God Bless America: Misadventures of a Big Mouth Brit, by Piers Morgan (Random House, RRP $39.99):
We all love to hate a villain and Piers Morgan has presented American TV viewers with a prime example of lovable small-screen rogue.
Morgan first appeared on international TV as part of one of those talent show programmes. I can’t remember which one, since there are so many of them, but it wasn’t Idol. That’s the realm of the consummate grumpy judge, Simon Cowell.
However, the TV talent show thing is small fry in comparison to his next effort: as one of the contestants in Celebrity Apprentice. That was television gold: Morgan, Lennox Lewis, a slightly nuts former contestant from an earlier series of the Apprentice, the equally slightly nuts Baldwin brother (can’t remember which one, they all look alike), a good ol’ boy country singer and, of course, Donald Trump and his hair.
It was classic stuff and if you enjoyed the whole dynamic of Piers Morgan mixing with everyone on that show, you’ll love this book.
Presented in diary form, its an account of his travels to and from America and of the people and places he has encountered. He covers everything from smoking cigars with Arnold Schwarzenegger to a trip to the Playboy Mansion.
Throughout it all he offers up his own sharp-edged observations and insights. The end result is one of the most entertaining dairies since Adrian Mole.