Author: Roger Bennett
Genre: Memoirs
Publisher: Dey Street Books
Publication Date: June 29, 2021
Book Description: 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.
Rating: 3.5 Stars
Mini–Review: Let me start by saying I have never heard of Roger Bennett or his show Men in Blazers. Nonetheless I found his memoir, to be funny, poignant and just very entertaining.
This was a thoroughly delightful book. We grew in the same time, so his stories and references were just so completely spot on. There is nothing grand in this book, with the exception of him become in a US Citizen, but just a lot of humor that will make you cringe sometimes.
Roger Bennett, was a Jewish boy growing up in Liverpool, England. He portrayed himself as this very awkward kid, who could not talk to girls and had only one friend, who was also Jewish. However his heart seemed keep leading to the US. When he finally had the opportunity he moved to Chicago, where he works and raises his family.
If you are looking for something fun to read, try this one, you really have nothing to lose here.
Thank you NetGalley and Dey Street Books for an Advanced Reader’s Copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Obsessed Bookaholic 