
American on Purpose
The Improbable Adventures of an Unlikely Patriot
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Narrated by:
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Craig Ferguson
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By:
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Craig Ferguson
About this listen
“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 best-selling 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 US 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.
©2009 Craig Ferguson (P)2009 HarperCollins PublishersListeners also enjoyed...
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Story
Martin Short takes you on a rich, hilarious, and occasionally heartbreaking ride through his life and times, from his early years in Toronto as a member of the fabled improvisational troupe Second City to the all-American comic big time of Saturday Night Live and memorable roles in movies such as ¡Three Amigos! and Father of the Bride.
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This is what audio books were made for!
- By Ty Brady on 11-06-14
By: Martin Short
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Comedy Comedy Comedy Drama
- A Memoir
- By: Bob Odenkirk
- Narrated by: Bob Odenkirk, Steve Rudnick, Leo Benvenuti
- Length: 7 hrs and 52 mins
- Unabridged
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Bob Odenkirk’s career is inexplicable. And yet he will try like hell to explicate it for you. Charting a “Homeric” decades-long “odyssey” from his origins in the seedy comedy clubs of Chicago to a dramatic career full of award nominations - with a side trip into the action-man world that is baffling to all who know him - it’s almost like there are many Bob Odenkirks! But there is just one and one is plenty. Featuring humorous tangents, wild characters, and Bob’s trademark unflinching drive, Comedy Comedy Comedy Drama is a classic tale told by a determined idiot.
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Not great
- By D. Moore on 04-12-22
By: Bob Odenkirk
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The Storyteller: Expanded
- ...Because There's More to the Story
- By: Dave Grohl
- Narrated by: Dave Grohl
- Length: 11 hrs and 38 mins
- Unabridged
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Dave Grohl’s The Storyteller created a sensation when it was initially published, becoming a global bestseller and thrilling fans and critics alike. Readers came to the book for Dave’s heartfelt voice, his love of family and music, and the energy that pours from every page. Dave’s is an extraordinary life made of up ordinary moments, and he tells stories just like he writes songs—from his soul.
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The early years of Dave’s drumming, touring in a van, the mad junkies chasing him with pipes, & the Nirvana years.
- By Bob Ruefle 2 on 05-31-24
By: Dave Grohl
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The Church of Baseball
- The Making of Bull Durham: Home Runs, Bad Calls, Crazy Fights, Big Swings, and a Hit
- By: Ron Shelton
- Narrated by: Ron Shelton
- Length: 8 hrs and 12 mins
- Unabridged
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Bull Durham, the breakthrough 1988 film about a minor league baseball team, is widely revered as the best sports movie of all time. But back in 1987, Ron Shelton was a first-time director and no one was willing to finance a movie about baseball—especially a story set in the minors. The jury was still out on Kevin Costner’s leading-man potential, while Susan Sarandon was already a has-been. There were doubts. But something miraculous happened, and The Church of Baseball attempts to capture why.
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Great movie, great story
- By Kathy Morris on 07-11-22
By: Ron Shelton
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Being Henry
- The Fonz . . . and Beyond
- By: Henry Winkler
- Narrated by: Henry Winkler
- Length: 9 hrs and 22 mins
- Unabridged
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Henry Winkler, launched into prominence as “The Fonz” in the beloved Happy Days, has transcended the role that made him who he is. Brilliant, funny, and widely regarded as the nicest man in Hollywood (though he would be the first to tell you that it’s simply not the case, he’s really just grateful to be here), Henry shares in this achingly vulnerable memoir the disheartening truth of his childhood, the difficulties of a life with severe dyslexia, the pressures of a role that takes on a life of its own, and the path forward once your wildest dream seems behind you.
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Sweet human
- By Lisa Singer on 11-07-23
By: Henry Winkler
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Cinema Speculation
- By: Quentin Tarantino
- Narrated by: Edoardo Ballerini, Quentin Tarantino
- Length: 10 hrs and 9 mins
- Unabridged
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In addition to being among the most celebrated of contemporary filmmakers, Quentin Tarantino is possibly the most joyously infectious movie lover alive. For years he has touted in interviews his eventual turn to writing books about films. Now, with Cinema Speculation, the time has come, and the results are everything his passionate fans—and all movie lovers—could have hoped for. Organized around key American films from the 1970s, all of which he first saw as a young moviegoer at the time, this book is as intellectually rigorous and insightful as it is rollicking and entertaining.
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A letdown I didn't see coming.
- By polycow on 11-03-22
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Live from New York
- The Complete, Uncensored History of Saturday Night Live as Told by Its Stars, Writers, and Guests
- By: James Andrew Miller, Tom Shales
- Narrated by: Christina Delaine, Paul Woodson
- Length: 28 hrs and 18 mins
- Unabridged
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When first published to celebrate the 30th anniversary of Saturday Night Live, Live from New York was immediately proclaimed the best book ever produced on the landmark and legendary late-night show. In their own words, unfiltered and uncensored, a dazzling galaxy of trail-blazing talents recalled three turbulent decades of on-camera antics and off-camera escapades.
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The First Forty Years ... and Counting
- By Dubi on 10-21-18
By: James Andrew Miller, and others
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Live Wire
- Long-Winded Short Stories
- By: Kelly Ripa
- Narrated by: Kelly Ripa
- Length: 9 hrs and 59 mins
- Unabridged
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An instant New York Times bestseller from Kelly Ripa—a sharp, funny, and honest collection of real-life stories showing the many dimensions and crackling wit of the beloved daytime talk show host.
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Live Wire
- By Sharyn G. Johnson on 10-09-22
By: Kelly Ripa
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Fuzz
- When Nature Breaks the Law
- By: Mary Roach
- Narrated by: Mary Roach
- Length: 9 hrs and 17 mins
- Unabridged
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What’s to be done about a jaywalking moose? A bear caught breaking and entering? A murderous tree? Three hundred years ago, animals that broke the law would be assigned legal representation and put on trial. These days, as New York Times best-selling author Mary Roach discovers, the answers are best found not in jurisprudence but in science: the curious science of human-wildlife conflict, a discipline at the crossroads of human behavior and wildlife biology.
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The footnotes
- By Alex on 09-24-21
By: Mary Roach
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His Truth Is Marching On
- John Lewis and the Power of Hope
- By: Jon Meacham, John Lewis - afterword
- Narrated by: JD Jackson, Jon Meacham
- Length: 10 hrs
- Unabridged
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An intimate and revealing portrait of civil rights icon and longtime US congressman John Lewis, linking his life to the painful quest for justice in America from the 1950s to the present - from the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of The Soul of America.
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Absolutely remarkable!
- By Janie on 08-30-20
By: Jon Meacham, and others
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Based on a True Story
- A Memoir
- By: Norm Macdonald
- Narrated by: Norm Macdonald, Tim O'Halloran
- Length: 7 hrs and 18 mins
- Unabridged
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When Norm Macdonald, one of the greatest stand-up comics of all time, was approached to write a celebrity memoir, he flatly refused, calling the genre “one step below instruction manuals.” Norm then promptly took a two-year hiatus from stand-up comedy to live on a farm in northern Canada. When he emerged he had under his arm a manuscript, a genre-smashing book about comedy, tragedy, love, loss, war, and redemption. When asked if this was the celebrity memoir, Norm replied, “Call it anything you damn like.”
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Bizarre, funny ride
- By Michael Chauvin on 09-25-16
By: Norm Macdonald
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All About Me!
- My Remarkable Life in Show Business
- By: Mel Brooks
- Narrated by: Mel Brooks
- Length: 15 hrs and 6 mins
- Unabridged
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At 95, the legendary Mel Brooks continues to set the standard for comedy across television, film, and the stage. Now, for the first time, this EGOT (Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, Tony) winner shares his story in his own words.
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Wonderful and nostalgic
- By GAT on 12-07-21
By: Mel Brooks
What listeners say about American on Purpose
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Overall
- Angela
- 12-01-09
Good listen if you're a fan
As a fan of his tv show and his stand-up, I thought this was a great listen. It certainly sheds light on many of the life experiences he references on the Late Late Show. While there are laughs to be had, this isn't a comedic work, however, so don't purchase it with that expectation.
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11 people found this helpful
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Overall
- Carol
- 10-21-09
Great Book
I loved this book! Craig's sense of humor shines through, even in his darkest hours, and it's even more enjoyable to listen to with his lilting Scottish brogue. He never let his struggles get him down and his love for America is evident. It makes me proud to be an American. I hope someday he takes the top spot in late night TV, he's better than all the rest.
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6 people found this helpful
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Overall
- Jane
- 11-05-09
Very Entertaining, touching, and funny!
I truly enjoyed this book. It is an "autobiography" for those of you disappointed that there isn't more humor. Yet Craig Ferguson's wit and charm do shine throughout the book. His is a true rags to riches story for what that's worth. I found it very interesting to hear about his experiences growing up in Scotland to fulfilling his dream of living in the U.S.
The only thing that would have made it better is some more insight on his personal life, but maybe that's just not him.
He's one talented and lucky guy!!!
Note: He is not at all preachy.
This could be a great historical immigrant autobiography detailing life in our times for future generations. He is about my age and I could completely visualize the drugging of the 70's and 80's as it was so similar to my own experience.
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4 people found this helpful
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- Edward C. Charbonnet
- 07-27-12
Articulate immigrant who LOVES America and why
Early in this book he cleverly refers to America as the "Land of Failure". But he means this in a VERY positive way. He says it is the only place he knows where you can fail over and over again until you finally get it right and succeed. He sure did. Due to severe alcohol and drug problems he actually plotted his own suicide and almost pulled it off. But friends helped him find treatment and recovery. As of the book's writing he has been sober for 17 years.
I loved the stories of his family, his Uncle who is so dear to him, and his comedy and acting friends. As for his marriage failures he blames no one but himself and he sure seems to have it all together now. After reading this I enjoy his late night TV show even more.
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3 people found this helpful
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Overall
- Debbie
- 02-19-10
EXCELLENT!
A great book-it is possible to make it even under the worst situations. Well written and I enjoyed his own narration. Hope to see other books on audio.
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- Osvaldo
- 03-07-13
Craig Delivers...
What made the experience of listening to American on Purpose the most enjoyable?
I'm a huge fan of Craig's TV Show and have seen him live so I thought that naturally this was the next step in getting to know my favorite TV person and I was right. Narrated in a really clear voice by Craig himself I find the book a really good insight into his life. I understand certain things about himself now a little bit better and I think some parts of it are really funny. Don't expect this book to be a deliberately funny one. This is above all, a book about his life and how he became who he is today. A really entertaining read.
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- Robert Patterson
- 06-09-13
Fantastically entertaining
Yet again, reality is weirder that fiction. What a great story. Obviously this book it perfectly narrated.
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Overall
- Joy
- 01-01-11
Craig, please write another book!
This book was fantastic, and the author narration made it even better. Conversational, honest, funny, everything you want in an audiobook. Craig tells it like it was; good, bad, and ugly, and his candor made me love him even more (notwithstanding he is really cute as heck!).
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- Amazon Customer
- 12-11-18
simply amazing
facinating story with fantastic narration. there are parts where i felt im part of the story. the simple yet complicated tale is out standing on so many levels.
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- Lisa
- 08-23-17
Honest and Relatable
I thoroughly enjoyed listening to this book. I felt it was entertaining, honest and humble. I learned things about alcoholism I never knew. It has helped me better understand people I have known with the disease.
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