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If Only They Didn't Speak English
- Notes From Trump's America
- Narrated by: Jon Sopel
- Length: 9 hrs and 52 mins
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If Only They Didn't Speak English
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Summary
As the BBC's North America Editor, Jon Sopel has had a pretty busy time of it lately. In the 18 months it's taken for a reality star to go from laughingstock to leader of the free world, Jon has travelled the length and breadth of the United States, experiencing it from a perspective that most of us could only dream of: he has flown aboard Air Force One, interviewed President Obama and has even been described as 'a beauty' by none other than Donald Trump.
Through music, film, literature, TV and even through the food we eat and the clothes that we wear we all have a highly developed sense of what America is and through our shared, tangled history we claim a special relationship. But America today feels about as alien a country as you could imagine. It is fearful, angry and impatient for change. Reflecting on his journey across the continent to cover the most turbulent race in recent history, Jon Sopel lifts a lid on the seething resentments, profound anxieties and sheer rage that found its embodiment in a brash, unpredictable and seemingly unstoppable figure.
In this fascinating, insightful portrait of American life and politics, Jon 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.
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What listeners say about If Only They Didn't Speak English
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Ann D
- 09-11-17
Excellent!
This is an engrossing and enjoyable read/listen. I follow the insanity that is the Trump Presidency, but Jon (as journalists always can) revealed fascinating things that I did not know before. Having travelled quite a bit myself in America over 30 years, I disagreed with Jon’s take on the ebullient Patriotism of Americans which he sees as endearing. I personally think it’s damaging both to individual Americans and the world in general. As the book passed that topic and moved on to other interesting observations about American society, it seems to me that his views on their Patriotism was born out of him living there in the midst of what is a vastly paradoxical psycho-social system. All in all a cracking read/listen.
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11 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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- Escape Artist
- 08-11-17
Really insightful...
I found this book both interesting and helpful, as someone who has struggled to understand how the American public could put someone like DT in the White House, it has answered many of my questions and put a number of things in to context. The title is spot on too, often I haven't made to intellectual leap that America isn't a larger version of Britain, but it is a foreign country. I really did enjoy this book and it has changed some of the ways in which I think about America and Americans
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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- London Girl
- 17-11-19
A must listen
Fantastic book and a broader coverage of topics than I had expected. interesting, informative and well narrated by the author.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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- Miketawe
- 17-11-20
Good Analysis of modern USA
Yes I would recommend this book. A thorough analysis of modern day America in all it's bizarre form.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- A. DONALDSON
- 26-01-20
Enjoyable well read insight into modern America
I found this to be an Interesting and engaging read about modern America covering many aspects of American life including the favourite old topics such as politics guns patriotism special relationship etc. Very enjoyable
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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- F Gibb
- 31-07-18
A whimsical look at America
The only problem with this book was that I was expecting a focus on Donald Trump, and how he has altered America. All that was there, but it felt like a secondary story. Most of the passages were about America and American politics as a whole, with at least as much emphasis on the Barack Obama presidency as on DT. Having said that, it was a well written and presented tale that does show the enormous divide between American attitudes and values, and ours in the UK.
I'd recommend it, but with a slightly different initial expectation.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Peter
- 04-06-18
At last-truth speaks out about Trump
An eloquent and reasoned assessment of a fascist, his unabashed lies and manoeuvrings uncovered perfectly.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Nik Jewell
- 13-05-18
Very entertaining
Having seen Jon Sopel so many times on the news over the years I thought I would give this a punt when it came up as a Daily Deal.
If you were not born yesterday, have spent years watching the news and reading, watching and listening to US cultural output, and have been to the US, then you are not going to find anything particularly surprising in this book.
However, it is well-titled, well organised and entertainingly written, bringing together many of the ways in which are US cousins are so very different to us. It certainly fuels one to get more inside their mindset.
I particularly enjoyed his analysis of the 'special relationship' (and the infamous snub by Obama of Gordon Brown) and also the very entertaining catalogue of fake new stories during the Trump election.
Freed from the shackles of having to give balanced and rather sterile news reports from Washington for the BBC, Sopel's great sense of humour shines through, making this a much better book than I expected.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- B
- 13-05-18
Very interesting and easy to listen to
Downloaded this as a daily deal and so glad I gave it a go.
Interestingly presented, easily packaged information and facts
You get a sense of what Jon feels about people and events as the book goes on but he carefully tries to give a balanced view. Not always easy.
If you watch/listen/read and wonder about events across the Atlantic and Britain’s relationship with its old colony, then this is the book for you.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Anonymous User
- 29-12-18
Jon Sopel - If only they didn’t speak English
Absolutely fascinating insight on someone who has actually lived in the USA. Am wondering what details were omitted???? There MUST be so much more - would love to hear those missing bits too!!
This is a brilliantly written synopsis of Jon’s opinion and experience in the USA over the period he lived there.
I love the rounded out chapters which start and end on the same seemingly unrelated item.
Wish I could write like this.
A strikingly good read which would make any reader skeptical of what we see regarding the USA in the news today!
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