Paddle Your Own Canoe

One Man's Fundamentals for Delicious Living

By: Nick Offerman

Narrated by: Nick Offerman

Length: 10 hrs and 50 mins

Publisher's summary

Parks and Recreation actor Nick Offerman shares his humorous fulminations on life, manliness, meat, and much more in his first book.

Growing a perfect moustache, grilling red meat, wooing a woman - who better to deliver this tutelage than the always charming, always manly Nick Offerman, best known as Parks and Recreation's Ron Swanson? Combining his trademark comic voice and very real expertise in woodworking - he runs his own woodshop - Paddle Your Own Canoe features tales from Offerman's childhood in small-town Minooka, Illinois - "I grew up literally in the middle of a cornfield" - to his theater days in Chicago, beginnings as a carpenter/actor and the hilarious and magnificent seduction of his now-wife Megan Mullally. It also offers hard-bitten battle strategies in the arenas of manliness, love, style, religion, woodworking, and outdoor recreation, among many other savory entrees.

A mix of amusing anecdotes, opinionated lessons and rants, sprinkled with offbeat gaiety, Paddle Your Own Canoe will not only tickle readers pink but may also rouse them to put down their smart phones, study a few sycamore leaves, and maybe even handcraft (and paddle) their own canoes.

©2013 Nick Offerman (P)2013 Penguin

Critic reviews

“[Offerman] not only explores his Paul Bunyan-like image with tongue-in-cheek lessons on manliness, complete with illustrations and advice, but also offers poignant memories of his childhood growing up in Illinois and hilarious anecdotes from his career.” (Entertainment Weekly)

“Offerman touches on everything from his days as a break-dancing, football-playing farm boy in Minooka (about 50 miles southwest of the Loop) to his freewheeling, hedonistic 20s in Chicago to the inevitable Hollywood struggles that followed. But he doesn’t gloss over embarrassing moments, including his two trips to jail during college at the University of Illinois - one for shoplifting Ronnie Milsap cassettes from Kmart as a joke; the other, he says, a convoluted case of mistaken identity. Between anecdotes, he delivers impassioned pleas and rants…” (Chicago magazine)

“Thought-provoking, profane, and frequently hilarious…getting to know Offerman through his stumbling courtship with Megan Mullally and Kabuki theater training is well worth the price of admission.” (Publishers Weekly)

He did it again...

Even though I had just watched his show, "American Ham," which contained several of the themes from this book, I found the extended venue for these stories to be a blessing. Thank you for being the man I always wanted to be, and encouraging me to not give up on those dreams.

I need a canoe

This guy nails every aspect of life and reads it himself. Thank you Nick Offerman.

A great book only improved by a great voice.

Let's be honest, most of us would listen to Offerman read the phone book - were a phone book to be a regular occurrence these days. That said, his first book is highly enjoyable and the experience is only heightened by his manly baritone. I am now looking forward to listening to his other offerings, as I'm sure I won't be able to settle for merely reading them.

Great listen!

Masterfully written. Nick Offerman has a wonderful speaking voice. Superb narration! I would enjoy hearing him read again.

Hmmmm

I'm not a fan of drug use and found it sordid that Offerman lists his favorite drugs noting which were good and which weren't worth doing. Maybe I'm imagining him too much as Ron Swanson.

Refreshingly Honest, Down-to-Earth and Open

Any additional comments?

I agree with another reviewer that this book wasn't always laugh-out-loud funny. But, it kept my interest the whole time. It was like listening to a new friend who, and the book goes along reveals more and more about themselves. So, as I read it, I found it increasingly funny, candid, insightful and entertaining. I also agree with Nick Offerman's point-of-view about nutrition, our planet, advertisers, etc. Not to preach, but, I hope by now, he has stopped smoking. Fantastic book!

excellence

proply my favorite non fiction. love the vocabulary look forward to checking your other work

Thank you for explaining life's important lessons

These life lessons festooned with life's humorous minutia, are a treasure to be beholden. Please share these wise words, in hopes you will live a greater life and impart greater wisdom to all those lucky enough to cross your post-paddled path.

I would call it more of a monologue than a book.

if you're looking for a biography of Nick Offerman this is not it. It's a monologue of how he thinks and how he acts in his daily life. That said, it is quite entertaining and a great listen.

Offerman kills it!

Nick Offerman is hysterical. I'm so excited that he narrated his own audiobook. It made it even better. It's filthy at times and definitely not for everyone, but I loved it.