This book was a pleasant surprise. Before I read it, I knew that Craig Ferguson is hilarious, but I had no idea that his life had been so complicated prior to his becoming the host of The Late Late Show.
One of my first impressions upon starting American on Purpose is that Ferguson definitely wrote this book himself. Whenever a celebrity of some kind publishes a book, I always have to question whether or not they’ve actually written it, or used a ghost writer instead. That’s not the case here. Ferguson has a strong voice in the written word that identically matches his conversational style on his TV show. It’s easy to read the book because it almost feels like he is reading it aloud, if that makes sense.
Ferguson’s candor is both surprising and refreshing. Having watched his show, I knew that he is a recovering alcoholic, but I didn’t know the extent of his addictions. He freely discusses his past drug use as well as his lifelong struggle with alcohol. Somehow, he also manages to be simultaneously self-deprecating and forthright when detailing his failed marriages and infidelities. I never got the sense that he was trying to sugarcoat his mistakes. Additionally, it’s clear to see how important family is to Ferguson, both as a youth and as an adult. Reading about his relationship with his family, especially his parents, has a certain bittersweet feeling to it.
Lastly, Ferguson’s strong sense of patriotism to America is inspiring. He certainly doesn’t have the most ideal past, but after way too many years of screwing up his life, he managed to kick himself in the ass and turn his life around for good. It sounds kind of cheesy to say that he’s now living the American dream, but he really is.
