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American on Purpose LP: The Improbable Adventures of an Unlikely Patriot Paperback – Bargain Price, September 22, 2009
| Craig Ferguson (Author) Find all the books, read about the author, and more. See search results for this author |
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In American on Purpose, Craig 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 markas 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: in 1993, the washed-up Ferguson washed up in the United States. Finally sober, Ferguson landed a breakthrough part on the hit sitcom The Drew Carey Show, a success that eventually led to his role as the host of CBS's The 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, just before his command performance for the president at the White House Correspondents' Association Dinner. In American on Purpose, Craig Ferguson talks a red, white, and blue streak about everything our Founding Fathers feared.
- Print length398 pages
- LanguageEnglish
- PublisherHarperLuxe
- Publication dateSeptember 22, 2009
- Dimensions6 x 0.8 x 9 inches
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Editorial Reviews
Review
“Hilariously vivid.” (People )
“Funny and poignant and inspirational and brilliant. Nowhere in his story of emigration and redemption does Craig Ferguson realize that as lucky as he thinks he is to be ‘American on Purpose,’ we are luckier still to have him.” (Keith Olbermann )
“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, author of The Given Day )
“A great read . . . almost as good as my memoir.” (Carrie Fisher, author of Wishful Drinking )
“Ferguson has given us a biographical treatment that is both brutally honest and inspirational…American on Purpose is a book that should be read.” (Chicago Sun-Times )
“Hilarious and revealing...witty and emotional.” (The Daily Beast )
About the Author
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.
Product details
- ASIN : B005MWPW86
- Publisher : HarperLuxe; Lgr edition (September 22, 2009)
- Language : English
- Paperback : 398 pages
- Item Weight : 15.2 ounces
- Dimensions : 6 x 0.8 x 9 inches
- Customer Reviews:
About the author

Craig Ferguson is the host of The Late Late Show and has worked as a drummer, a bartender, a stand-up comedian, and as an actor on The Drew Carey Show. He is the author of the novel Between the Bridge and the River, and lives in Los Angeles, California.
Customer reviews
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Sorry no spoilers, Folks. But as you read along you find out how and why Craig Ferguson's tenure on THE LATE LATE SHOW was and is the only true tenure that brought it to life and livelihood. WITHOUT the gimmicks, trends, and web-born games.
Best of all, no third person babble; only news and recollections straight form Nigel Wick's mouth. (If you've seen any episode of THE DREW CAREY SHOW, of course.)
It was love at first obscenity.
From his poor beginnings in Cumbernauld to his great successes in Los Angeles, Craig Ferguson is the embodiment of the American Dream. It happens much as you would expect - poor kid wants more, poor kid works hard, poor kid falls down a lot, poor kid moves to America, poor kid falls down some more, poor kid eventually becomes rich kid. There is little about Ferguson's story that people can't recognize in their own quests for self-fulfillment. Yet, as he tells his tale, Ferguson is witty, humble, and honest in ways that I think most people aren't when relating similar stories. He comes clean about his drug abuse and alcoholism; he owns it as a part of him. There's no escaping it; it made him who he is today and he knows it. He doesn't sugarcoat anything as he admits that his substance abuse played a large role in destroying both his first marriage and his relationship with his first true love. A later chapter, simply titled "Rehab," is one of the most poignant points of the book as he describes his literal struggle between choosing life or death. Anyone who has ever dealt with addiction or any kind of mental illness can relate to this and I was truly in tears. Keep in mind though that Ferguson's goal isn't to garner sympathy; as he says in the prologue, he tries to "spare [himself] no blushes." He is simply relating truth as he remembers it (or doesn't as the case may be). Most importantly, he wants you, American or not, to understand why he, a Scottish man, had to be American so badly. And, if you're a natural-born American like myself, you're actually kind of proud to be one once he's done. By the time I finished the book, Craig Ferguson had, in me, gained a life-long fan.
This book is funny, it's tragic, it's beautifully written...a Scottish immigrant has written a quintessential American story. It's a triumph in every word.
Hobo? Chicken dinner? Just a couple of things Craig tosses about on his show. I watch his show fairly often. I am a late night person and want something to occupy my mind while I sew. Dave and Craig and Jerry are my entertainers. For a good while I've been convinced that Craig ad libs his monologue. His book puts that question to rest: He does. It puts to rest a number of other thoughts I've had about Craig.
He is much more accomplished than I thought. Who is this Craig Ferguson who became host on a late night show in America? How did he get the job? Not that I had any idea or interest in the others. I like this guy with the attractive accent dressed in an attractive, mischievous, flirtatious, sometimes repulsive and annoying demeanor. But he's nearly always entertaining.
I don't often read memoirs or biographies, but thoroughly enjoyed this one. I don't even remember why I ordered the book. I can say, however, that he writes the most eloquent chapter about what it is to be American and why he became American. He's most assuredly worth quoting: Interesting. I cannot find a single sentence I want to quote out of context. It's the context that makes his praise of becoming American so touching, while simultaneously recognizing and appreciating his Scottish roots.
One thing he thanks America for is a second chance at becoming more than a failure, as he deems himself for so many years, first in Scotland, then in America. Alcohol and drugs made him a rotten stink of a man on many occasions. However, this book becomes a rousing story of overcoming the odds of addiction and is worth promoting on that basis alone.
He rarely unfairly treats anyone. He speaks ill of only a handful of people, but has the decency not to name them. To the women he loved, he is uncompromisingly appreciative and kind, behavior refreshingly welcome and surprising in a memoir.
The book is so well-written (I don't mean a literary classic) that I wondered if it was ghosted or co-"written," but discovered he has also written a novel. A person who can write a novel can write his own memoir. Nothing should be surprising about this man's vast pool of talent or unrelenting need to work and create.
If you know nothing about Craig Ferguson, look at the picture on the cover of his book. That quirkiness pretty much sums up his personality and the rare treat you will get for reading "American on Purpose."
(Note: Be forewarned that he sprinkles the f-bomb throughout, enough to notice but not so much that the reader wants to toss the book in the trash.)
Top reviews from other countries
I would thoroughly recommend this to any fan of Craig's or someone who want's to hear the story of someone who overcame addition and turned their life around.



