A review by waterbear0821
Where the Deer and the Antelope Play: The Pastoral Observations of One Ignorant American Who Loves to Walk Outside by Nick Offerman

funny hopeful informative inspiring lighthearted reflective medium-paced

3.75

I listened to this as an audiobook - I actually got it as a gift in hardcover but I ended up borrowing it from the library as an audiobook because Nick Offerman is a great narrator! I have not seen any of his shows (I know, Parks & Rec is a masterpiece, it’s just not for me) but of course I know who Nick Offerman is because I have been alive in the US for several decades. He has always struck me as a good dude and this book reinforces that in every way. I did not know he’s been a professional woodworker for many years, that’s pretty cool! The book is basically essays chronicling his exploits in nature from ~2019-2021 and includes his musings, stories, and a healthy dose of American nature writing history, particularly Aldo Leopold. (To me it reads WAY more Edward Abbey than Aldo Leopold because he’s funny in a smug way. As he says, repeatedly, ”NUANCE” 🤷). I suspect many readers will hit a part of the book that they find annoying, or maybe just too long, but if you like what you see on the cover, you will probably enjoy the majority of this book. The first section about Glacier National Park was by favorite, and I like that it bookended a bit with a short jaunt in another National park. Overall, fun to listen to and to think about.