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355 reviews for:
Gumption: Relighting the Torch of Freedom with America's Gutsiest Troublemakers
Nick Offerman
3.73 AVERAGE
355 reviews for:
Gumption: Relighting the Torch of Freedom with America's Gutsiest Troublemakers
Nick Offerman
3.73 AVERAGE
This was easily my favorite book of the year. Outstanding narration from the author and just fun. Highly recommended.
Enjoyable tales of Nick's American "hereos" - men and women throughout our history who have made the world a better place through there gumption and talent.
Nick Offerman essays on his favorite Americans who have gumption. He has a wordy/descriptive way of writing which didn’t surprise me.
A nice little history lesson and learned about a couple new folks.
Offerman overlaps his character Ron Swanson (Parks & Rec) slightly. While an avid woodworker and lover of woodworking and hunting for purpose, Offerman recognizes the patriarchy/cis white men have an unfair advantage and fully supports women and LGBTQ+ rights.
A nice little history lesson and learned about a couple new folks.
Offerman overlaps his character Ron Swanson (Parks & Rec) slightly. While an avid woodworker and lover of woodworking and hunting for purpose, Offerman recognizes the patriarchy/cis white men have an unfair advantage and fully supports women and LGBTQ+ rights.
I loved everything about this book. Offerman offers up his take on many great Americans, some I already deeply love (Willie Nelson, Wendell Berry) and some he helped me come to love (Yoko Ono, Frederick Law Olmsted, Conan O'Brien). In the trade paperback I read there was a new ending written in 2015. His words about Hilary Clinton were heartbreaking and bittersweet. I am happily passing this book along to a dear friend, as we have tickets to see Offerman in December. After reading this humorous and insightful book, I can't wait!
I recently read a similar book about people the author considered "great Americans," and how we should emulate them. This one was much better. First of all, I appreciate the variety of people Offerman has chosen to expound on. Because I didn't peek ahead, the first chapter (George Washington, natch.) I assumed the rest of the chapters would be similarly famous American historical figures. And they are, but in SUCH a different way than I expected after chapter 1. Conan O'Brien, toolmaker Thomas Lie-Nielsen, author Wendell Berry...It's an eclectic mix, but that made me appreciate the book more than anything. It's a ragtag band of troublemakers for sure.
Also, I love Nick Offerman. I love his style of humor, which is smart, self-deprecating, and occasionally dirty. I laughed out loud several times, because he has the amazing ability to surprise the reader.
Also, I love Nick Offerman. I love his style of humor, which is smart, self-deprecating, and occasionally dirty. I laughed out loud several times, because he has the amazing ability to surprise the reader.
I loved this book because Nick Offerman’s use of vocabulary is poetic. He crafts with words the way he crafts with wood, with great beauty and artistry. And listening to him read his words is just a bonus.
This is a love letter to some of his favorite people. You don’t have to agree with him to enjoy it. In fact, there were some points I don’t agree, particularly about modernization and technology. Every generation has a point where modernization threatens to overwhelm and overtake and we ruefully shake our heads at the loss of the “old” way. And yes, there is something majestic about humans doing things the “old” way, with our hands and our brains and our simple tools. Notre Dame Cathedral is a great example of doing things the “old” way. But if we look at history, for every Notre Dame, there was a cathedral or church whose roof would collapse and kill those inside. Sometimes modernization and technology make life better (and safer) too. Craft beer is something to be celebrated. Organic small farming for local markets too. But each industry named still depends on the forward move into a future of modernization and technology. I often wish those that wax poetic about the “good ol’ ways” would preach more on finding balance than a dismissal of all things new.
But whether you agree with his politics or opinions, his writing is eloquent and often spellbinding. If you’re of the Ron Swanson persuasion, I’m going to guess you will struggle more with his politics and opinions than others. But if you’re looking for Ron Swanson, note, he is a tv character and not real. And while it’s entirely human to wish the person playing a favored character be just like that character, one should not expect the real human Nick Offerman to be the same person or share his characters’ politics and opinions. It’s like being disappointed that Stephen Colbert isn’t anything like his Comedy Central persona. I think you missed the joke.
I am a big fan of his craft competition show with Amy Poehler, Making It. I think it’s a little more of the real Nick Offerman, and I like that persona. I hope it continues until we all get so tired of kindness and fun. And I’m also going to re-listen to [b:Lincoln in the Bardo|29906980|Lincoln in the Bardo|George Saunders|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1492130850l/29906980._SX50_.jpg|50281866] because he reads it and it’s by George Saunders and it’s eloquently written too.
This is a love letter to some of his favorite people. You don’t have to agree with him to enjoy it. In fact, there were some points I don’t agree, particularly about modernization and technology. Every generation has a point where modernization threatens to overwhelm and overtake and we ruefully shake our heads at the loss of the “old” way. And yes, there is something majestic about humans doing things the “old” way, with our hands and our brains and our simple tools. Notre Dame Cathedral is a great example of doing things the “old” way. But if we look at history, for every Notre Dame, there was a cathedral or church whose roof would collapse and kill those inside. Sometimes modernization and technology make life better (and safer) too. Craft beer is something to be celebrated. Organic small farming for local markets too. But each industry named still depends on the forward move into a future of modernization and technology. I often wish those that wax poetic about the “good ol’ ways” would preach more on finding balance than a dismissal of all things new.
But whether you agree with his politics or opinions, his writing is eloquent and often spellbinding. If you’re of the Ron Swanson persuasion, I’m going to guess you will struggle more with his politics and opinions than others. But if you’re looking for Ron Swanson, note, he is a tv character and not real. And while it’s entirely human to wish the person playing a favored character be just like that character, one should not expect the real human Nick Offerman to be the same person or share his characters’ politics and opinions. It’s like being disappointed that Stephen Colbert isn’t anything like his Comedy Central persona. I think you missed the joke.
I am a big fan of his craft competition show with Amy Poehler, Making It. I think it’s a little more of the real Nick Offerman, and I like that persona. I hope it continues until we all get so tired of kindness and fun. And I’m also going to re-listen to [b:Lincoln in the Bardo|29906980|Lincoln in the Bardo|George Saunders|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1492130850l/29906980._SX50_.jpg|50281866] because he reads it and it’s by George Saunders and it’s eloquently written too.
It has the same great writing and wit that I loved about his previous book but I found it to lose my attention often as it went on. I loved the first few chapters but, as it got into the more modern people that he chose to talk about, it seemed to lose something.
As with his first book, Nick Offerman has again endeared himself to me with his educated, quick wit, life philosophy, simple wisdom and - at the risk of tripping over the line into corny review territory - gumption.
I am instantly declaring him my imaginary best friend. I would declare him an imaginary husband however he is already married and imaginarily married.
I thoroughly enjoyed each addition to his list of inspiring personalities who he defines as having gumption. If you can, listen to the audio version so you can enjoy the pace and tone and giggles of this tome.
His book inspires me to create, to find the things that are important and to ponder a list like this of my own. And he accomplishes all of this without the trite, trending quips of inspiration that social media hammers us with in memes that are equivalent to a poster of a kitten hanging off a branch meowing "hang in there."
While I may be biased - seeing that he IS my new imaginary best friend - this is one of my favorite recent reads.
I am instantly declaring him my imaginary best friend. I would declare him an imaginary husband however he is already married and imaginarily married.
I thoroughly enjoyed each addition to his list of inspiring personalities who he defines as having gumption. If you can, listen to the audio version so you can enjoy the pace and tone and giggles of this tome.
His book inspires me to create, to find the things that are important and to ponder a list like this of my own. And he accomplishes all of this without the trite, trending quips of inspiration that social media hammers us with in memes that are equivalent to a poster of a kitten hanging off a branch meowing "hang in there."
While I may be biased - seeing that he IS my new imaginary best friend - this is one of my favorite recent reads.
Three and a half stars. Garrulous, verbose, pompous (but I think intentionally so… it’s just his style) my mind could only hear it in Ron Swanson’s voice, and at times the stories got a little bogged down in wordiness. Nonetheless, I learned some interesting things about people both known, and formerly unknown to me. I did love that Offerman’s crush on one of my absolute favorites, and a paragon of gumption, Wendell Berry, was woven in as a common thread among so many of the profiles (and Michael Pollan)!