Reborn in the USA: An Englishman's Love Letter to His Chosen Home – The #1 NYT Bestseller: A Hilarious Coming-of-Age Memoir

by Roger Bennett

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 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 popu-larity 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. Intro-duced 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.

Genres: Nonfiction, Memoir, Sports, Biography, Audiobook, Biography Memoir, Soccer

336 pages, Paperback

First published June 29, 2021

Reviews

[Malia · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a thoughtful, funny and engaging memoir! Roger Bennett comes across as so genuine and hopeful, without being annoyingly so, which made this feel like a refreshing read, even in the context of these difficult, polarized times in the US. I enjoyed the way he illustrated his childhood and teenage years, growing up in Liverpool, yearning for and often idealizing America. As a fan of the Men in Blazers podcast, I had been looking forward to this book for a while, and was not disappointed. Bennett is just as personable and entertaining in this book as on the podcast. Recommended!

Find my book reviews and more at http://www.princessandpen.com

[Lauren · Rating 3 out of 5]

A warm and thoughtful and unsurprisingly funny book about a childhood in Liverpool, an adulthood in America, and the coming of age between both. It's mainly the former, and I wish there was more of the latter — the best part of the book is the epilogue, where he ruminates on loving a divided America, the way he was applauded by a certain unwanted faction of his twitter followers for the assumption he immigrated legally because he was white and wealthy when he really overstayed his visa originally, a reflection on how his dream of America has changed from childhood to adulthood and whether the USA of his childhood dreams ever really existed. I wish there had been more of this and less of his teenagehood dreams of hooking up with girls. But still an overall entertaining and enjoyable read.

[Traci Thomas · Rating 2 out of 5]

Let me just say I love Rog. The audiobook is A+. He reads with so much conviction. It’s like hanging out with a pal.

I thought this book would be about Rog’s rebirth as an American in America and not the story of only his childhood in Liverpool (and one trip to Chicago). I also did not card for the obsession with hooking up with girls. It felt icky because there wasn’t much reflection on the topic. Same with his love of the USA it felt juvenile and there wasn’t ever an adults reflection on all that mattered to him as a kid. I wanted more nuance and explanation and less recounting childhood stories.

[Chad Alexander Guarino da Verona · Rating 4 out of 5]

Roger Bennett loves America, and Reborn in the USA is his "scream it from the rooftops" paean (or is it a caterwaul?) to his country of choice. Premier League fans in the USA (may) know Bennett as one half of the moderately popular Men in Blazers duo who attempt to mask their sub-optimal footballing analysis with an endless stream of guest stars, one liners, and pie predictions. Bennett, a recently naturalized US citizen, here steps back from (most) of the football banter to deliver a heartfelt memoir of his life as a Liverpudlian lad with a simple dream of leaving it all behind for the glitz and glamour of 1980s Chicago(?) as soundtracked by Bruce Springsteen. Bennett's tales of childhood and coming of age in Liverpool are as uncomfortably honest and self-deprecating as you'd imagine from a man who's always pointing when his nipples are tingling from excitement. Sandwiched between these chapters is Bennett's lifechanging trip to Chicago, his first experience of the USA. These stories are full of bizarre hero worship of the Chicago Bears, questionable American fashion, and John Hughes movies. Bennett's wide eyed awe of the country he's dreamed about for so long shines through on the pages and one has to wonder how many telephone polls he walked into while trying to take the bright lights of America in.

As with everything Bennett does, Reborn in the USA is full of heart, wit, and jokes that are funny 60% of the time. In a nation so bitterly divided and politically in turmoil, we could do far worse than sit down with a longneck Budweiser (or twelve) and read about the love and passion a boy from Liverpool has for the USA. Perhaps after a long period of loggerheads, Bennett can help us remember exactly what makes us love this country as well.

**I was given a copy of this book by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. My thanks to
Dey Street Books**

[Jeff Berman · Rating 5 out of 5]

An utter delight!
A love letter to America.
A memoir of growing up in Liverpool in the 1980s.
An homage to ‘80s pop culture.
I don’t think I stopped smiling the whole way through.

[Phillip Marquart · Rating 3 out of 5]

An easy and enjoyable read… just not sure what the point was. And who on earth remember THAT MUCH about their youth?

[Jared Blum · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think Roger Bennett is hilarious. I am a GFOP of the Men in Blazers Podcast. I did enjoy the book. I’m not quite sure why it is subtitled as a love letter to America. The book is a coming-of-age autobiography about Roger’s adolescence in Liverpool. It really doesn’t touch upon his life in America hardly at all. Fine book, just not what I expected. His youth was vastly different from my own.

Rated R for language, sex, drugs, and rock and roll.

[Hank Stuever · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rounded up to 5 for Roger Bennett's boundless goodwill and his mastery of the abiding interest. America should be so lucky to have more like him.

[George Howe · Rating 5 out of 5]

A book by our greatest living American poet, Roger Bennet. As someone who grew up in America and tends to notice the bad parts of the country before the good, I have always found Rog’s enthusiasm for the United States off putting. But the first half of the book, which takes place in the crushing hopelessness of 80s Liverpool, makes the yearning for an optimistic America make total sense. You vicariously experience the transcendence of his summer trip the the US, which contrasts starkly from the darkness back in England. It makes you nostalgic for the freedom and excitement of summer. I bought a copy of this book for myself and got an extra one as a gift, appropriately on my 4th of July birthday, so if anyone wants to borrow it…

[Jamie · Rating 2 out of 5]

I think the title of the book is pretty misleading. The very beginning and the very end are what I was expecting, but the majority of the book was basically about the struggles he faced in Liverpool before, during, and after puberty. I'm not really sure how the things he described in this time of his life relate much at all to this book's self-declaration as a "love letter to his chosen home."
The book was not worth the time.

[Evan Goldberg · Rating 5 out of 5]

Roger Bennett - a man fond of tweed and Tracy Chapman

[Alex Yauk · Rating 5 out of 5]

Memoirs read by the author are quickly becoming my favorite audiobook sub genre. Roger Bennett illustrates this beautifully with his passion and prose in (Re)Born. I love hearing outsider perspectives on America, and Mr. Bennett’s account is inspiring. I had previously come across the author through his podcast fame with Michael Davies in The Men in Blazers, an English soccer podcast adopted for Americans by British ex-pats. However, I believe this book is good enough for a general audience with no other connections to the story other than being British or American. Enjoy!

[Owen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rog Bennet’s latest is a love letter to America wrapped inside a coming of age tale.

It is written with wit and candor and was entertaining from start to finish.

[Bruce Pederson · Rating 5 out of 5]

A truly wonderful book of a man with a love for America and a passion to be American. It details his trials and tribulations of becoming a young Liverpool teen who yearns for the shores of America. Fantastic, engaging writing

[Adam · Rating 5 out of 5]

Roger and I have been friends for several years. At least, that's how it feels after listening to him (and Davo) talk about soccer on "Men in Blazers" for hundreds and hundreds of hours.

So, I somewhat thought I knew what this memoir was about.

But just as, "Love you, Davo / Love you, Roger," is always the best part of every podcast, the book has so much more warmth and depth than I expected. It covers Ranch's time growing up in Liverpool -- in all its brutality, which he's only ever joked about on the show -- but not his adulthood in the US. It surprised me, but gave so much more insight into how bad England was in the 1980s, and why the trifles of US pop culture represented hope for him

(Also: Learned more about his penis -- and others penises -- than I might have expected.)

I expected the insights. I expected the laughs. I didn't expect as many gut-punch moments, including his vivid description of becoming a citizen. We're so lucky to have Rog as one of us.

Especially because he ALSO sees our flaws, and the places we can get better as a nation and as a people. His reaction to people thanking him for "taking the legal pathway" to becoming a citizen: "This assumption was made because I am white, funny and on television, and ignored a truth that I had first arrived here on a three-month tourist visa and simply never left."

SOME GOOD LINES
"I know some of this will sound trite. A love of a nation based on the largely fictional stories, images, and myths it peddles about itself." (So important as we re-examine what we tell ourselves about ourselves."

"At a time when the world cries out for the kind of global leadership that once enchanted me, America's soft power has imploded."

"I realized I was about 90% composed of inhibitions, that without them I would be nothing."

"English cars came in black, brown and dull. American wheels were fiery red, brazen blue, shimmery lime. This magical land I had coveted from afar was becoming more real with every passing mile."

"Britain was the darkness. I had found the light."

"Why fight when there were so many better things to do?"

"Liverpool had not tamed the Beasties. We had merely brought them down to our level of hopelessness." (This is especially interesting when you know how Mike D and AdRock feel about this stage of their career.)

"Two thousand people had paid for tickets to enjoy a once-in-a-lifetime experience, only to realize they would gain more pleasure from destroying it."

[Rob · Rating 4 out of 5]

A much deeper and darker read than I expected. After listening to MIB for years, this filled in a lot of substance for me regarding Rog.

[Zach · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a funny, endearing, and poignant memoir of Roger Bennett's childhood in Liverpool, where he was fascinated by all things American. The co-host of the funny Men in Blazers podcast, Bennet became a U.S. citizen in 2018 and this books is a love letter of sorts to his adopted home which he idealized while growing up in the 1980s.

In general, I'm not the biggest fan of memoirs, since sometimes they can be a bit self-indulgent and/or self-aggrandizing. However, I didn't really get a sense of that here, as his discomfort and anxiety of growing up in Liverpool did seem quite genuine and heartfelt. His struggles fitting in at a fancy British prep school might not appear to be relatable at first glance. (In fact, he portrays it as downright Dickensian; corporal punishment was doled out without mercy.) But themes of trying to finding your own niche during your teenage years, while trying to fit into the larger crowd certainly is universal.

I will say I was a bit surprised, perhaps even just a tad disappointed, that the book really was just about his childhood and adolescence. The marketing copy says it's about "how he went from a depraved, pimply faced Jewish boy in 1980’s Liverpool to become the quintessential Englishman in New York." While the first half of that sentence is present, often in amusing self-deprecating fashion, there's no mention of his adult life in America, outside the introduction and epilogue, which are framed around him getting citizenship. (And actually these parts were some of the most moving. I shed a tear in the prologue when he recounts witnessing an old man taking the Oath of Citizenship.)

In the acknowledgments he says it was hard when he moved to America after college with no support system at first. But those years are completely skipped over. His life, his book. But I'm sure there would've been plenty of material to mine there, and observations to impart. We get to see him visit America one summer in high school, but being on his own and working as an adult would've amped up the culture shock. Maybe that'll be in a sequel?

Lastly, despite the title of the book, there's very little mention of Bruce Springsteen among the sections describing Bennett's American heroes and fascinations (the Chicago Bears, Don Johnson, Molly Ringwald, Bruce Willis, and the Beastie Boys among others get the attention.) There's nothing wrong with that, though it's an interesting comparison to "Blinded by the Light" which tells a similar story albeit of a Pakistani teenager.

Overall, recommend, but with the caveat it is not exactly tied to Men in Blazers in a tangible way. Still, gives good insight into what makes Rog tick.

[Lana · Rating 5 out of 5]

BOOK REVIEW | (Re)Born in the USA:
An Englishman’s Love Letter to His Chosen Home
✍🏻 Roger Bennett

In this memoir, Bennett describes his childhood growing up in Liverpool, England, the development of his desire to move to the USA, and ultimately, his move to the United States.

I knew I had to read this book as soon as I saw it. The author, Roger Bennett hosts a soccer podcast called Men in Blazers of which I am a huge, long-time fan. I think the most remarkable part of reading this memoir for me was the insight into a person whose content I’ve been watching for so long.

If you are familiar with Men in Blazers, you have probably seen the Tracy Chapman and Chicago Bears memorabilia on the wall behind Roger in livestreams and videos, but through this memoir Bennett gives readers the backstories and small moments that connect with why he loves those things. I loved that about this read and also respected the vulnerability of sharing those stories with a large audience.

The title chapters are another huge reason I enjoyed this read. A few examples include: “Spaghetti Scarlett Letter” and “Beef, Democracy, and Freedom.” They’re hilarious but also always connect in unexpected ways with the stories in that chapter.

“In times of crisis like these, I would always turn to my brother, Nigel, for counsel. He was two years older than me, and coincidentally, also the coolest person I knew in real life.”

This line and Bennett’s stories about his relationship with his brother his home for me. My brother is two years younger than me and he is also, coincidentally, the coolest person I know.

Another section I found deeply moving was one in which Bennett described imagining “An alter ego. American Rog. A kid who looked like me,” but was able to do “All the things I did not do in real life.”

“I put my hand on my heart and stared down at my grandfathers ring. Four generations on, I had completed his father’s dream.”

[Zack · Rating 4 out of 5]

Part memoir, part “coming of age story”, and mostly a love letter to Americana pop culture.

This was such a fun read from someone who I’ve been watching for a long time on the Men in Blazers show.

Rog has worked hard on articulating, and identifying with, his emotions and he does an incredible job conveying all of that into this book. Somewhere between The Breakfast Club and Neil Diamond he’ll have you wrapped up in whatever excitement, despair, hopefulness, or dread he’s feeling as he grows up admiring America for what it could, and should, be rather than only being damned by what it is.

If you want to reignite a passion for pop culture, fall ironically (and hopelessly) in love with Liverpool, or even just see yourself through someone else’s eyes for a little while then this book is certainly for you.

(Side note: While Rog is clearly in love with an American dream that likely doesn’t exist the way we were all sold he doesn’t spend any time propagandizing. His post scripts show a clear understanding of the lens his experience has been lived through, but he does a wonderful - and fun - job of enjoying the facets of American life that are certainly worth enjoying)

[Fred · Rating 4 out of 5]

Super-enjoyable, a walk through Rodger Bennet's past, the good the bad and the deep fried. Filled with innumerable humorous tales this is much more than just a series of anecdotes. There is an arc here. It is a coming of age story with a focus on how the dream of America affected Bennet's identity. That affect is much more varied and subtle that you might think if you only know him from he Men Blazer's podcast and more even handed. Most of the story takes place in Liverpool during Bennet's school days at a Liverpool private school that was once the home of Liverpools elite but has since lost its way. There are wonderful tales of the month in 1985 that he spent in a Chicago suburb and how this fueled his love for all things America. They would be hard to believe if I hadn't once been a teenager with impossible obsessions that led to desperate acts of my own. Rodger Bennett is not only funny and articulate he is a gifted writer and I appreciate how well this whole book is crafted.

[Samantha · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was planning to give this book four stars, but finished listening to the acknowledgements and production notes, savoring that last few more words of Rog's wistful, Liverpudlian accent. He signs off with "Thanks for listening. Courage." and I can't help but saying to myself "I love this." And love = 5 stars. Not more than a handful of days after saying aloud, I wish Rog would write a book, Coops informed me that Rog Bennett was about to release a book! I fell in love with the Men in Blazers during the 2014 Men's World Cup in Brazil and continued listening to the pod in the years following. While they are wonderful together, Roger Bennett is an unmatched orator. His voracious appetite for reading and cavernous knowledge no doubt influence the eloquence and emotion that seeps from him in equal measure when speaking of the deeply influential to the mundane. I couldn't wait to hear him voice his own experience (with all the healthy doses of self-loathing). And it was beautiful. Kung Fu Fighting America. Courage.

[Jamie Feuerman · Rating 4 out of 5]

I heard Roger Bennett discuss this book on Pod Save America when he was doing promotion for its release back in 2021 and thought it sounded super interesting even though I had no idea who he was. I finally got around to listening to the audiobook (which Bennett himself narrates) and I really enjoyed it. It was entertaining and funny while also being a very heartfelt and sincere reflection on his childhood and adolescence. I do feel like the title was misleading since it didn’t have a ton of his time in the US, and I would’ve liked to hear more about what happened when he moved here permanently. Overall this was an enjoyable read and I’d recommend.

[Ann Clay · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sweet, enjoyable book, but it's mistitled. This is a memoir of a Jewish boy from Liverpool throughout his school years. It does include one trip to America, which is wonderful to read, but the majority of the book is about his Liverpudlian life. I enjoyed that very much, but this book is not about America.

I was struck by how easily he was able to emigrate, presumably because he was a white man. He even overstayed his visa by years. Must be nice. I mean, it's his story, and it's great. But loads of privilege.

[Marci · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love Rog’s writing style in the emails I get weekly from the Raven (Men in Blazers podcast’s emails, if you aren’t signed up for them, wyd?), so reading this was just the best. It is a wonderful expression of loving America.

I do have to say that reading the stories of hooking up with girls wasn’t my cup of tea…But it was def part of Rog’s coming into himself and how he got to America, so I think we had to go there to get to the ending. I got a little teary-eyed while reading the epilogue.

[Rina · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was touted as a love letter to America but I was surprised by how much of it was essentially “growing up Jewish in Liverpool is really awful”. Of course he’d want to come here! I’m so happy that Rog is now living in the promised land (the Upper West Side), but I felt like I was missing something in the story, not sure what.

[Steven Pilling · Rating 5 out of 5]

Struggling to read for lots of reasons so this so decided I'd read this travelling to Madrid.
Uts not about football despite the authors fame as a pundit on the amazing men in blazers . It is however a journey through the eighties in northern England for a boy slightly out of time .
It has humour truth and moments that are relatable.
Great pace no sense that the author is right in hid decisions and ultimately a life affirming conclussion which the authors normal outlook would not seem right
It's romantic and a traditional riches to riches tale .

Recommended regardless of your opinion of the author based on men in blazers .

[Ric · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’ve been a huge fan of the Men in Blazers pod for years now, so when Rog said he was coming out with a book there was no doubt that I’d read it. It’s a fantastic coming of age story that is made better by his amazing sense of humor and wit that comes through his writing perfectly. It’s so interesting to read about an Englishman who felt they were born to be an American, especially as someone who has always felt the opposite. Highly recommend this book to anyone, especially fans of his work.

[Patrick · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rog is the perfect American - someone who dreamed of America and the best we can be. And he has stayed despite America never living up to that dream. It’s about the dream not the reality that is what keeps us going and fighting.

[Brandon Chan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Heartfelt, witty, an optimistic coming of age story about how a kid from Liverpool charted his way to the American Dream. Encouraging to hear the hope that America can inspire when recently, the glaring flaws can be disheartening.

[Stephen Rothman · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a wonderful, poignant and inspiring memoir! I thoroughly enjoyed it and was often moved to tears. As a native American, who has now lived almost half of his life in Germany, and like Roger became a citizen of his adopted homeland, Roger’s story touched me on so many different levels. I chose the audio version of the book. While I usually prefer books in written form, as the style of the narration influences one’s perception of the text, in this case having Roger Bennett speak his own story, with his Liverpudlian accent, richly enhanced this memoir. I can't recommend it highly enough.