It surprises me as much as it surprises the next person that Nick Offerman has published not one but TWO books (and actually, I think a third, but that was written with his wife). For those who don’t know, Nick Offerman played the hyper-masculine Ron Swanson (with the best mustache) on NBC’s critical darling Parks and Rec.

The reason it surprises me that Offerman has written two books is because he seems like someone who would constantly be working on other things. I read his first book (Paddle Your Own Canoe) on my honeymoon, and a year later I found myself with his second publication: Gumption: Relighting the Torch of Freedom with American’s Gutsiest Troublemakers.

This is *not* a super deep history book. If you’re looking for truly scholarly material, you’re better off elsewhere. This book, while reasonably well researched, is an in depth look at people Offerman personally admires, who also have done some pretty great things for the United States (which is part of the reason Offerman likes them). I especially liked Offerman’s chapters on Wendell Berry and Teddy Roosevelt. (‘Bull Moose: Balls Deep’ is the election slogan we’re all looking for, honestly.)

As I said, this is a book of essays by Offerman about people Offerman admires. I enjoyed it tremendously, but only because I wasn’t expecting a scholarly history book with no opinions in it, apparently. Some of the complaints I’ve seen leveled at it are completely bizarre to me – like valuing hard work but espousing principles “opposite of the entrepreneurial spirit” which I think means the reviewer rejects Offerman’s opinion that our corporate overlords (who he doesn’t trust) should pay workers a living wage for honest work.

Offerman definitely has some opinions about things like cellphones being a pain in the ass. While he does go overboard with some of his points (clearly for comedic effect), he also uses that humor to make points. Sometimes life *is* better when your cellphone isn’t an appendage of your arm. Sometimes technology, while also being pretty great, really fucking sucks. This is part of Offerman’s personal brand as well as a real point – he’s obviously a slight curmudgeon (somewhat purposefully) but again, I’m not sure what people were expecting here regarding Offerman himself being part of the book. I expected opinions and comedy.

This book was fun, lighthearted, and humorous (which apparently some people don’t like). Offerman narrates the audiobook himself, which is adds another layer of humor, as Offerman is a very good, understated comedian. If you don’t enjoy Offerman’s brand of humor (or pretty mainstream left leaning political opinions, like “Democrats and Republicans, but especially Republicans, all kind of suck”) you’re not going to enjoy this book.

Tagged: authors: nick offerman, books: gumption, genre: comedy, genre: non-fiction