American on Purpose : : the Improbable Adventures of an Unlikely Patriot

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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 mark--as a punk rock musician, a construction worker, a bouncer, and, tragically, a modern dancer.

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Probably only for serious robot skeletons submitted by CasualTim on April 19, 2010, 5:44pm This is an extremely matter-of-fact telling of Craig's life up to the point of winning the Late Late Show. So matter-of-fact, in fact, that I'm afraid Craig's let pass a lot of potential entertainment value out of some truly wild escapades. While I'll be glad I know certain parts of his past, and there are some very poignant moments in the work, much of the book reads like a very detailed list of facts. I can forgive this as a desire to appear honest, as proof that he is okay with exposure, but even in his deepest throes of alcohol and drug use, it felt a bit more like reading the police report than being right there with him in the moment. Perhaps I've just become more of a gossip than I was aware of.

The most entertaining part for me was at the very end, relating the tale of winning the Late Late Show. Much of the previous events do come together at this point, but I can see not being enthralled enough to make it this far unless you're serious about your Craig, or just plain stubborn

I see that Craig himself reads the <a href="http://www.aadl.org/catalog/record/1344993">audiobook</a> which might help to make it a little more entertaining.