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3.7 AVERAGE
3.7 AVERAGE
This book was really good. At the beginning I didn’t think I was going to like it because he started talking about political views and that was not what I was looking for when I picked up this book. After he got through the politics, the book took a turn in a very positive direction. Loved getting to hear about the life of Nick Opperman and what it took to become Ron Swanson.
No seriously - Offerman reading his own clever observations aloud is absolutely, positively WHY the audiobook format exists
I enjoyed Offerman's special while on maternity leave and had started watching the final season of Parks and Recreation, so this was a serendipitous read. I wasn't crazy about the form of the book, which alternated between proper chapters and fundamentals that were often redundant or disturbed the narrative flow of his recollecting. He's a smart guy with interesting stories to tell, but I wasn't into this one.
I love Nick Offerman. His portrayal of Ron Swanson is without a doubt a thing of beauty. Imagine my surprise, upon reading this book, to find that Ron Swanson is simply Nick Offerman on camera. Turns out Offerman himself is a red meat-eating, whiskey-loving, woodworking, saxophone-playing man of mystery. No wonder he plays Swanson so well.
In this book, Offerman attempts to give life advice to the reader through his own experiences and brand of humor. Much of his advice is little more than opinion delivered with anecdotal evidence of what makes him happy, and is in no way broad enough to apply to more than a niche of the population (though I believe he does point this out, saying merely, "Here's what's worked for me").
As a religious person, I do take exception to his irreverent portrayal of the Bible and Christianity as a whole, though I do appreciate his repeated assertion that he sees value in religion in general and encourages everyone to believe as they see fit. His main point here is to stress the importance of the separation of church and state, which is something I, too, believe in. As Offerman puts it (paraphrased) "Go to church, learn to be a decent human being, then use your beliefs to help the government make good decisions. However, don't enact laws based on any specific religion." And I agree with that.
Most of the book is a recounting of his life, from childhood up through season four (I think) of Parks and Rec. It covers everything from farm life, to college days, to community theater, and finally Hollywood, and, although not terribly gripping or enchanting, is entertaining and interesting to hear about.
Overall, I enjoyed the book. If not poignant, Offerman is at least entertaining, and I can appreciate that.
In this book, Offerman attempts to give life advice to the reader through his own experiences and brand of humor. Much of his advice is little more than opinion delivered with anecdotal evidence of what makes him happy, and is in no way broad enough to apply to more than a niche of the population (though I believe he does point this out, saying merely, "Here's what's worked for me").
As a religious person, I do take exception to his irreverent portrayal of the Bible and Christianity as a whole, though I do appreciate his repeated assertion that he sees value in religion in general and encourages everyone to believe as they see fit. His main point here is to stress the importance of the separation of church and state, which is something I, too, believe in. As Offerman puts it (paraphrased) "Go to church, learn to be a decent human being, then use your beliefs to help the government make good decisions. However, don't enact laws based on any specific religion." And I agree with that.
Most of the book is a recounting of his life, from childhood up through season four (I think) of Parks and Rec. It covers everything from farm life, to college days, to community theater, and finally Hollywood, and, although not terribly gripping or enchanting, is entertaining and interesting to hear about.
Overall, I enjoyed the book. If not poignant, Offerman is at least entertaining, and I can appreciate that.
More information about woodworking than I ever wanted to know. Very very little about parks and rec, which was disappointing. Overall a pretty cool dude, and am looking forward to his next book.
Nick Offerman is quite a writer! It was great to get to know more of the man behind Ron Swanson and learn about his career and journey - also his utter devotion to Megan Mullaly is very impressive.
funny
reflective
medium-paced
I listened to the audiobook, which was entertaining since the author narrated it. And as much as I like some of his other stuff, I don’t necessarily think I was the right audience for this. But it didn’t help that I was listening to this book with my dad and brother either haha. Some descriptions made me feel awk and uncomfortable.
Not for me. Maybe if it was 2015 seeing as how it’s not?
funny
informative
lighthearted
slow-paced