Nick Offerman’s Paddle Your Own Canoe was the other book I read on my honeymoon. It was beachier reading than Smoke, for sure. It was way less dense and funny.

For those who don’t know, Nick Offerman played hyper-masculine Ron Swanson on NBC’s little-engine-that-could comedy Parks and Recreation. I have only seen a few episodes of Parks and Recreation, so I know very little about Ron Swanson, but I did know of him, and I feel that speaks to the popularity of the character and the actor.

Anyway, Paddle Your Own Canoe is, basically, a memoir. Offerman reflects on his life growing up in Bumblefuck, Illinois. I apologize profusely for referring to wherever Offerman grew up as Bumblefuck, but I can’t remember the actual name and Offerman himself said it was a very small Illinois town that was hours from the nearest city. So again, my apologies to Bumblefuck, Illinois for not remembering its real name.

It chronicled how Offerman got into acting and comedy, and gave bits of life advice that are obvious but quite a bit invaluable in many ways, especially when stated so plainly. Example: find something you can do that you enjoy or makes you money or both. Offerman learned carpentry and this skill kept him from completely starving to death during his “paying his dues” years in “the business.” He still spends a lot of time making things out of reclaimed wood. It’s a hobby turned business that he deeply enjoys. And while this seems like and obvious tidbit, it really clicks when someone actually says it.

The book also tells the story of how Offerman met his wife, Megan Mullalley (Karen on Will and Grace) and their life together.

Paddle Your Own Canoe was a really fun read. I enjoyed it immensely because (while he insists otherwise) Offerman is clearly a funny, intelligent man who thinks for himself and whose life philosophy is, basically, the same one I subscribe to: don’t be an asshole. He also seems to have the same quiet pride in his country that I do, which basically boils down to “It’s not perfect, but it has its own, original brilliance of a governement experiment to be proud of, its ideals for us to reach for, and we’re working on it.”

So me and Nick Offerman are basically the same person, except he has way better facial hair. So…I wrote Paddle Your Own Canoe. You should read it. I also starred in Parks and Recreation. You should watch it. I’m taking credit for it now.

Tagged: authors: nick offerman, books: paddle your own canoe, genre: autobiography, genre: memoir