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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
2.5. I really enjoyed certain parts but some I could have lived without.
Offerman's description of the American Revolution: "Now all they had to do was liberate themselves from the iron grip of the military equivalent of Dwayne “the Rock” Johnson that was eighteenth-century Great Britain."
This book starts out strong, my example is above, but little by little he loses his way. The constant political pushing, rant about "white male privledge (which he is one)," and constant fan-boy gets a little old. Strongest sections are the American Revolution and Theodore Roosevelt. Other names I'm not familiar with were all about how he was a fan instead of why they had gumption. Bright spots, but otherwise skip.
This book starts out strong, my example is above, but little by little he loses his way. The constant political pushing, rant about "white male privledge (which he is one)," and constant fan-boy gets a little old. Strongest sections are the American Revolution and Theodore Roosevelt. Other names I'm not familiar with were all about how he was a fan instead of why they had gumption. Bright spots, but otherwise skip.
Nick Offerman is one of the most down-to-earth, logical voices in America. His wit and humor shine through in tough topics that no one wants to address. This list of American's with gumption was so relatable and fun. I highly recommend listening to all of his books on audio because it's like having a conversation with a friend.
Another enjoyable offering from Mr. Offerman. Witty, insightful, and relatable (most of the time-I’m not much into woodworking). I love how this privileged white guy uses his privilege to speak up for women and minorities. Plus-his voice is soothing as shit.
I thought the idea was good but the execution was awkward.
The first third had a bunch of old dead people, mostly presidents, with lots of nice stories. Good.
The next bit involved more modern people, who I may not have heard of. Boat builders, park makers, and more. Then it just turned into him talking with his personal modern heroes and friends, having chapters about why they are awesome.
All this would have been fine, but it was constantly filled with his opinions on America today and why blah blah and blah was bad. Some things I agreed with, some I disagreed with, either way, these often long tangents always felt uncomfortable.
The first third had a bunch of old dead people, mostly presidents, with lots of nice stories. Good.
The next bit involved more modern people, who I may not have heard of. Boat builders, park makers, and more. Then it just turned into him talking with his personal modern heroes and friends, having chapters about why they are awesome.
All this would have been fine, but it was constantly filled with his opinions on America today and why blah blah and blah was bad. Some things I agreed with, some I disagreed with, either way, these often long tangents always felt uncomfortable.
Less about actually exploring the concept of gumption and more about giving Nick Offerman the thinly veiled opportunity to interview people that he admires before expounding on his own personal values and opinions on current events and the world around us.
Thankfully, I enjoy his voice as an author and agree with most of his positions, so I had a pretty good time reading this. Though, there were several times that even I found it to be a little obnoxious and over-the-top, so its probably more of a 3⭐️ read for me, even though I think I’ve settled on a 4⭐️ out of 5 rating.
Thankfully, I enjoy his voice as an author and agree with most of his positions, so I had a pretty good time reading this. Though, there were several times that even I found it to be a little obnoxious and over-the-top, so its probably more of a 3⭐️ read for me, even though I think I’ve settled on a 4⭐️ out of 5 rating.
3.5/5. Though it positions itself as a writeup of “America’s greatest troublemakers,” this book is really an homage to 21 inductees of the Nick Offerman/Ron Swanson Hall of Fame. As a reader, I was expecting something more objective and historically focused, perhaps casting light American figures criminally left out of the history books. Instead, this book sometimes reads as an excuse for Offerman to meet some of his personal heroes (which, to be fair, he’s upfront about). Still, Offerman’s prose is funny, insightful, and engaging, and most of the people he highlights live(d) interesting, inspirational lives.
Cute. I was enjoying this book immensely, but then the obvious (and self proclaimed) gimmick of Offerman's thesaurus use began to grow old.
It's very apparent he went over his drafts multiple times, looking for words he could replace with new ones from his thesaurus.
I could hear his Parks and Recreation voice in my head overly pronouncing each syllable, but then it just became distracting and unfunny.
He also, unfortunately, got a little preachy more then a few times while expressing his current viewpoints by making other ways of life, or perceptions of one's reality, "wrong". For example, if you work six days a week and having weekends off, then he thinks your a stupid inferior unenlightened human. I could see him rereading this book years from now and cringing at his own narrow-minded views that he delivered as absolutes.
But I also learned some fun, interesting, and important facts about a handful of historical people.
It's very apparent he went over his drafts multiple times, looking for words he could replace with new ones from his thesaurus.
I could hear his Parks and Recreation voice in my head overly pronouncing each syllable, but then it just became distracting and unfunny.
He also, unfortunately, got a little preachy more then a few times while expressing his current viewpoints by making other ways of life, or perceptions of one's reality, "wrong". For example, if you work six days a week and having weekends off, then he thinks your a stupid inferior unenlightened human. I could see him rereading this book years from now and cringing at his own narrow-minded views that he delivered as absolutes.
But I also learned some fun, interesting, and important facts about a handful of historical people.
https://lbwritesx.wordpress.com/2015/11/10/a-list-of-trouble-makers/
“Far and away the best prize that life has to offer is the chance to work hard at work worth doing.”
This is Offerman’s gushing love letter to some amazing Americans who’ve inspired him. From George Washington to George Saunders, it’s a pretty fascinating list. Don’t worry, there are some ladies in there as well! Superb audio narration as always.
This is Offerman’s gushing love letter to some amazing Americans who’ve inspired him. From George Washington to George Saunders, it’s a pretty fascinating list. Don’t worry, there are some ladies in there as well! Superb audio narration as always.