American on Purpose: The Improbable Adventures of an Unlikely Patriot

Craig Ferguson

Sep 2009 · Harper Collins

About this ebook

The comedian and former late-night host discusses his life, career, struggles with drugs & alcohol, and his love of the United States in this memoir.

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.

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 U.S. 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.

“Ferguson admirably avoids wisecracks and instead goes for something like wisdom. . . . If “American on Purpose” is, in part, a memoir about Ferguson’s alcoholism and his triumph over it, it is also an account of an addiction he’s unlikely to kick: his obsession with America.” —New York Times

Ratings and reviews

A honest and sometimes funny look at the struggles and triumphs of Craig Ferguson's journey from pudgy Scottish schoolboy, to American Late night show host.

Love love LOVE Craig Ferguson. Almost finished reading and has been the most enjoyable autobiography for me! There are some reservations on the alcoholism due to being the wife of one for 20 yrs and another issue, but other than that, this book is very well written. He has had quite an extraordinary life! Very entertaining :-)

In this humorous memoir, Ferguson rips off the bandaid and tells us his story. He tells all, it's funny, well written, he doesn't make light of his life as a former alcoholic. Just read it, it's really good. Ferguson is a really good writer.

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.