Gumption
Relighting the Torch of Freedom with America's Gutsiest Troublemakers
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Narrated by:
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Nick Offerman
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By:
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Nick Offerman
About this listen
The star of Parks and Recreation and author of the New York Times best seller Paddle Your Own Canoe returns with a second book that humorously highlights 21 figures from our nation’s history, from her inception to present day - Nick’s personal pantheon of “great Americans".
To millions of people, Nick Offerman is America. Both Nick and his character, Ron Swanson, are known for their humor and patriotism in equal measure.
After the great success of his autobiography, Paddle Your Own Canoe, Offerman now focuses on the lives of those who inspired him. From George Washington to Willie Nelson, he describes 21 heroic figures and why they inspire in him such great meaning. He’ll combine both serious history with light-hearted humor - comparing, say, George Washington’s wooden teeth to his own experience as a woodworker. The subject matter will also allow Offerman to expound upon his favorite topics, which listeners love to hear - areas such as religion, politics, woodworking and handcrafting, agriculture, creativity, philosophy, fashion, and, of course, meat.
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Mix of family history and life advice.
- By Adam Shields on 10-31-19
By: Sidney Poitier
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Good Day!
- The Paul Harvey Story
- By: Paul J. Batura
- Narrated by: Paul J. Batura
- Length: 6 hrs and 24 mins
- Unabridged
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In Good Day!: The Paul Harvey Story, author Paul J. Batura follows the remarkable life of one of the founding fathers of the news media. Paul Harvey started his career during the Great Depression and narrated America's story day by day, through wars and peace, the threat of communism and the crumbling of old colonial powers, consumer booms and eventual busts.
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Should have been better
- By Royce Brown on 12-21-09
By: Paul J. Batura
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How to Be Black
- By: Baratunde Thurston
- Narrated by: Baratunde Thurston
- Length: 6 hrs and 27 mins
- Unabridged
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Beyond memoir, this guidebook offers practical advice on everything from "How to Be the Black Friend" to "How to Be the (Next) Black President" to "How to Celebrate Black History Month". This is a humorous, intelligent, and audacious guide that challenges and satirizes the so-called experts, purists, and racists who purport to speak for all Black people. With honest storytelling and biting wit, Baratunde plots a path not just to blackness, but one open to anyone interested in simply "how to be".
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Funny yet insightful!
- By Theodore on 02-15-12
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Who's Afraid of Post-Blackness
- What It Means to Be Black Now
- By: Touré, Michael Eric Dyson
- Narrated by: Touré
- Length: 7 hrs and 43 mins
- Unabridged
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A provocative look at what it means to be Black today. This audiobook includes excerpts from over 100 interviews with Rev. Jesse Jackson, Cornel West, Skip Gates, Melissa Harris-Perry, Kara Walker, Kehinde Wiley, Glenn Ligon, Malcolm Gladwell, Paul Mooney, NY Gov. David Paterson, Harold Ford, Jr., Soledad O'Brien, Kamala Harris, Chuck D, Questlove, and others.
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Food for Thought
- By Sara on 12-22-11
By: Touré, and others
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Empire of Self
- A Life of Gore Vidal
- By: Jay Parini
- Narrated by: John Lescault
- Length: 16 hrs and 23 mins
- Unabridged
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The product of 30 years of friendship and conversation, Jay Parini's Empire of Self probes behind the glittering surface of Gore Vidal's colorful life to reveal the complex emotional and sexual truth underlying his celebrity-strewn life. But there is plenty of glittering surface as well - a virtual who's who of the American Century, from Eleanor Roosevelt and Amelia Earhart through the Kennedys, Princess Margaret, and the creme de la creme of Hollywood.
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Well done!
- By Christopher on 03-22-16
By: Jay Parini
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Street Gang
- The Complete History of Sesame Street
- By: Michael Davis
- Narrated by: Caroll Spinney
- Length: 8 hrs and 21 mins
- Abridged
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When the first episode aired on Nov. 10, 1969, Sesame Street revolutionized the way education was presented to children on television. It has since become the longest-running children's show in history, and today reaches 8 million pre-schoolers on 350 PBS stations and airs in 120 countries. Street Gang is the compelling and often comical story of the creation and history of this media masterpiece and pop culture landmark.
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An important subject, but hardly gripping
- By Scott T. Hards on 09-24-10
By: Michael Davis
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Rules for Radical Conservatives
- Beating the Left at Its Own Game to Take Back America
- By: David Kahane
- Narrated by: John Allen Nelson
- Length: 9 hrs and 46 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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The vast right wing conspiracy has found its General Patton, and his name is David Kahane. Kahane's pseudonymous, satiric column for National Review Online, lampooning the Left via his Hollywood-radical persona - Stephen Colbert's liberal doppelganger - is must-listening for political aficionados of all stripes. Now, from the inside, Kahane proudly exposes the secret and not-so-secret winning strategies (and vulnerabilities) of the Left.
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Disappointed
- By Henry W. Baker on 05-30-16
By: David Kahane
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The American Spirit
- Who We Are and What We Stand For
- By: David McCullough
- Narrated by: David McCullough
- Length: 4 hrs and 13 mins
- Unabridged
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Over the course of his distinguished career, David McCullough has spoken before Congress, colleges and universities, historical societies, and other esteemed institutions. Now, at a time of self-reflection in America following a bitter election campaign that has left the country divided, McCullough has collected some of his most important speeches in a brief volume designed to identify important principles and characteristics that are particularly American.
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Our New "OLD MAN ELOQUENT" Rides Again
- By Ray on 04-21-17
By: David McCullough
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Jeremy Clarkson
- The Biography
- By: Gwen Russell
- Narrated by: Richard Dallyn
- Length: 2 hrs and 9 mins
- Abridged
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An outspoken personality who divides opinion, Jeremy Clarkson has made a successful career out of his love of cars and speed.
Since becoming Top Gear supremo, the programme has become one of the most widely distributed TV shows on the planet. His candid views on practically every subject under the sun have often landed him in hot water. Love him or loathe him, this fascinating biography tells his far-from-over life story.
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Very poor
- By Amadeo on 05-25-12
By: Gwen Russell
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Canada
- By: Mike Myers
- Narrated by: Mike Myers
- Length: 5 hrs and 58 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Comedy superstar Mike Myers writes from the (true patriot) heart about his 53-year relationship with his beloved Canada. Mike Myers is a world-renowned actor, director and writer and the man behind some of the most memorable comic characters of our time. But, as he says, "No description of me is truly complete without saying I'm a Canadian". He has often winked and nodded to Canada in his outrageously accomplished body of work, but now he turns the spotlight full-beam on his homeland.
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Thoughtful and perfect for any X-Pat from Canada
- By Hugh Burnham on 05-02-17
By: Mike Myers
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Clowns to the Left of Me, Jokers to the Right
- Opinionated Columns on American Life
- By: Michael Smerconish
- Narrated by: Michael Smerconish
- Length: 13 hrs and 36 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Story
Opinionated talk show host and columnist Michael Smerconish has been chronicling local, state, and national events for the Philadelphia Daily News and the Philadelphia Inquirer for more than 15 years. He has sounded off on topics as diverse as the hunt for Osama bin Laden and what the color of your Christmas lights says about you. In this collection of 100 of his most memorable columns, Smerconish reflects on American political life with his characteristic feistiness.
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All about Smerc and who cares about the victims
- By Mark J. Rosen on 12-10-20
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Guest of Honor
- Booker T. Washington, Theodore Roosevelt, and the White House Dinner that Shocked a Nation
- By: Deborah Davis
- Narrated by: Karen White
- Length: 9 hrs and 8 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
In 1901, President Theodore Roosevelt invited Booker T. Washington to have dinner at the executive mansion with the First Family. The next morning, news that the president had dined with a Black man-and former slave-sent shock waves through the nation. Although African Americans had helped build the White House and had worked for most of the presidents, not a single one had ever been invited to dine there. Fueled by inflammatory newspaper articles, political cartoons, and even vulgar songs, the scandal escalated.
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Great So
- By Maureen Monahan on 04-11-21
By: Deborah Davis
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And So It Goes
- Kurt Vonnegut: A Life
- By: Charles J. Shields
- Narrated by: Fred Berman
- Length: 17 hrs and 30 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
New York Times best-selling author and biographer Charles J. Shields crafts this fascinating portrait of literary icon Kurt Vonnegut. The first authorized biography of the influential American writer, And So It Goes examines Vonnegut’s life, from his childhood to his death in 2007, and explores how the author changed the conversation of American literature.
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Probably only for die hard Vonnegut fans
- By Watery M on 12-22-12
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America by Heart
- Reflections on Family, Faith, and Flag
- By: Sarah Palin
- Narrated by: Sarah Palin
- Length: 7 hrs and 4 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
America by Heart is a highly personal testament to Sarah Palin's deep love of country, her strong roots in faith, and her profound appreciation of family. The book includes brief readings from classic and contemporary works that have moved and inspired her, as well as other Americans, both famous and obscure, whom she admires.
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A CREDIT WELL SPENT
- By Garry on 11-25-10
By: Sarah Palin
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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, to his theater days in Chicago, beginnings as a carpenter/actor and the hilarious and magnificent seduction of his now-wife Megan Mullally.
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A woodworking audiobook *yawn*
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Not sure if I like or not.
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Where the Deer and the Antelope Play
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A humorous and rousing set of literal and figurative sojourns as well as a mission statement about comprehending, protecting, and truly experiencing the outdoors, fueled by three journeys undertaken by actor, humorist, and New York Times best-selling author Nick Offerman
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By far his worst work to date.
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All Rise
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In Nick Offerman's view, we as a country can be doing a better job when it comes to decency. While most of the country has spent the last few years fighting about everything from politics to the existence of science, there are some things we can all agree about, like that we only really need one flavor of Oreo cookies. And that despite all the challenges we're currently facing, America can get it together if we can, simply, rise above it all, and admit that a lot what we're fighting about is actually pretty stupid, especially when told in Nick's signature comedic voice.
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Thank you The Daily Show!
- By Corbet on 10-16-20
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Bedtime Stories for Cynics
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Are the kids asleep? Yes? Good. This one isn’t for them. Now, if your weary, grown-up mind has been searching for a snarkier alternative to your favorite childhood tales, this Audible Original, hosted by Nick Offerman (Parks & Recreation), will scratch that itch - and then some. Enjoy a hilarious collection of short stories, featuring performances from the likes of Tommy Chong (Cheech & Chong), Tony Hale (Veep), Patton Oswalt (The Goldbergs), and David Spade (Saturday Night Live).
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On the need to acknowledge the role luck plays
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A woodworking audiobook *yawn*
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Not sure if I like or not.
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By: Megan Mullally, and others
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Where the Deer and the Antelope Play
- The Pastoral Observations of One Ignorant American Who Loves to Walk Outside
- By: Nick Offerman
- Narrated by: Nick Offerman
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By far his worst work to date.
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Mark Twain, beloved American writer, performer, and humorist, was a self-proclaimed glutton. With the help of a chef and some friends, Nick Offerman presents the story of Twain’s life through the lens of eight of Mark Twain’s favorite foods.
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Audible Recycling
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Every Tool's a Hammer
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Adam Savage is a maker. From Chewbacca’s bandolier to a 1,000-shot Nerf gun, he has built thousands of spectacular projects as a special-effects artist and the cohost of MythBusters. Adam is also an educator, passionate about instilling the principles of making in the next generation of inventors and inspiring them to turn their curiosity into creation. In this practical and passionate guide, Adam weaves together vivid personal stories, original sketches and photographs from some of his most memorable projects, and interviews with many of his iconic and visionary friends.
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I love Adam Savage and I returned this book
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By: Adam Savage
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The Need to Be Whole
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- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
Wendell Berry has never been afraid to speak up for the dispossessed. The Need to Be Whole continues the work he began in The Hidden Wound (1970) and The Unsettling of America (1977), demanding a careful exploration of this hard, shared truth: The wealth of the mighty few governing this nation has been built on the unpaid labor of others.
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Necessary Reading for These Troubled Times
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The Bassoon King
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
Rainn Wilson’s memoir about growing up geeky and finally finding his place in comedy, faith, and life. For nine seasons Rainn Wilson played Dwight Schrute, everyone's favorite work nemesis and beet farmer. Viewers of The Office fell in love with the character and grew to love the actor who played him even more. Rainn founded a website and media company, SoulPancake, that eventually became a best-selling book of the same name. He also started a hilarious Twitter feed (sample tweet: “I'm not on Facebook” is the new “I don't even own a TV”).
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Exquisite narration!
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A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
With his trademark mirth and boundless charisma, actor Nick Offerman brought the loveable shenanigans of Twain's adolescent hero to life in The Adventures of Tom Sawyer. Now, in yet another virtuosic performance, the actor proves that despite being separated by a span of over a century, his connection to the author and his work is undeniable and that theirs is a timeless collaboration that should not be missed.
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Mark Twain and Nick Offerman are a perfect match
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By: Mark Twain
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Yes Please
- By: Amy Poehler
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- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
Amy Poehler is hosting a dinner party and you're invited! Welcome to the audiobook edition of Amy Poehler's Yes Please. The guest list is star-studded with vocal appearances from Carol Burnett, Seth Meyers, Michael Schur, Patrick Stewart, Kathleen Turner, and even Amy’s parents - Yes Please is the ultimate audiobook extravaganza.
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Listen to this book for sure
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By: Amy Poehler
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The Misadventures of Awkward Black Girl
- By: Issa Rae
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- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
"My name is 'J' and I'm awkward--and Black. Someone once told me those were the two worst things anyone could be. That someone was right. Where do I start?" Being an introvert in a world that glorifies cool isn't easy. But when Issa Rae, the creator of the Shorty Award-winning hit series The Misadventures of Awkward Black Girl, is that introvert--whether she's navigating love, work, friendships, or rapping--it sure is entertaining.
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Loved
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How To
- Absurd Scientific Advice for Common Real-World Problems
- By: Randall Munroe
- Narrated by: Wil Wheaton
- Length: 6 hrs and 15 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
For any task you might want to do, there's a right way, a wrong way, and a way so monumentally complex, excessive, and inadvisable that no one would ever try it. How To is a guide to the third kind of approach. It's full of highly impractical advice for everything from landing a plane to digging a hole.
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Bad Ideas So BAD They Are NEARLY Irresistable! 🤓
- By C. White on 09-03-19
By: Randall Munroe
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The Unsettling of America
- Culture & Agriculture
- By: Wendell Berry
- Narrated by: Nick Offerman
- Length: 12 hrs and 54 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
Since its publication in 1977, The Unsettling of America has been recognized as a classic of American letters. In it, Wendell Berry argues that good farming is a cultural and spiritual discipline. Today’s agribusiness, however, takes farming out of its cultural context and away from families. As a result, we as a nation are more estranged from the land - from the intimate knowledge, love, and care of it.
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love the material, meh on the performance.
- By Fireham on 07-10-20
By: Wendell Berry
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The Way I Heard It
- By: Mike Rowe
- Narrated by: Mike Rowe
- Length: 7 hrs and 55 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Story
Emmy-award winning gadfly Mike Rowe presents a ridiculously entertaining, seriously fascinating collection of his favorite episodes from America’s number-one short-form podcast, The Way I Heard It, along with a host of memories, ruminations, and insights. It’s a delightful collection of mysteries. A mosaic. A memoir. A charming, surprising must-have. Mike Rowe’s The Way I Heard It collects 35 fascinating stories “for the curious mind with a short attention span”.
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I could listen to Mike read all day. And I am!
- By Amazon Customer on 10-15-19
By: Mike Rowe
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Yearbook
- By: Seth Rogen
- Narrated by: Seth Rogen, full cast
- Length: 6 hrs and 13 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
Hi! I’m Seth! I was asked to describe my audiobook, Yearbook for websites and shit like that, so...here it goes!!! Yearbook is a collection of true stories that I desperately hope are just funny at worst, and life-changingly amazing at best. (I understand that it’s likely the former, which is a fancy “book” way of saying “the first one.”) I talk about my grandparents, doing stand-up comedy as a teenager, bar mitzvahs, and Jewish summer camp, and tell way more stories about doing drugs than my mother would like.
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Good until it turned political
- By atk0623 on 05-20-21
By: Seth Rogen
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The Trail
- A Novel
- By: Ethan Gallogly
- Narrated by: Jake Hunsbusher
- Length: 16 hrs and 10 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
The Trail is a moving story of how nature helps us find what’s missing in our lives. The tale begins with Gil, who in the wake of his father’s death and recently fired from his job, agrees to accompany his father’s old hiking partner Syd on a month-long trek on the John Muir Trail. There’s just one problem: Gil hates camping and is woefully unprepared for the rigors of the journey. Moreover, he soon learns Syd may not survive the hike.
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Audible version - excellent!
- By JocelynF on 02-24-22
By: Ethan Gallogly
What listeners say about Gumption
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- deeeeeva
- 01-17-17
I like Nick, but...
Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?
I don't think I would recommend it. I like Nick Offerman a lot as a performer. I found his analysis of historical documents to be more influenced by his personal politics than by the documents themselves.
What was most disappointing about Nick Offerman’s story?
The biggest disappointment was his misinterpretation of the First Amendment, particularly regarding the free exercise of religion. The Amendment says, "Congress shall make no law respecting the establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people to peaceably assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances." Nick claims that this indicates that religion should not be anywhere in the public sphere. That is absolutely NOT what this says. It says that people who believe in a religion have the right to freely exercise it, and that everyone has the right to speech, press, and assembly. Meaning if I want to stand on public land and recite the 10 Commandments, or read the Koran, I am permitted to do so. Free exercise of religion is not the ABSENCE of religion. Such a misreading makes me highly suspect of the rest of his interpretations.
Could you see Gumption being made into a movie or a TV series? Who should the stars be?
No.
Any additional comments?
I really loved his reading of The Adventures of Tom Sawyer.
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8 people found this helpful
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- Alea Latimer
- 06-07-15
His story
I'm glad that I read Paddle Your Own Canoe first. It set a high standard that I don't think Gumption quite lived up to. A good book, but it felt a little 'preachy' at times. I learned about some fascinating people from a fascinating person and I definitely don't feel like any of my time was wasted.
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2 people found this helpful
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- Patrick
- 07-01-15
Educated, Quick Wit, Life Philosophy, & Wisdom
This was a quick and fun read intended to ignite the American spirit and make the reader laugh. Although I felt the book started off a little slow for my taste and went through some recycling of the topics concerning historical figures, it kept my attention overall.
Offerman writes about 21 personalities, both historical and alive; he believes have shown particular "gumption" in their thoughts, writings, and deeds. He mentions Conan O'Brien, Eleanor Roosevelt, George Washington, Willie Nelson and others whom I was glad to learn more about. The obvious commonality in all these people is a basic honorable-ness and penchant for doing good work. He's definitely got a man-crush on Wendell Berry, which he intersplices his admiration of him throughout the book.
Offerman's political views aren't hidden in this book, and those who are political junkies might not dig some of his beliefs and views. Yet, given the tone of his writing, it seems that he's not the type of person who has trouble admitting he's wrong on some topics as well.
Offerman narrates the book, and does a good job too.
Overall: This book is worth listening to, even if you disagree with his political views. It's best approached with an open and observing mindset. Plus, you'll learn something too; I know I did.
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- Jane Ciau
- 07-17-15
Ron Swanson!
He knows what he wants and what he believes in. He shares a bunch of information that intrigues you with each person he is writing about.
Great book!
Hearing Nick Offerman's voice isn't bad either.
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- Buretto
- 10-17-18
All the right enemies, but could have been better
I vaguely knew of Nick Offerman. I've seen him here and there, but was never motivated to buy his books. But looking at the the negative reviews here, and reading the contents filled with right wing paranoia, I figured I'd give him a shot. The truth is, he is opinionated, but not nearly as left wing as most of those reviewers would have you believe. But unfortunately, he's not nearly as interesting, either.
The first problem is not with the subjects themselves, but with the way they are presented. Some are done not nearly enough justice (Eleanor Roosevelt, Carol Burnett, Willie Nelson), some are so embarrassingly fawned over, that it's hard to resist pushback (Yoko Ono, Conan O'Brien, Theodore Roosevelt, Jeff Tweedy). He does reasonably well with Fredericks (Olmstead and Douglass) and Benjamin Franklin, but most of the others made me wish he'd just given me the name to check out myself. The most egregious hero worship may be for Teddy Roosevelt, though. He only touches on a few shortcomings, nearly completely ignoring his self-aggrandizing (that is, untruthful) military exploits, and his imperialist racism with regard to the Philippines, Guam, Hawaii, Cuba and Puerto Rico. I don't mind glorifying "gumption", but let's make it warts and all.
The second is the comedy. To me, it's kind of pedestrian and cookie-cutter. I get that he's a man of the people, down-to-earth type, but it wears thin. And not to put too fine a point on it, a middle aged white man using black urban slang and dialect ironically is no less cringe-inducing than when it's done by a tone-deaf middle aged white man.
The truth is that I probably agree with Nick Offerman on 99% of social commentary which is presented in this book. I just wish it had been done either more humorously, or more interestingly.
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- zack bashaw
- 12-13-18
I learned so much!
I very much enjoyed every chapter and learned new things about every great person mentioned! Would definitely recommend this book to anyone!
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- William K. Becker
- 11-16-18
Great Stories except the Politics
I loved Nick's pacing and reading of his book. I didn't like the politics inserted into the book amidst the great stories and personal experiences.
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- T. Johnson
- 11-11-15
Genius
Nick Offerman's view on life is ace. So it was no surprise to see which human he admired.
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- Thaddeus
- 10-24-16
Right in the feels.
This one hit me right in the heart as a man who loves to work but has found himself mired in the 9 to 5 world with often too little to do.
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- Melody
- 09-27-15
I still like Nick Offerman
I so wanted to like this book. The first few chapters were great. However, over the course of the book - it seems more self-serving. I still like Nick Offerman.
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