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The Reading List
THE READING LIST
WRITTEN BY NICK OFFERMAN REVIEWED BY BRAD DAVIS
VICE PRESIDENT OF BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT GREATER OWENSBORO ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION
Nick Offerman’s Where the Deer and the Antelope Play: The Pastoral Observations of One Ignorant American Who Loves to Walk Outside is a whimsical collection of stories and musings about the outdoors, our need to preserve it, and why we need to focus on the people around us, rather than fight with people we don’t know. The fact that Ron Swanson’s voice is in your head as you read is just another plus.
The book is divided into three parts. In the first section of the book Offerman discusses a trip with author George Saunders and Jeff Tweedy of the band Wilcon (if you haven’t heard of Wilco, pl ease go listen to their new album Cruel Country, which is one of the best things you’ll listen to this year). They are on a trip to Glacier National Park. They hike, go rafting, and mostly enjoy each other’s company.
In the next section, Offerman visits with James Rebanks. Mr. Rebanks is a farmer in England. He lives off the grid, raises most of his own food, and extols the virtues of progressive farming. In between stories of mending fences and working the farm are tidbits about our current food production system, and why it might need to change. More locally grown, locally sourced food is not only better testing, but better for the planet as well.
The final part of the book concerns Offerman and his wife Megan Mullally taking an RV trip across the country during COVID. One of the more poignant stories in the book is of Offerman seeing his family and some of his siblings treating him coldly. After it all spills out it ends up being a lack of communication and misunderstandings through zoom calls leading up to the trip.
Through Offerman’s wit, humility, and willingness to learn, he takes you on a journey through our world while making sure we stay grounded to what is immediately around us. He stresses the importance of locality in all of our lives and illustrates why we should all pay more attention to what is here before us.
