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 1980âs Liverpool to become the quintessential Englishman in New York. A memoir for fans of Jon Ronson and Chuck Klosterman, but with Roger Bennettâs signature pop culture flair and humor.
Being a teenager isnât easy, no matter where in the world you live or how much it does or doesnât rain in your hometown. As an outsiderâa private-schooled Jewish kid in working-class, heavily Catholic LiverpoolâRoger Bennett wasnât winning any popuÂlarity contests. But there was one idea, or ideal, that burned bright in Rogerâs heart. That was Americaâ with its sunny skies, beautiful women, and cool kids with flipped collars who ate at McDonaldâs. When he embraced American popular culture, the dull gray world he lived in turned to neon tealâa color which had not even been invented in England yet. IntroÂduced 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 â80s and â90s 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.
