If Only They Didn't Speak English: Adventures in America - The Most Foreign Land on Earth

Product Description

As the BBC's North America Editor, Jon Sopel has experienced 'the Greatest Country on Earth' from a perspective that most could only dream of- he has travelled aboard Air Force One, interviewed President Obama and seen first-hand the gaudy splendour of Donald Trump's billion-dollar empire. Jon has also witnessed the darker side of the United States today. He was on the ground in Ferguson, Missouri as the riots took hold; he has visited gun shows, where lethal weapons are exhibited and sold like DIY tools; and he has listened to would-be-presidents turn TV evangelists, as they place their judgements in the hands of a god in whom they believe unquestioningly. What Jon has discovered, is that for all we think we know the USA, it is - now more than ever - a truly foreign land. If Only They Didn't Speak English is a fascinating, insightful, portrait of American life and politics seen through British eyes. With the combination of Jon's political expertise (as a BBC correspondent of more than 20 years) and his own stories from on the ground, it sets out to answer our questions about a country that once stood for the grandest of dreams but which is now mired in a storm of political extremism, racial division, and increasingly perverse beliefs.As the BBC's North America Editor, Jon Sopel has experienced 'the Greatest Country on Earth' from a perspective that most could only dream of- he has travelled aboard Air Force One, interviewed President Obama and seen first-hand the gaudy splendour of Donald Trump's billion-dollar empire. Jon has also witnessed the darker side of the United States today. He was on the ground in Ferguson, Missouri as the riots took hold; he has visited gun shows, where lethal weapons are exhibited and sold like DIY tools; and he has listened to would-be-presidents turn TV evangelists, as they place their judgements in the hands of a god in whom they believe unquestioningly. What Jon has discovered, is that for all we think we know the USA, it is - now more than ever - a truly foreign land. If Only They Didn't Speak English is a fascinating, insightful, portrait of American life and politics seen through British eyes. With the combination of Jon's political expertise (as a BBC correspondent of more than 20 years) and his own stories from on the ground, it sets out to answer our questions about a country that once stood for the grandest of dreams but which is now mired in a storm of political extremism, racial division, and increasingly perverse beliefs.
Jon Sopel has been the BBC's North America Editor since 2014. As a BBC presenter of 16 years, Jon has worked variously as the corporation's Paris Correspondent, Chief Political Correspondent, hosted both The Politics Show and Newsnight and is a regular on HARDtalk, as well as a number of Radio 4 programmes. As North America Editor, Jon has covered the 2016 election at first hand, reporting for the BBC across TV, radio, and online - accompanying President Obama on Air Force One and interviewing him at the White House. He has travelled extensively across the US and recently rode a Harley Davidson down the West Coast (that wasn't for work though). He lives in Washington and London.