Ferguson, Craig. American on Purpose: The Improbable Adventures of an Unlikely Patriot. Harper, 2009. ISBN 978-0061719547 268 pp. $

****

This was often humorous, fast read of a memoir; Ferguson is a good storyteller and doesn’t spend a lot of time whining or feeling sorry for himself, while recognizing places in his life where he could have done better. He conveys a gratitude for the way life worked out for him, in spite of it’s challenges. Earnest is a good word.

I thought it was good, not great; the punk rock scene didn’t pull me in. The whole Glasgow in the 1980s scene was a lot of names, a lot of places.

Favorite Line: “On the same tour we ran into a band from Aylesbury Friars, a biggish venue in Oxfordshire, England. They were a four piece from Ireland called U2. They seemed like nice fellows and they sounded pretty good, but we didn’t keep in touch. They’re probably taxi drivers and accountants by now.”