I watched his talk show for 10 years because I loved how he told stories.

I decided to do the audiobook of Riding the Elephant because he was the narrator. I have previously read and loved his autobiography: American On Purpose. If anything can make me read non-fiction. I need to be able to lose myself in untrue stories. I usually stick to fiction as a reader because reading is my escape. Though I could get myself back into the story being told, these quick hits against fatness were disappointing. Whenever mentions of fatness happened (which wasn't a lot but enough to notice), it felt like a short slap that briefly took me out of whatever was being said. Fat people are porcine and have fat fingers, and they're the ones who make toilet seats warm, never their thin counterparts. The one thing that I found frustrating is that it seems like Ferguson has never met a fat person he doesn't feel compelled to tell us about their fatness. (Also, the chapter on Margaret in particular was lovely.) It might not sound it, but I feel like it's ultimately a hopeful book, one where we can learn from each other and learn how to handle what life throws our way. This feels more introspective than American On Purpose, and there is plenty here to dig into and think about, from dealing with your past, fears about your present, and uncertainty about the future. Even when I wasn't a big reader, I read and enjoyed his autobiography. I enjoyed his radio show whenever I could. I loved Craig Ferguson's late night show. Each story is strung together in a colorful tapestry that ultimately reveals a complicated man who has learned to process-and even enjoy-the unusual trajectory of his life. Craig discusses his deep love for his native Scotland, examines his profound psychic change brought on by fatherhood, and looks at aging and mortality with a perspective that he was incapable of as a younger man. In Riding the Elephant, there are some stories that are too graphic for television, too politically incorrect for social media, or too meditative for a stand-up comedy performance.

In Craig's candid and revealing memoir, readers will get a look into the mind and recollections of the unique and twisted Scottish American who became a national hero for pioneering the world's first TV robot skeleton sidekick and reviving two dudes in a horse suit dancing as a form of entertainment. The fact that he is neither dead nor in a locked facility (at the time of printing) is something of a miracle in itself.

He has failed when he should have succeeded and succeeded when he should have failed. From the comedian, actor, and former host of The Late Late Show comes an irreverent, lyrical memoir in essays featuring his signature wit.Ĭraig Ferguson has defied the odds his entire life.

Riding the elephant craig ferguson