Marooned in Aggieland: A Bumbling Brit Discovers College Football, Guns N' Waffles

by Josh Perry

Four weeks after the London Olympics, a bored, jaded and remarkably unsuccessful sports-comedy writer sat down to watch college football for the first time. Little did he know, in twelve months he would trek across the pond and live through a heavy chunk of the 2013 season. The destination? An American state that is five times the size of his homeland. During this heart-warming expedition into Aggieland's spirited maroon seas, he humorously embraces the infamous traditions, pageantry and stark cultural differences that encompass Texas A&M University and college football. Throw in 450 pints of beer, gun-wielding Houston gang members and a polarizing Heisman Trophy winner, and you're still barely scratching the surface of an oblivious Brit's truly unique story.

Genres: Nonfiction

268 pages, Paperback

First published September 3, 2014

Reviews

[Virginia Geisler · Rating 4 out of 5]

I want to be best friends with Josh Perry.
“In all honesty i feared I’d be lost without college station.”

[Nick Oliphant · Rating 5 out of 5]

Marooned in Aggieland is the perfect book for prospective Aggies, current students, or just anyone who wants to learn about the culture of Texas A&M University. Personally, reading this account of Josh Perry’s College Station adventure allowed me to look at the Aggie life with a new perspective. Being raised by two former students, I was exposed to the traditions and pride shared by Aggies my whole life. However, reading Marooned in Aggieland allowed me to see the school through the eyes of someone who had never experienced anything like it before. I also found Josh’s experiences with A&M to be particularly interesting because he examines the Fightin’ Texas Aggie football experience without bias, in contrast to other sports writers and journalists who have written about A&M before. While other writers usually have experience in college football, Josh had never before experienced American college sports, let alone college football in the South Eastern Conference. As someone who has been able to enjoy the wonders of Kyle Field many times, I must say that Josh Perry perfectly captures the spirit of Aggieland in his writing, as well the nature and mannerisms of Texans as a whole. In particular, his account of the welcoming nature of Texan citizens rang particularly true with me. Josh’s humorous tone and frequent use of satire made the book a very enjoyable read, and the mostly chronological order helps the reader sympathize with Josh when he stumbles upon new problems. He also does an excellent job of explaining how he became introduced with American football and college sports, as well as the chain of events that eventually caused him to leave his job and fly across the Atlantic Ocean to pursue his new passion. Although I was a bit thrown off by the style of the cover art and began reading cautiously in the hopes that the writing style would be mature enough, Marooned in Aggieland is an excellent book for readers of all ages. I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in learning about the traditions of culture of Texas A&M university, and it would make a great gift for former, current, or future Aggies.

[Tyler Pounds · Rating 5 out of 5]

A favorite book of mine and it’s a very easy read. Josh does a great job of capturing the spirit of Aggieland and traditions of Texas A&M.

[Ben Denison · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great and funny look at Aggieland!

I loved this book. Josh perfectly captured the Spirit, Love, and Pride that we as Aggies hold for our school. He does while spinning his travel tales and anecdotes perfectly into the narrative. He does an awesome job of capturing the essence of the traditions while capturing their oddities when looked at from an unbiased outsiders perspective. Others have commented on the Aggies before, but usually have their own college bias' to color the descriptions.

The only thing I'm sorry about is that I didn't have a chance to meet Josh while he was in town.

[Scott · Rating 3 out of 5]

For Aggies everywhere, the fact that our culture resonated so well with a Brit sports fan - who just happened across some Johnny Football on the telly - makes this an enjoyable book. At least for about half of it.

The author's one liners and anecdotes outside of the football grid fell short. Didn't care for it being mostly chronological either. Thought it would have read better if it went cultural-shock by cultural-shock.

Received a lot of goosebumps early, but the novelty wore off mid-way through, and the writing wasn't good enough to keep the 2nd half of the book from being tiresome.

[Jeff · Rating 5 out of 5]

Folks familiar with Texas A&M University (especially graduates) will get quite a laugh out of this book. The author is British who for his own reasons took a fancy to the Fightin' Texas Aggie football team. He decided to learn more by immersing himself in the Aggie culture. His descriptions of the Aggie traditions from a novel perspective are amusing and refreshing. It is a very entertaining read.

[Michael · Rating 5 out of 5]

A writer come from England to Aggieland and discovers what is good about this unique school on the Brazos. Enjoy the adventures with Josh Perry.