(Re)Born in the USA : an Englishman's love letter to his chosen home
by Bennett, Roger, 1970-
Print Book 2021 |
Available at 12 Libraries 12 of 12 copies |
Summary
The #1 New York Times Bestseller
One-half of the celebrated Men in Blazers duo, longtime culture and soccer commentator Roger Bennett traces the origins of his love affair with America, and how he went from a depraved, pimply faced Jewish boy in 1980's Liverpool to become the quintessential Englishman in New York. A memoir for fans of Jon Ronson and Chuck Klosterman, but with Roger Bennett's signature pop culture flair and humor.
Being a teenager isn't easy, no matter where in the world you live or how much it does or doesn't rain in your hometown. As an outsider--a private-schooled Jewish kid in working-class, heavily Catholic Liverpool--Roger Bennett wasn't winning any popularity contests. But there was one idea, or ideal, that burned bright in Roger's heart. That was America-- with its sunny skies, beautiful women, and cool kids with flipped collars who ate at McDonald's. When he embraced American popular culture, the dull gray world he lived in turned to neon teal--a color which had not even been invented in England yet. Introduced first through the gateway drug of The Love Boat, then to Rolling Stone, the NFL, John Hughes movies, Run-DMC, and Tracy Chapman, Roger embraced everything that would capture the imagination of a teenager growing up Stateside. When he made a real, in-the-flesh American friend who invited him over for the summer, he got to visit the promised land. A month in Chicago, and a life-changing night spent in the company of the Chicago Bears, was the first hit of freedom, of independence, of the Roger Bennett he knew he could be.
(Re)Born in the USA captures the universality of growing pains, growing up, and growing out of where you come from. Drenched in the culture of the late '80s and '90s from the UK and the USA, and the heartfelt, hilarious sense of humor that has made Roger Bennett so beloved by his listeners, here is both a truly unique coming-of-age story and the love letter to America that the country needs right now.
Contents
Amber waves of... rainSpaghetti scarlet letter
Bullshit baffles brains
Feathered hair fantasies
"Just locker room talk"
Think once, think twice... duck
The other American revolution
Bar mitzvah disco
The Pepsi choice
The king takes America
Fat knacker's words of wisdom
The funky chicken
Like a Rolling Stone
Crockett's theme
My American twin
Super Bowl shuffle
The goers go
Beef, democracy, and freedom
Game show winner
On Glencoe Beach
Don't you... forget about me
Midnight with the fridge
The end is the beginning
New Rog in town
The transformation of Titty Thomson
Leveling up
Bigmouth strikes
Liverpool College Breaking Crew
The big show
The wake-up bell
The Beastie Boys and the Liverpool welcome
We've got to make a decision.
Additional Information
Subjects |
Bennett, Roger,
-- 1970-
British -- United States -- Biography. Immigrants -- United States -- Biography. Sportscasters -- United States -- Biography. Popular culture -- United States. Jews -- England -- Liverpool -- Biography. Liverpool (England) -- Biography. |
Publisher | New York :Dey Street, an imprint of William Morrow,2021 |
Edition | First edition. |
Other Titles | Reborn in the USA |
Language |
English |
Description |
318 pages : illustrations ; 24 cm |
ISBN | 9780062958693 0062958690 9780062958716 0062958712 |
Other | Classic View |