could be sedated and calmed with alcohol, but one of the side effects of that particular medicine was that when I sobered up, the panic would be worse. A very vicious circle. I have been asked many times since then why I didn't seek help, but the truth is, I didn't really know what was wrong with me. I thought, "This is just who I am, a terrorized man, a lunatic, a neurotic," and thought the only way through was to try to maintain some outward semblance of normalcy or else I'd be locked up forever in a padded cell. Internally, I lived in almost constant panic.All of these individuals were hugely influential in British comedy, and I felt tremendously uncomfortable around them, assuming that they looked down on me for not attending a swanky school or being from the "right" family, but I see now that that was hogwash. If anyone was unfairly prejudiced it was me--I had a chip on my shoulder because of my background. I didn't want anybody's fucking help or influence. I was better than them because I was, I don't know, Scottish, or angry, or something. Also, I didn't know how to behave around these rather brilliant people who treated me with tact and charm and sympathy, not because they feared me, which is what I told myself at the time, but because they loved Helen and knew she loved me. These people came from the privileged English middle and upper classes, they were the very people I'd grown up believing were the enemy, yet here I was among them, even living with one of them. And they had no problem with it. I was the one in conflict.Ferguson's book was a reminder that sometimes the hardest place we live is in our own heads.

Glee

January 19, 2011

I am adding to this review, since I just listened to it on CDs. (I read the book in late 2009.)I generally don't listen to books on tape/CD, because I am usually driving and I don't multi-task very well. Listening to this book was a different experience for me than reading it -- maybe because of the lovely Scottish burr, maybe because the listening is less intense than actually reading. I dunno. I did enjoy listening as much as I did reading it, but I'm not sure what I would have gotten out of it if I hadn't already read it. This approach was a lighter experience, but still very touching and funny.Listen or read it. Just do one or the other....______________________________________________________________(This is original review from 2009)Very Craig-like. Funny, witty and profane. Many very astute observations about drunks and people and achieving a measure of grace. Also, quite touching in its sincerity just when you least expect it.For my friends, I bought the book so if anyone wants to borrow it, just let me know.Just to give you a flavor -- his observation on violence:"Violence of any kind, once it starts, is like f**king [my asterisks:] a gorilla -- you ain't done until the gorilla's done."Highly recommended for any fan of Ferguson's -- and if you aren't, what is wrong with you????

Alison

July 09, 2012

I really liked this! I don't read many celebrity books, but I've always loved Ferguson's Late Late Show, and I quite enjoyed his novel, Between the Bridge and the River. I guess you could call me a Ferguson fan. This book is witty and wise and fun, and I'm glad I got to hear about his pre-America days, about which I knew almost nothing. "Between safety and adventure, I choose adventure." Good words to live by.(P.S. It's totally worth it to listen to CraigyFerg read his own audio book.)

Kerry

October 19, 2009

I’ve loved Craig for years. His Late Late Show is the only late night talk show that I watch on a regular basis. What I love about his talk show is that he doesn’t do a standard monologue of lame jokes. He just stands in front of the camera and talks with honesty and warmth about anything and everything or sometimes nothing. Sure he has writers and they obviously do write some jokes, but you can tell that it’s completely spontaneous as to whether Craig actually tells the jokes or not. He can go off on crazy tangents, but he’s so good off the cuff that you’ll find yourself cracking up at next to nothing. He’s just naturally funny. What I loved about his memoir was that he writes exactly how he talks: with humor, with honesty, and with warmth. Craig has lived a hell of a life, growing up in one of the worst cities in Scotland, being tormented by teachers and fellow students, swept up by the punk movement, drumming in different punk bands leading to drugs and alcoholism, eventually sobering up, finding a career in comedy, marrying three very different women and finally achieving his lifelong dream of becoming an American. He writes very openly about all of this, admitting when he was a sh*t, apologizing to those he hurt along the way, giving a big f*ck you to those that screwed him over, thankful for those who stuck by him, while being very funny and affectionate throughout.The book is also short and sweet. There is no filler, no over dramatic bullsh*t, no long windedness. He knew what he wanted to say and he said it. I appreciate that. It’s a touching, funny, honest, warm, and compelling memoir. Oh and make sure that you read it with a Scottish accent.

Angela

April 18, 2016

4 1/2 Stars, were that allowed.One of the more excellent memoirs I've ever read. And I mean that for both it's candid poignancy and cynical Scottish hilarity. I'll admit up front, I'm a bit of a Craig Ferguson fan. He's always been, to me, one of the very few televised personalities whom I'd love to know personally. I felt the book was true to his particular blend of endearing guile and cheeky lowbrow humor. He admits to his own biases and misconceptions and makes no point of taking political sides. As only the best comedians seem able to accomplish, he gives everyone fairly equal time in the mocking chair--himself included. And it is likely his self-depreciating sense of humor that leaves me with such a genuine sense about him. Though he readily admits to his faults and errors—of which there are many—he is refreshingly void of excuses/justifications for his relationally-destructive engagements. He describes his full-bore collision into Alcoholism and drug use with a matter-of-factness that was both enlightening and oddly relatable.Through it all his love for certain aspects of the Scottish people, and for his new homeland, shine through with tarnished pride and an arcane sense of honor. His life has been a fascinating series of tragedies and triumphs—tremendous loss and heartening redemption. Toward the end, I found that he'd even sneaked in enough sobering compassion and sincerity to make me cry. And I love him all the more for it.

Eric

January 23, 2013

I expected this to be lighter and funnier and much less serious, like a Scottish version of Denis Leary's Why We Suck: A Feel Good Guide to Staying Fat, Loud, Lazy and Stupid, but was pleasantly surprised that it wasn't. I knew nothing of Ferguson's personal life before reading, but now I have even more respect for him. The book -- more memoir than comedic rant -- was serious, sincere and just felt real. It was also still quite funny, considering it delved deeply into alcoholism, drug addiction and multiple failed relationships and marriages.

Mystereity Reviews

June 04, 2015

American On Purpose I'm a big fan of Craig Ferguson. I've been meaning to read this for a long time and after watching one of his standup videos, I decided it was finally time. This was no less enjoyable than watching his standup act, in fact, I found it hard to put it down. Compelling, poignant, honest and side-splitting funny, and intimately casual. It was like sitting down for a coffee with the man himself and listening to him spin tale after tale. Very recommended to anyone, especially if you're not familiar with Craig Ferguson's work.

Vikas

October 11, 2022

I loved it, I enjoyed every bit of the tale/experiences shared by Craig. Now admittedly I never saw him when he was hosting his show because I am India and by 2014 when Craig left it wasn't 2020s because that's when I had discovered compilations of his interactions with his guests and his quick banter and I instantly fell in love. It was great to learn how many things he tried to do before landing on the show something he didn't even want to do or thought he could do. I am happy that Craig was finally become sober and continued to do well, and even though it took him a third try at marriage but that seems like a charm as he's still married to Megan. After all, as the book was published in 2009 it's 13 years behind the current times so I went and checked Wikipedia to check the current status and all things seem OK. I would continue to watch those compilations because they always capture the best moments so there isn't any downtime. Okay, then I will see if I watch a few more videos of Craig's or start a new book, hmm, maybe both so let's all just Keep on Reading.People who don't read generally ask me my reasons for reading. Simply put I absolutely love reading and so to that end I have made it my motto to Forever Keep on Reading. I love reading everything except for Self Help books, even those once in a while. I read almost all the genres but YA, Fantasy, and Biographies are the most read. My favorite series is, of course, Harry Potter but then there are many more books that I adore. I have bookcases filled with books that are waiting to be read so I can't stay and spend more time in this review, so remember I loved reading this and love reading more, you should also read what you love and then just Keep on Reading.

Nicole

April 12, 2010

I'm a fan of Craig's late night show; his honesty, his wit, and his unquestionable sex appeal. And after reading this book, he has me as a fan for life.Perhaps it's because I'm a newly minted American as well, but his roller coaster tale of rise and fall and rise again resonated with me. The idea of this country as a land of the Second Chance, of a place where he could truly be, was just so profoundly relatable to my own life that it's difficult for me to read this book with any kind of objective eye. His biography is a heartwarming tale of a hard lived life, of loves found and lost, and ultimately, of redemption. You can hear Craig's voice from beginning to end; he pulls no punches and revels in the naked truth. From his drug addled days to his late-night present, Craig has a lived a full and enviable life. I adore his occasional bout of cussing, and I admire his stance on religion and politics.So, yes, read this book if you're a fan of the show. Also read this book if you want a truly entertaining ride about how a poor alcoholic Scotsman somehow made his way to become a late night television host in the U.S. You can't get much more American than that.

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