If Only They didn't Speak English

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.

About the author

Jon Sopel has been the BBC's North America Editor since 2014. He has covered the 2016 and 2020 elections and Trump's White House at first hand, reporting for the BBC across TV, radio and online. He also presents the highly successful Americast podcast with Emily Maitlis and Anthony Zurcher. As a member of the White House Press Corps, he has accompanied both President Obama and President Trump on Air Force One and interviewed President Obama 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. He is the author of If Only They Didn't Speak English: Notes from Trump's America and A Year at the Circus: Inside Trump's White House.

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.

Foreword

As the United States begins a new era in its history and draws Britain and the world with it, the BBC's North America Editor, Jon Sopel shares his insight into Trump's America

Report

Jon Sopel may be the sanest man in America. He is certainly one of the most insightful ... Immensely enjoyable Bill Bryson

Product details

• Authors: Jon Sopel
• Publisher: BBC Books
• Languages: English
• Product format: Paperback / Softback
• Released: 30.09.2017
• EAN: 9781785942280
• ISBN: 978-1-78594-228-0
• No. of pages: 352
• Dimensions: 153 mm x 234 mm x 25 mm
• Series: BBC BOOKS
• Subject: Travel > Travelogues, traveller's tales