If Only They Didn't Speak English
Notes From Trump's America
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If Only They Didn't Speak English
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Narrated by:
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Jon Sopel
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By:
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Jon Sopel
About this listen
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.
©2017 Jon Sopel (P)2017 BBC Worldwide LtdListeners also enjoyed...
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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Story4 out of 5 stars
- 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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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- 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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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- 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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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- MP Bellamy
- 25-05-21
How to understand America and Americans
So enlightening, with suttle humour. I learned a lot and thoroughly enjoyed it. A must if you want to understand their politics, gun laws and women's rights. This was written at the time Trump became President. A few years have gone by now but having listened to Jon Sopel, none of what has happened in those years is surprising!
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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
- Derek Brutnell
- 26-12-18
Very Enjoyable!
Well written and narrated by Jon Sopell this audio book is well worth a listen.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- D
- 27-04-22
Great insight into American society
As someone who follows US politics and would like to one day move there I found the book to offer great insight into what’s beneath the surface of American society, good and bad.
I found the author objective, mostly presenting facts and events and only offering glimpses of personal opinion through his intonation, which made the listening entertaining.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- D. O'CONNELL
- 26-02-21
A Simultaneously Entertaining yet Worrying listen!
Jon Sopel is a highly engaging weaver of stories. It turns out that this is the first of what might be called his "Trump Trilogy." It feels like having a front row seat at one of the most incredible times in human history. I look forward to listening to the next instalment. Highly recommended!
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- E. Barker
- 18-02-19
Excellent insight of the US from UK lenses
thoroughly entertaining and insightful, a must read for anyone interested in the modern dynamics of US political life. understanding the US via a pair of British eyes adds a useful dynamic that goes beyond common narratives, explaining not just 'what' but 'why'.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Petra
- 08-06-18
Brilliant
Hard to fault this. Entertaining and informative in equal measure. Surprisingly funny and quite moving in parts.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Mr. M. J. Foster
- 29-05-18
Good story, epic narrator
Will Patton makes an average story good and a good story great. You know exactly what you're getting with this author.
A touch dated, but still a friend tale. Not a bad companion on a long journey.
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