Paddle Your Own Canoe: One Man's Fundamentals for Delicious Living Paperback – Illustrated, September 2, 2014

My first thoughts as I began reading Nick's book (I call him Nick. He's my TV boyfriend, deal.) was SOULMATE!!!! I mean, here's a man who both is and is not Ron freakin' Swanson, making him the best of both worlds, in my opinion. And he has manly facial hair which... okay, I don't really like moustaches, but it is manly. Also, he's originally from Chicago. Yes he is, he's from Minooka IL, which as you should know is Chicago by default because it's north of Kankakee. Technically Chicago is bounded by Kankakee in the south, Lake Geneva in the north, and the Mississippi in the west. And there's a bigass lake to the east which is ours too. This is not my fault, I didn't make the rules.Then I calmed down and admitted that Nick might not be my soulmate because he seems to have found one in Megan Mullally, a perfectly hilarious woman to whom I willingly relinquish any soulmate claims on Nick. Instead, I believe him to be a kindred spirit. He's smart, he's funny, and he doesn't give a damn what people think of him. I like his politics, I like his attitudes, and I like his style. If that's not a kindred spirit, I don't know what is.I've seen reviewers complain that this book is anti-religion, and I'm here to tell you it's not, not at all. Offerman (I just put my reviewer cap on over my fangirl cap, so now I'm being all review-y.) says upfront that religion is a good thing when you keep it in your church, your family, your heart. When you try to put it into your government, when you try to use it to define your society, that's his line in the sand. (Mine too.) That doesn't make him anti-religion, that makes him anti-authoritarian and anti-jerk, which in my book is a good thing.I've seen reviewers complain that this book is profane. I resist the word in this context because of its Puritan-level prissiness. Offerman's language is bawdy in the best sense of the word; a big, Falstaffian lot of cussin' and good, honest sexual innuendo, neither of which will kill, maim, or otherwise do jack to another human being. Or to put it into perspective, he's not shooting people, is he? So calm the hell down.What he is doing in this wonderful, hilarious book, is telling the story of his life, crediting his family, particularly his parents, his friends, and his wife with making him as good a man as he is able to be, which seems pretty darn good to me. From his origins in Minooka, to his college years in Champaign-Urbana, to theater in Chicago, and then to film and television in Los Angeles, Offerman gives us not only his own story, but an insight into how a working actor becomes a working actor. In his case it involves high production values, and a good bit of weed.One of my favorite stories is how he developed a running joke about proposing to Mullally, first by accident, then as a series of practical jokes, and finally for real. Their romance warmed the heart of an old cynic like myself, and made me laugh.I don't really know if you'll love this book the way I do. I hope so. I hope you will love it and leave a message saying, "We must be kindred spirits." Because there's nothing better in the world.

“Paddle Your Own Canoe” written by Nick Offerman After watching at least one episode of the comical television series “Parks and Recreation” (thus a chance to familiarize yourself with the masculine, carnivorous, neoliberal, and mustachioed Ron Swanson character—played by Nick Offerman) you may then want to read Offerman's memoir "Paddle Your Own Canoe." Offerman is a loveable humanist who encourages others to live a “delicious life” that entails getting out into the great outdoors, creating something with your very own hands, and best of all finding a partner to share and enjoy life’s adventures with. No doubt his book will appeal to those who love his Ron Swanson character’s deadpan humor as he delivers his personal history related to sex, drugs, rock and roll, theatre, and film—and to small town America. He hails from Minooka, Illinois, attended U of I in Champaign-Urbana, and is a well known professional in the Chicago theatre scene. Offerman is a wordsmith. By the time you finish his book, you’ll be ready to take the Graduate Records Exam (GRE) and pass it with flying colors, so long as you do your homework and look up the words he cherry picked to vividly describe his childhood, his years as a not so starving (yet very poor) artist, and his current status as “one lucky bastard” (his expletives are common knowledge, so no need to have a dictionary on hand for this half of his book). I would especially recommend this book to anyone who is the least bit interested in the life of a modern day thespian. Offerman has had an extensive, successful career in theatre and in front of the camera. He offers sage wisdom in a very direct, endearing, and humble manner. He is a family man to the core, a loyal friend, and one of the funniest individuals on television today. As a woodcraftsman, he is a force to be reckoned with. And to boot—he is an intelligent and engaging author. This is one of my top picks for the 2013 year of great reads! It is also enjoyable to read a local author.Check out this author’s website at: [...]Also, check out an entertaining video trailer introducing Offerman’s book:[...]Tags: Nonfiction; Memoir; Humor--Jeanne

As I really enjoyed watching Nick Offerman as Ron Swanson in ‘P&R’, I have reached for this book to learn more about story of this actor.I’ve done it 10 years after its publication but it still is as fresh as probably at the time of release.‘Paddle Your Own Canoe’ gives not only great insight in Nick Offerman’s beginnings, family, career steps and his passion for carpentry and acting, but also his views on some of the issues which are as actual now, as they were in 2013.The book is written mainly with US in mind, however this is not at all a flaw - it is great to see that there are Americans who, whilst deeply patriotic, approach some aspects of American reality and culture in a critical and humorous manner.Five stars from me for great narrative, style and a great amount of stories.

Just a few pages in and im already laughing out loud!

Nick Offerman's story was an interesting one. I would have never guessed that the hilarious man who played Ron Swanson was a classically trained dramatic actor who even performed Kabuki theatre. The book covers a lot of information about his personal life, his acting life and how he turned his woodworking hobby into a successful business. There was a part where he talked about how after many failed auditions he decided to just start being himself (rather than what he thought directors wanted to see) that I found really inspiring. I really enjoyed this book and found it really funny.

Offert à un ami qui a été aux anges de recevoir ce merveilleux livre.Bien évidemment, le livre de Leslie Knope est aussi à prendre comme complément.

Si eres fan de la serie te encantará. Y es el típico producto que en unos años no podrás encontrar, aprovecha ahora para hacerte con él.