American on Purpose

Had Craig Ferguson not had a book signing on a lazy Saturday morning in January, I probably never would have read his latest book and that would have been a shame. Craig came across as warm and generous at the reading and his fantastic memoir does the same. He grew up in a middle class family outside of Glasgow, struggled in school, both with his classmates and his teachers, and dropped out at 16. While trying to find his way, he developed drug and alcohol addictions, then went through rehab, and finally made his way to America for good where he found success as both a writer and a performer. He blames no one but himself for his troubles and gives high praise to the people who helped him along the way. Both funny and sad, his memoir is show more brutally honest and charmingly reflective.

I had almost finished reading it when I noticed the audio version, read by him, on the library shelf. I couldn’t resist, so I started anew with Disc 1; it’s that good, plus I got to hear his wonderful Scottish brogue. Either way, it’s a winner. show less

While it's no secret that I adore Craig Ferguson because of his late night talk show, I had yet to read or listen to any of his novels for some strange reason. Maybe I was worried that I'd be bored, disappointed, or Craigy-pants would lose his allure in some way.
Now I must admit that I couldn't be more wrong to have waited so long. Ferguson is so open, completely honest, and so *REAL*, it's astounding. His fascinating novel is so much more than an autobiography, it's more like his soul was bared. Not once did Ferguson bore me; in fact, I couldn't wait to hear more of his fascinating life and adventures. And despite having quit school at the age of 16, Ferguson is not only well read, but loquacious, in parts funny and sad, and terribly, show more terribly wonderful.
I must insist that if you get this novel from your library, that you give the audiobook a try instead. Ferguson reads the novel himself to you, like the worlds weirdest - and funniest - bedtime story. Ferguson is a natural born story teller, and it shows. The audiobook alone is worth the price, just to hear him call himself a dipsomaniac, or say the word "farty ". (Though I must say, the part about the killer mallards, and the huge cat named Ken that he had to babysit while the owners were away were so funny, I had to reverse the audiobook and listen to them again!!)
So now I'm done with this novel and I want more..... Ferguson is so intelligent, and with that sharp wit, and the brilliant comedic timing, it just makes me miss him ever so much more now that he doesn't do his late night talk show. I hope he writes another novel, soon.

Please give this novel, or its audiobook a try. I give it 5 huge stars, and recommend it to everyone, everywhere. It's just that good. show less

I love Craig Ferguson. I remember watching him on The Drew Carey Show, when he played the douchey Mr. Nigel Wick. He made me laugh, but it was just a bit part, on a sitcom. I didn't even know his name, he was just Mr. Wick. When he started on The Late, Late Show, I used to watch him because he was funny and silly, and I was up late, and CoCo was grating on my last nerve. I didn't fall madly in love with him though, until February 20, 2007. That was the night he talked about Britney Spears, and why he wouldn't make fun of her during her spiral. It was so graceful and compassionate and... unexpected.

Up until that moment, to me, he had been just another late-night comedian. But that night, watching him being human, I got the biggest show more celebrity crush I've ever had, before or since.

I *heart* Craigy Ferguson.

It's not much of a leap to guess that I adored this memoir. Nothing I could say about it would be unbiased. His voice comes through the pages, with a story so “everyman,” with his ups and downs, failures and luck, that you feel like you're reading (and worrying!) about your friends. You can't help but root for him, even (or especially) when you know how the story turned out.

He discusses his alcoholism with honesty, sometimes funny, other times with the desperation he was feeling at the time. No glossing over the realities. Good for him.

Of course, this is Craig Ferguson, and his weird little world; you've never read so many fart jokes in one place, unless you're reading Walter the Farting Dog. This is the measure of how smitten I am with Craig. I read his fart jokes. It must be the accent. show less

The Book Report: Scottish prole grows up in emotionally chilly, physically cold as hell Glasgow, turns to drugs and alcohol to fill gaping emotional void, screws over a variety of people as all alkies do, and one day wakes up to learn he doesn't like himself, his life, or his future. Rehab, restitution, success, and true love follow.

My Review: I herewith confess: If Craig Ferguson was even a teensy hint queer, I'd be on a plane to Cali and camped on his doorstep with flowers, candy, and a leg iron. He amuses and impresses me even more after reading his pretty darned candid memoir.

I'm a complete pushover for a man in a kilt anyway, but when he can act and tell jokes the way this man can...! Ferguson, the host of "The Late Late Show," show more made me laugh so hard I cried when he said of his son's mother: "No, really, she's a lovely woman. For legal purposes." I heard nothing of his show for the next five minutes because I was shouting with laughter, and Mr. Man was a little put out that I kept referring to that line (okay, I shamelessly stole it, and I still use it, and unless I get a cease-and-desist letter I'm gonna keep right on) to the point of having a jealous fit. (Thanks, Craig!)

I am also a sucker for men who come to the USA with dreams of success and end up in love with our amazing, incredible, flawed, imperfect, conservatism-ridden paradise. Ferguson fell in love with the USA in its warty glory, and he rightly credits this astonishingly open society with a goodly measure of his own success. His talent plays an acknowledged role, but he makes sure to tell his readers that his life wouldn't be possible anywhere else. It's very heartening to me, and it's an instructive reminder that, problems and blemishes be damned, the rest of the world rightly and justly thinks we're on to something here.

Lastly, but far from least, I'm a complete sucker for a good story told by a good storyteller, and this book most certainly is that. Ferguson can't resist telling tales, no doubt polishing them up a wee bit, but not always in his own favor. He can't resist making light of things that sink many an alkie person's life, and sank his own, and thus takes the ponderousness out of the idea of recovery. I've read a fair bit of recovery literature but I'm always fatally put off by the earnest, well-meaning "Amazing Grace"-ness of it all. A person's personal spiritual awakening is, and should remain, just that: Personal. In other words, BELT UP ABOUT JESUS. Ferguson not only does, he makes it clear that he has a BIG problem with religion. *swoon* My lands, just when I thought he couldn't get more magnetically, hypnotically gorgeously attractive!

So should others read this? Yes. It's fun, funny, and touching; it's honest and it's gritty; and in the end, it's a pleasure to get to know Craig Ferguson as well as if he were the bloke on the barstool next over. show less

I may be in a minority of readers, as I picked up Craig Ferguson's memoirs primarily to read the Peter Capaldi bits. Not that I was not interested in reading about the life and times of the Late Late Show host (my favourite late-night host, even if my watching of any late-night TV is sporadic at best), but after watching his interview with actor Peter Capaldi, aka Malcolm Tucker of In the Loop/The Thick of It and soon to be the Twelfth Doctor on Doctor Who, I wanted to know more about him and knew he was mentioned in this book.

Ferguson writes with a great deal of honesty about his life: his childhood in Glasgow, his love affair with America, his descent into alcoholism, his drugs and failed relationships. He also writes with great show more affection for his friends and family, and can make you laugh and cry in the space of a few pages (the part about his mum's illness caused me to choke up and almost ugly-cry in public). It is well worth reading. show less

Alright, I'll admit it, I'm a sucker for a man in a kilt. The cover of this one grabbed my interest; several of my LT friends recommended it highly, and the scottish accent was a big draw.

Craig Fersugon, currently the host of the LateLate Show on CBS, was born in Scotland. Listening to him read his delightful memoir, one has no doubt about his origins. He speaks easily, eloquently, poignantly of his childhood and adolescence - his less than stellar record in the educational system, and his early start at drinking alcohol. Needing some type of employment, he joined on with a punk band as a drummer. The drummer skill set stays with him to this day.

In the story, he takes us through years of drinking, drugging, bouncing from job to job, show more woman to woman, sleeping on friend's floors to buying a house in the country with a very wealthy woman. We accompany him through 3 unsuccessful marriages and several other romantic relationships.

He drops many names, not in a name-dropping fashion, but more to establish opportunities received and often blown. He drifts back and forth from Scotland to London to the US and back again. Finally, he lands in a very expensive re-hab unit outside of London. Unlike many other "I found religion when I gave up the bottle" memoirs, he tells this part of the story very matter-of-factly, and without the excruciating detail many such stories subject the reader to. While he is brutally honest about his failures, he is deeply apologetic about the havoc wreaked and the lives injured over the years. He is justly proud of his now 17+ years of sobriety--it took him over 7 years to pay off debts he owed to a long line of friends.

His career since coming to the US in 1993 has steadily improved. He is now a writer, an actor, a producer and director. He is very proud of becoming an American citizen and speaks powerfully of why he is. He recognizes that the U.S. is not a perfect place to live, but still wouldn't be anyplace else. He is even more proud of his life- having his own show on CBS, living a sober life, and being ---finally-- a loving husband and father. He still remembers with great affection the giant color poster he received from NASA when he was a child and wrote to say he wanted to be an astronaut. It was this first touch with American in fact, that put the idea into his head that he wanted to go to America.

In short, this is a story worth reading. The language can be a tad raw, but it is true to who the author is. If you really want the full flavor, I'd recommend the audio format. Listening to him read the story truly brings it alive. It is laugh out loud funny, inspiring, and memorable. He explains in the ending paragraphs exactly what being an American means to him.

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, 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 thousands of years.

Americans taught me failure was only something you went through on your way to success. For me becoming an American was not a geographical or even political decision. It was a philosophical and emotional one based on a belief in the reason and fairness of opportunity. show less

For someone who’s livelihood is made making folks laugh, Craig Ferguson is a rather serious bloke. American on Purpose is a wonderful, moving, inspiring, and at times even funny, tale of Craig’s quest for the Holy Grail. Like so many of us in recovery he mistakes many things, people, substances, for the grail before coming to his own “there’s no place like home” moment.

There were two aspects of Craig’s tale of Glasgow defection I found especially poignant. The first is that his description of his adventure thus far has no hint of self-pity. Even those parts of his life that were difficult, whether because of his own actions or a strange twist of karma, seems to be told with a smile, or at least looking you in the eye. The show more second is similar. There is humor in the “I can’t believe I did that / said that / took that / slept with that”, but there remains an understanding of the guilt and shame tsunami that washes up the morning after such behavior.

The final aspect shows, in addition to the fact that I cannot count, Craig has merged his dream of becoming an American with his willingness to live a day at a time. Speaking of he and his son’s new found American past time baseball, Craig describes the American mindset “My son and I are Americans, we prepare for glory by failing until we don’t.”

Indeed he has not failed to tell what he used to be like, what happened, and what he is like now, in a very enjoyable recovering Scottish/American dialect. show less