Born to be Riled

by Jeremy Clarkson

Born to be Riled is a collection of hilarious vintage journalism from Jeremy Clarkson. Jeremy Clarkson, it has to be said, sometimes finds the world a maddening place. And nowhere more so than from behind the wheel of a car, where you can see any number of people acting like lunatics while in control (or not) of a ton of metal. In this collection of classic columns, first published in 1999, Jeremy takes a look at the world through his windscreen, shakes his head at what he sees—and then puts the boot in. Among other things, he explains why Surrey is worse than Wales, how crossing your legs in America can lead to arrest, the reason cable TV salesmen must be punched, that divorce can be blamed on the birth of Jesus Raving politicians, pointless celebrities, ridiculous "personalities," and the Germans all get it in the neck, together with the stupid, the daft, and the ludicrous, in a tour de force of comic writing guaranteed to have Jeremy's postman wheezing under sackfuls of letters from the easily offended.

Genres: Nonfiction, Humor, Ebooks, Travel, British Literature, Biography, Collections

554 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1999

About the author

Jeremy Charles Robert Clarkson (born April 11, 1960) is an English broadcaster and writer who specialises in motoring.

He writes weekly columns for The Sunday Times and The Sun, but is better known for his role on the BBC television programme Top Gear.

From a career as a local journalist in the north of England, he rose to public prominence as a presenter of the original format of Top Gear in 1988. Since the mid-1990s Clarkson has become a recognised public personality, regularly appearing on British television presenting his own shows and appearing as a guest on other shows. As well as motoring, Clarkson has produced programmes and books on subjects such as history and engineering. From 1998 to 2000 he also hosted his own chat show, Clarkson.

His opinionated but humorous tongue-in-cheek writing and presenting style has often generated much public reaction to his viewpoints. His actions both privately and as a Top Gear presenter have also sometimes resulted in criticism from the media, politicians, pressure groups and the public.

As well as the criticism levelled against him, Clarkson also generated a significant following in the public at large, being credited as a factor in the resurgence of Top Gear to the most popular show on BBC Two, and calls for him to be made Prime Minister. Clarkson himself was keen to downplay his perceived influence on the British public, stating he regularly contradicts himself, and would make a "rubbish" Prime Minister.

Reviews

[15LonghurstW · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really funny book, great for people who want a good laugh and aren't easily offended. I find the funniest bit to be the part about how the people of Norfolk haven't reached the twentieth century yet.
Really funny, but not for the easily offended.

[AndrewP · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another book collecting Clarkson's weekly columns from newspapers and magazines. All of these are some 3 or 4 pages in length, so this is the ideal book to have laying around the house to read when you have a spare minute or two.
Almost all of the articles relate to cars and other aspects of motoring and as this was written in the 90's some knowledge of British cars and social issues from that era is useful but not essential. I did look up a couple that sounded interesting but for the most part I got what he was talking about from the description.
Of course, everything is presented in the unique politically incorrect Clarkson style and he makes fun of just about everybody and everything. Obviously, easily offended lightweights should avoid this book. For me I got a laugh out of most of it, even though he makes fun of my home county of Norfolk on the cover:)

[Sourav Dutta · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've been a fan of Jeremy Clarkson since I saw my first episode of Top Gear some years back. I've read a few of his books since, and have absolutely loved every page. Born to be Riled is essentially a collection of Sunday newspaper articles written by Clarkson. Every single one of them is essentially the review of a car but they end up being so much more.
This book will earn you a few strange looks from those in the vicinity as you will undoubtedly break down into fits of giggling from time to time. I read the entire book with a big smile and as such have been labelled a nut by my friends. This book is a heady mix of hyperbole, sarcasm, madness, cars, England and the ravings of an opinionated motor journalist with a humorous take on every subject on the planet.
Clarkson's writing is fabulous and undeniably poised, it really is a hard book to put down. Best thing though, you don't have to read the thing in one go, though I have a feeling you probably will...

[Ben Gillam · Rating 4 out of 5]

Despite being quite an old book now this is another great example of Clarkson's controversial and as a result hilariously funny wit. Not for everyone I know and he has his enemies but if you are in any way a fan I think you'll enjoy this book. Missed out on 5 stars only because it felt a little bit long.

[Rupak Banerjee · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book is a compilation of his weekly articles. This is before the era of the new BBC Top Gear. But that does not mean Clarkson is any less shrewd. He tears into manufacturers. But even more than that, his target falls on society and the British govt. Ideal for light reading and simply enjoying. No serious content. Enjoyed reading it thoroughly.

[Shawna · Rating 2 out of 5]

Jeremy Clarkson is a co-host of the car show Top Gear, so it's no surprise that this book is all about cars, roads, and driving. He has a great sense of humor and parts of it are funny, but all the car details just go right over my head.

[Nada Abandah · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was expecting a good read, fun & informative or interesting! But actually, it was a bit boring, he talks about things from a prespective that makes you question why did you like a person with that dark and twisted psyche. Never finished it.

[Henri Moreaux · Rating 3 out of 5]

Started off good, few hearty laughs but became a little repetitious by the last quarter.

That's not to say it is poorly written, the articles on their own are good, but condensed together is when the problem arose.

[Nick · Rating 3 out of 5]

Brilliantly written. One of the few books I've literally laughed out loud to. On the other hand, very dull when taken by itself; it's like cabbage- good for you though only to accompany other mains :)

[Beverly Gardner · Rating 4 out of 5]

A compilation of his columns from The Sunday Times, and a wicked observation on just about everything. Love this mans critical eye and acerbic wit. Particularly the four stages of man;- Buying washing up bowls, Tuning the car radio to radio 2, The School Run, and finally, Gardening. How true.

[David · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ok. The author was humorous-but the book was over 15 years old, and as an American-I had issues with some of the British wording/humor. But it was an easy read. I did gain some insight into British life.

[Annie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Brilliantly Clarkson, as usual. Unfortunately, repeatedly reading about bus lanes is, I imagine, rather akin to sitting in heavy traffic looking at them. . .

[Ross Firth · Rating 3 out of 5]

A great book to dip into, with some genuinely funny moments. But not one you can read long-term: you'll end up either hating cars, hating Clarkson, or inevitably both.

[Geoff Field · Rating 3 out of 5]

Funny, but a bit dated now, and very UK-centric.
I've put it in our street library.

[Adrian · Rating 3 out of 5]

Typical JC. Would have been better edited to 300 pages. Too much repetition.

[Арсений · Rating 5 out of 5]

Мне не понравилась обложка серии "Чтения дюаристов", особенно когда я увидел оригинал, изданный в Англии. И это единственный недостаток книги. Издание качественное, бумага отличная. Но главное — КАКИЕ ЖЕ ОТЛИЧНЫЕ ТЕКСТЫ!

Вообще это подборка колонок Кларксона для воскресной (развлекательной) газеты The Sunday Times. Большая часть колонок состоит из двух частей. В первой блистательный английский журналист говорит о каком-то факте или явлении обыденной жизни. О жизни в Норвегии, о налогах, об отношениях с PR-службами автопроизводителей, или о том, что собирается проводить мотоциклетное шоу гомосексуалистов под кокаином в Южной Америке, чтобы стать нескучным для желтогазетных писателей его биографии. Во второй он пишет про какую-нибудь машину. Удивительно то, что обе части стыкуются между собой без проблем. Просто Кларксон соблюдает единство места и времени, или сводит к нему рассказ хотя бы несколькими фразами.

Перевод — один из лучших в 2011 году. Я бы даже настаивал на какой-нибудь премии для переводчиков. В то время как делающие русскую версию передачи Top Gear просто выкидывают половину текста, и не могут донести две трети шуток, здесь люди выложились на 100%.

[Scott Ollar · Rating 1 out of 5]

I didn't read most of this book. I skipped around among the articles that seemed promising, meaning the most likely to interest or amuse me. I was almost universally disappointed. I have long been a fan of Clarkson's television appearances. But what is best about him is his inherent and unplanned humor. This book just tries too hard to be amusing. But it's not. I bought this book used at a Habitat for Humanity ReStore retail center, and at $0.99, I overpaid

[Gary · Rating 2 out of 5]

I generally find Clarkson quite entertaining, although his views and derogatory comments have always been a little outdated. Reading this collection of articles 20 years after initial publication means that some of the comments have not aged well and, obviously, the cars that he talks about are no longer in production (at least not the same versions).
I didn't dislike the book, but it wasn't great either, and it's too dated to be able to recommend.

[Shantesh · Rating 5 out of 5]

Though it may be a book that will appeal a bit more to car enthusiasts it’s something that everyone should try read. One of the funniest books I have read in a while. Not for the easily offended though. It’s also a nice insight into various aspects of Britain from more than a decade ago

[ஐ Katya (Book Queen)ஐ · Rating 2 out of 5]

I've been reading this for years. (Ten, in fact!) It's got Clarkson's wit but it's 100% about cars. It's a collection of his news columns on automobiles. For Petrolheads only. I prefer his World According to Clarkson.

[Ross-Barry Barcock. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Yeh, an entertaining read. he isn't short of an opinion.

[Paschalis]

elibrary

[Jessica Oades · Rating 1 out of 5]

Not my cup of tea I'm afraid

[Darla Ebert · Rating 1 out of 5]

Not my genre, I found out accidentally and belatedly.

[Mike Little · Rating 2 out of 5]

not for me, not his best

[Metalfist · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ik moet toegeven, het was een gok toen ik zowat anderhalf jaar geleden deze bundel van Jeremy Clarkson aanschafte. Een trouwe kijker van Top Gear kun je me niet noemen, maar het was wel het enige autoprogramma waarbij ik altijd wel bleef hangen wanneer ik het zag passeren. Niet omdat auto's me zo interesseren, het was eerder voor de leuke dynamiek tussen de drie gastheren. Normaal gezien blijft een nieuw boek wel een tijdje liggen vooraleer ik er aan begin, maar ik begon Born to be Riled te lezen ergens begin augustus 2017.

Dat is geen typfout trouwens, die 2017. Ongetwijfeld is dit het boek waar ik het langst over heb gedaan maar dat is vooral te wijten aan het feit dat dit een droge verzameling van columns is die Clarkson door de jaren bij elkaar pende. Sommige zijn goed en sommige zijn ronduit saai, sommige zijn technisch en sommige zijn gewoon persoonlijke frustraties. Interessant leesvoer in ieder geval, maar wel in de zin dat je het na zo'n column of 3 à 4 (zo'n column is ongeveer 1 tot 1.5 pagina lang) wel weer hebt gehad. Born to be Riled is dan ook het perfecte boek dat je als tussendoortje kunt lezen. Ik heb het in ieder geval 's avonds vaak gebruikt als een afleiding voor een minuutje of 10 voor het slapen gaan. Op literair vlak stelt het echter allemaal niet veel voor en vraag ik me af of dit echt een meerwaarde heeft. Naar het schijnt bestaan er nog zo'n talloze andere verzamelingen van Clarkson maar die ga ik in ieder geval links laten liggen.

Veel gaat dus over auto's maar een beetje kennis van het Groot Brittanië uit de jaren '90 is ook wel meegenomen trouwens, anders gaan de columns over politiek een beetje aan je voorbij. Vooral voor de liefhebbers van Top Gear (en dan misschien eerder nog Clarkson in het algemeen omdat er hier geen James May of Richard Hammond zijn als klankbord) lijkt me dit de moeite waard te zijn.

[Paul Heslop · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just Jeremy

[Tom Elliott · Rating 5 out of 5]

Some of the articles are dated by their focus on politicians, policies and issues of the era (mid-90s) but most is still interesting at the very least and the car stuff is pretty timeless. An excellent read.

[Alicia Mikolajczyk · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hilariously funny - for every motor fan - is a must lecture and for non-motorist - it's still great deal of humour:)
Jeremy has a talent for good story telling. Highly recommended. I literally LMAO :))

[D.]

Born to Be Riled by Jeremy Clarkson (2007)