Book Review: "Paddle Your Own Canoe: One Man's Fundamentals for Delicious Living" by Nick Offerman

I have not written a book report since the 7th Grade (I got a C-). Please take pity on my lack of knowledge of form and fashion of book reviews...

I enjoyed the man behind "Parks and Recreation"'s Ron Swanson's literary offering. I found the tome to be sincere, humble, and very, very funny. The man's passion of, well, life comes through in a non-preachy way. Even the section titled "Leviticus Can Blow Me" seemed not to be anti-religious, more of a plea for compassion. That could be because of the healthy dose of the un-celebrity like ethos and humor that is prevalent in even the most tenderhearted passages.

Offerman never spouts a "I deserve this" attitude. The "I nod when they call me 'Lucky Bastard'" stance is presented and believable. His upbringing in rural Illinois is mostly to blame. When he discovered the stage, he was determined to be a part of it any way he could. This led to constructing stage pieces and settings. This, in turn, led to his overriding passion of woodworking.

I can see his pastime creeping into the structure of the chapters. I see him starting with areas blocked out. Whittling down this part, shaving some off this chapter, chipping away at some of the memories. His writing is honed and lathed to exactly convey his thoughts as he wants to. And make you laugh. A lot. When he talks about his proposal to his bride of ten years, Megan Mullaly, of "Will and Grace" fame, he paints a Disney-meets-Hustler scene...

"Dropped to one knee, all of nature seemed to be copulating around us, beating the air into a syrup of carnal ecstasy. Pairs of sparrows furiously sixty-nining pinwheeled through the air like feathery fellating fireworks. The calla lilies were nodding approval at me as they began to gently butt-fuck one another."

Ah, Romance!

His devotion to his craft - acting and woodworking, his friends, and his family makes him seem unaffected by the virus that is celebrity. I doubt very much you will hear of a high speed chase or heroin bust involving one Nick Offerman. Point of fact, I have added him to the very short list of people I would actually cross the street to shake the hand of. Although, I would hope there would be a place to buy a glass of Lagavulin and discuss maple vs. oak.

Paddle your own canoe, indeed,

d