Gumption

Relighting the Torch of Freedom with America's Gutsiest Troublemakers

By: Nick Offerman

Narrated by: Nick Offerman

Length: 11 hrs and 42 mins

Publisher's summary

The star of Parks and Recreation and author of the New York Times best seller Paddle Your Own Canoe returns with a second book that humorously highlights 21 figures from our nation’s history, from her inception to present day - Nick’s personal pantheon of “great Americans".

To millions of people, Nick Offerman is America. Both Nick and his character, Ron Swanson, are known for their humor and patriotism in equal measure.

After the great success of his autobiography, Paddle Your Own Canoe, Offerman now focuses on the lives of those who inspired him. From George Washington to Willie Nelson, he describes 21 heroic figures and why they inspire in him such great meaning. He’ll combine both serious history with light-hearted humor - comparing, say, George Washington’s wooden teeth to his own experience as a woodworker. The subject matter will also allow Offerman to expound upon his favorite topics, which listeners love to hear - areas such as religion, politics, woodworking and handcrafting, agriculture, creativity, philosophy, fashion, and, of course, meat.

©2015 Nick Offerman (P)2015 Penguin Audio

I like Nick, but...

Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?

I don't think I would recommend it. I like Nick Offerman a lot as a performer. I found his analysis of historical documents to be more influenced by his personal politics than by the documents themselves.

What was most disappointing about Nick Offerman’s story?

The biggest disappointment was his misinterpretation of the First Amendment, particularly regarding the free exercise of religion. The Amendment says, "Congress shall make no law respecting the establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people to peaceably assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances." Nick claims that this indicates that religion should not be anywhere in the public sphere. That is absolutely NOT what this says. It says that people who believe in a religion have the right to freely exercise it, and that everyone has the right to speech, press, and assembly. Meaning if I want to stand on public land and recite the 10 Commandments, or read the Koran, I am permitted to do so. Free exercise of religion is not the ABSENCE of religion. Such a misreading makes me highly suspect of the rest of his interpretations.

Could you see Gumption being made into a movie or a TV series? Who should the stars be?

No.

Any additional comments?

I really loved his reading of The Adventures of Tom Sawyer.

His story

I'm glad that I read Paddle Your Own Canoe first. It set a high standard that I don't think Gumption quite lived up to. A good book, but it felt a little 'preachy' at times. I learned about some fascinating people from a fascinating person and I definitely don't feel like any of my time was wasted.

Educated, Quick Wit, Life Philosophy, & Wisdom

This was a quick and fun read intended to ignite the American spirit and make the reader laugh. Although I felt the book started off a little slow for my taste and went through some recycling of the topics concerning historical figures, it kept my attention overall.

Offerman writes about 21 personalities, both historical and alive; he believes have shown particular "gumption" in their thoughts, writings, and deeds. He mentions Conan O'Brien, Eleanor Roosevelt, George Washington, Willie Nelson and others whom I was glad to learn more about. The obvious commonality in all these people is a basic honorable-ness and penchant for doing good work. He's definitely got a man-crush on Wendell Berry, which he intersplices his admiration of him throughout the book.

Offerman's political views aren't hidden in this book, and those who are political junkies might not dig some of his beliefs and views. Yet, given the tone of his writing, it seems that he's not the type of person who has trouble admitting he's wrong on some topics as well.

Offerman narrates the book, and does a good job too.

Overall: This book is worth listening to, even if you disagree with his political views. It's best approached with an open and observing mindset. Plus, you'll learn something too; I know I did.

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Ron Swanson!

He knows what he wants and what he believes in. He shares a bunch of information that intrigues you with each person he is writing about.

Great book!
Hearing Nick Offerman's voice isn't bad either.

All the right enemies, but could have been better

I vaguely knew of Nick Offerman. I've seen him here and there, but was never motivated to buy his books. But looking at the the negative reviews here, and reading the contents filled with right wing paranoia, I figured I'd give him a shot. The truth is, he is opinionated, but not nearly as left wing as most of those reviewers would have you believe. But unfortunately, he's not nearly as interesting, either.

The first problem is not with the subjects themselves, but with the way they are presented. Some are done not nearly enough justice (Eleanor Roosevelt, Carol Burnett, Willie Nelson), some are so embarrassingly fawned over, that it's hard to resist pushback (Yoko Ono, Conan O'Brien, Theodore Roosevelt, Jeff Tweedy). He does reasonably well with Fredericks (Olmstead and Douglass) and Benjamin Franklin, but most of the others made me wish he'd just given me the name to check out myself. The most egregious hero worship may be for Teddy Roosevelt, though. He only touches on a few shortcomings, nearly completely ignoring his self-aggrandizing (that is, untruthful) military exploits, and his imperialist racism with regard to the Philippines, Guam, Hawaii, Cuba and Puerto Rico. I don't mind glorifying "gumption", but let's make it warts and all.

The second is the comedy. To me, it's kind of pedestrian and cookie-cutter. I get that he's a man of the people, down-to-earth type, but it wears thin. And not to put too fine a point on it, a middle aged white man using black urban slang and dialect ironically is no less cringe-inducing than when it's done by a tone-deaf middle aged white man.

The truth is that I probably agree with Nick Offerman on 99% of social commentary which is presented in this book. I just wish it had been done either more humorously, or more interestingly.

I learned so much!

I very much enjoyed every chapter and learned new things about every great person mentioned! Would definitely recommend this book to anyone!

Great Stories except the Politics

I loved Nick's pacing and reading of his book. I didn't like the politics inserted into the book amidst the great stories and personal experiences.

Genius

Nick Offerman's view on life is ace. So it was no surprise to see which human he admired.

Right in the feels.

This one hit me right in the heart as a man who loves to work but has found himself mired in the 9 to 5 world with often too little to do.

I still like Nick Offerman

I so wanted to like this book. The first few chapters were great. However, over the course of the book - it seems more self-serving. I still like Nick Offerman.