Paddle Your Own Canoe

One Man's Fundamentals for Delicious Living

By: Nick Offerman

Narrated by: Nick Offerman

Parks and Recreation actor Nick Offerman shares his humorous fulminations on life, manliness, meat, and much more in his first book.

Growing a perfect moustache, grilling red meat, wooing a woman - who better to deliver this tutelage than the always charming, always manly Nick Offerman, best known as Parks and Recreation's Ron Swanson? Combining his trademark comic voice and very real expertise in woodworking - he runs his own woodshop - Paddle Your Own Canoe features tales from Offerman's childhood in small-town Minooka, Illinois - "I grew up literally in the middle of a cornfield" - to his theater days in Chicago, beginnings as a carpenter/actor and the hilarious and magnificent seduction of his now-wife Megan Mullally. It also offers hard-bitten battle strategies in the arenas of manliness, love, style, religion, woodworking, and outdoor recreation, among many other savory entrees.

A mix of amusing anecdotes, opinionated lessons and rants, sprinkled with offbeat gaiety, Paddle Your Own Canoe will not only tickle readers pink but may also rouse them to put down their smart phones, study a few sycamore leaves, and maybe even handcraft (and paddle) their own canoes.

©2013 Nick Offerman (P)2013 Penguin

Critic reviews

“[Offerman] not only explores his Paul Bunyan-like image with tongue-in-cheek lessons on manliness, complete with illustrations and advice, but also offers poignant memories of his childhood growing up in Illinois and hilarious anecdotes from his career.” (Entertainment Weekly)

“Offerman touches on everything from his days as a break-dancing, football-playing farm boy in Minooka (about 50 miles southwest of the Loop) to his freewheeling, hedonistic 20s in Chicago to the inevitable Hollywood struggles that followed. But he doesn’t gloss over embarrassing moments, including his two trips to jail during college at the University of Illinois - one for shoplifting Ronnie Milsap cassettes from Kmart as a joke; the other, he says, a convoluted case of mistaken identity. Between anecdotes, he delivers impassioned pleas and rants…” (Chicago magazine)

“Thought-provoking, profane, and frequently hilarious…getting to know Offerman through his stumbling courtship with Megan Mullally and Kabuki theater training is well worth the price of admission.” (Publishers Weekly)

Like bacon for your ears

Would you consider the audio edition of Paddle Your Own Canoe to be better than the print version?

Yes, I read through half of the printed edition until I found out the author read the audio version. Without hesitation I downloaded this book and let ten hours fly by as I listened to this gentle, bear-like man recite prose that made my chest hair grow

What does Nick Offerman bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Is this a question? Have you heard him talk? His man giggle? Phenomenal stuff, really.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

I laughed much, but more importantly I could feel my twenty-something-year-old inner yuppie child quiver before a new mountain man like giant of self reliance and well roundedness

Any additional comments?

You'll love it more than Ron Swanson. I read this book going in with the idea that it'd be more of a book on life from the humorous outlook of Ron Swanson ( A character played by Offerman on Parks and Rec.) Instead, I was delightfully surprised to hear Nick's recounts of growing up with larger than life parental figures, his often humor infused humility, and his down to earth life lessons. I Will listen to it again.

Slow read, but worth it. Great story.

Nick's story gives regular chump's like me hope. Although we equally have sassy love buddies, I'll still paddle my own canoe.

#RainbowSong

Great Book. Love the Authors work.

This is a great book and even better when read by the Author. Would recommend.

A Truly Great American Read

Would you listen to Paddle Your Own Canoe again? Why?

I would definitely listen to Paddle Your Own Canoe again. I originally thought of buying this book in hardback, yet made the choice to hear it read aloud by Nick himself on an audiobook. Instantly I realized I made an amazing choice. Listening to Nick narrate his life in his own words was as entertaining and majestic as passing a bottle of whiskey around the campfire with friends, then in a drunken stupor, shooting off bottle rockets and running around naked. The experience would be nothing of the sort if I was reading it by myself, and hearing him actually sing the Rainbow Song, the one he wrote his wife Megan Mullally's birthday, made it all the better. As a fan of Parks and Rec and an avid follower of Offerman Woodworking, this book brought greater depth to a person who is often confined to the character Ron Swanson he plays on TV. And while his tone and affect still enlivened images in my head of the mustachio'd, deadpan Libertarian, I walked away with a greater respect and admiration of a hard-working American actor and icon. He's articulate, funny, thoughtful and entertaining.

What other book might you compare Paddle Your Own Canoe to and why?

The Heming Way by Beckerman, A Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson. Anything satirical yet honest when it needs to be.

Which character – as performed by Nick Offerman – was your favorite?

Himself. I feel like Offerman has as great sense of self-awareness as he does humor, and often it's masked by the character of Ron Swanson. To hear his vulnerable side, his hardships, successes, blatant sex drive and of course how much he loves his wife is inspirational.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

Laugh, for sure. His little ad libs as he reads along really personifies the book.

Worth every penny.

This audio book was amazing. I loved every second of it. If you are a fan of Offerman's you can't go wrong with this book.

Nick Effing Offerman... Nuff said

Mr. Offerman narrating this this audiobook made this one of my favorite listens. It once again capitalizes on his dedication to his art of sharing oddly heinous pearls of wisdom, wrapped with the dry humor only he can achieve. If you don't find yourself tempted to read this, check between your legs gentlemen.

Great performance

Great performance and story, I just felt it droned on a couple of times (especially about how much he hates religion), but ultimately entertaining and an enjoyable listen.

Nick Offerman is a smarty pants

If you haven't read anything by Mr Offerman you are really missing out. thank you

Thank you Mr. offerman

What can I say...this is Nick frickin' Offerman! I would read anything written by this man and the extra treat of hearing him read it. Great book for Offerman and non-Offerman fans. He can craft a well-written phrase as well as some of the greatest humorists of all time. Read it!

Epic

Wonderful - just fantastic.
It's really great to hear a text like this read by the author with the phrasing, and timing they imagined when they wrote the book.