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354 reviews for:
Gumption: Relighting the Torch of Freedom with America's Gutsiest Troublemakers
Nick Offerman
3.73 AVERAGE
354 reviews for:
Gumption: Relighting the Torch of Freedom with America's Gutsiest Troublemakers
Nick Offerman
3.73 AVERAGE
I miss Jon Stewart on the Daily Show. His commitment to sharing books with his audience isn't something easy to replace. This is one of those books that probably wouldn't have shown up on my radar without him, and I'm glad it did. Offerman does a fantastic job of making history relatable, portrays historical figures as "real" people and highlighting a quality that feels missing in today's America - gumption. I recommend this book to people who don't think history is interesting, that non-fiction is boring, or anyone who wants to learn something new. America's "greatness" was grounded in gumption and these stories help us find a little bit of it again.
I wanted to like this more than I did, considering my admiration of the author and many of the people that were profiled (not to mention my love of figures in American history). Since I listened to the audiobook while driving, I didn't look ahead to see which people were included, so it was a happy surprise to find Conan O'Brien as the final subject. Nonetheless, the writing (narrating) seemed a bit too needlessly eloquent. I love a good turn of phrase and use of a $5 word, but sometimes the writing seemed like a "use this SAT word in a sentence" exercise. But once we got through the chapters on the founding fathers, this seemed to lessen (I guess I can't fault the guy for trying to emulate the verbose writing of Madison and his ilk).
I found myself tuning out for some of the chapters. I can appreciate that woodworkers do good, valuable work, but I don't get quite as jazzed about discussing the literal tools of the trade as Nick Offerman does. For that reason, this book was a bit hit or miss. That said, it was a perfectly enjoyable book to listen to while on the road.
I found myself tuning out for some of the chapters. I can appreciate that woodworkers do good, valuable work, but I don't get quite as jazzed about discussing the literal tools of the trade as Nick Offerman does. For that reason, this book was a bit hit or miss. That said, it was a perfectly enjoyable book to listen to while on the road.
slow-paced
Okay.
Admittedly, I listened to this in the car so I think there was definitely something added by Nick Offerman geeking out over meeting people he so admires, and doing voices. There were times I chuckled, times I nodded sagely, and times I simply rolled my eyes.
Offerman has a lot of good things to say, he makes points that are important to hear--people should learn to work with their hands, yes, they should put down their phones and tablets, of course, protecting nature is important, absolutely. But he hammers home the 'the youth of today suck' message just a little bit too much and comes across as curmudgeonly.
Clever format, I liked the weaving of people with Offerman's tales of his own life, but it felt a little repetitious and the chapters fell back on 'kids these days, amirite?'
Admittedly, I listened to this in the car so I think there was definitely something added by Nick Offerman geeking out over meeting people he so admires, and doing voices. There were times I chuckled, times I nodded sagely, and times I simply rolled my eyes.
Offerman has a lot of good things to say, he makes points that are important to hear--people should learn to work with their hands, yes, they should put down their phones and tablets, of course, protecting nature is important, absolutely. But he hammers home the 'the youth of today suck' message just a little bit too much and comes across as curmudgeonly.
Clever format, I liked the weaving of people with Offerman's tales of his own life, but it felt a little repetitious and the chapters fell back on 'kids these days, amirite?'
Offerman has a great voice and it is very much his own. The entries focusing on the people I was already familiar with were more enjoyable but he does a good job of describing who everyone is and why they are on the list.
I was/am a huge fan of Parks and Recreation. Being a Leslie Knope myself, I felt complete listening to the voice of Ron Swanson and hearing his voice come to life and tell Nick Offerman's extremely well researched and extremely articulate story of historical and current badassery from many fields of life.
I laughed aloud in my car, at the gym, while cooking. I'm sure the text would come across equally well if you're familiar with Nick Offerman at all, but treat yourself to the audiobook if possible.
So many terrific quotes both from the famous people he describes and his own reflections on our society, his career and of course, the Freemasons.
I laughed aloud in my car, at the gym, while cooking. I'm sure the text would come across equally well if you're familiar with Nick Offerman at all, but treat yourself to the audiobook if possible.
So many terrific quotes both from the famous people he describes and his own reflections on our society, his career and of course, the Freemasons.
funny
informative
lighthearted
medium-paced
I loved this. The audio book (read by the author) is well worth an ear-read.
Super informational and funny. I loved learning about these people while it simultaneously being funny!
THIS BOOK you guys! Nick Offerman is a man who loves words and isn't afraid to paint a picture with them. I was hearing his voice in my head the entire time, and it was delightful. And, the content is great too! Offerman has a list of 21 people throughout America's history that have used Gumption to do good things. There's the classics like Washington, Franklin all the way through Frederick Douglas and Conan O'Brien. He also touches on thoughts of how history and society's rules have been written by white men and the results. What a great book, an easy quick read that I couldn't put down. I've got several pages dog-eared with ideas I want to look more into, and I laughed out loud at least once a chapter at his writing.