Where the Deer and the Antelope Play: The Pastoral Observations of One Ignorant American Who Loves to Walk Outside

I adore this book and have recommended it to everyone I know. It's very well written. Mixing the personal with the informative while being immensely entertaining is not an easy task.I didn't listen to the audio book, but I could still hear Nick Offerman's wonderful voice loud and clear through the text. that had me laughing more than any book I can think of. However, many of the topics are quite heavy. Offerman shares insight into the sad state of the environment and the politics and capitalistic policies that hinder improvement. (Because ....money)He doesn't take himself seriously (no surprise there) and that is a nice balance against the serious topics he tackles.He jokes about how this book is going to solve all the worlds problems. How I wish that was true, but it was a worthy try at least.Really can't recommend this book enough. I don't often reread books, but this is one that I'd happily read again.

The further I got into this book, the more I realized the importance of its messages to all of us, at this point in time. So many of the thoughts, musings, experiences and concepts written about here with good humor and acquired wisdom were the stuff I’ve been musing and muttering about for a while now. Since I’m an avid Wilco fan, daily hiker (just returned from that Hellhole, Sedona), and regular questioner of American “values,” this book was a perfect read for me and gave me a lot more to contemplate and act upon. Many thanks to Nick Offerman for writing this.

I found his stories really entertaining. I disliked the intermediary commentary on politics. It distracted from the excellent adventures he was reflecting on.

This was an entertaining book, mostly filled with rambling stories of the author’s encounters with the outdoors. Broken into 3 parts, each section explores different aspects and encounters with different environments. From National Parks, English countryside to a cross country adventure during the COVID-19 pandemic, the reader is transported through the musings of the author and its wonderful.

I thoroughly enjoyed all three diverse sections of this book. Having limited mobility, I always enjoy a good storytelling about nature adventures. Nick does this like he's talking directly to the reader, with a little preaching wisdom tossed in. Our values align, so his commentary simply confirms my bias, which made me feel like HE GETS IT!!

Nick Offerman’s Where the Deer and the Antelope Playis a mishmash of thought, often with self deprecating humor (a bit too much in my opinion), enmeshed within three main stories: a choreographed and guided trip to Glacier National Park; sharing his visits to Racy Ghyll Farm, a sort of going back to the basics farm rather than industrial agriculture; and a trip during the Covid epidemic with his wife Megan, pulling a new Airstream trailer with a new Ford Expedition.The trip to Glacier National Park is with his friends Jeff Tweedy, the front man for the band Wilco, and fiction writer and contributor to magazines such as GQ and The New Yorker, George Saunders. Allow me to say I do not begrudge these men there successes in general, Offerman in particular, but this portion of the book is nothing more than three wealthy individuals with ages ranging from 50 to just past 60, bonding in a short trip to escape the rat race and experience the beauty and ruggedness of Glacier National Park. Offerman writes very metaphorically pleasing when not steeped in self deprecation, but when all was said and done with this section, all I could think of was why they did not bring trekking poles, in particular for when sloped snow fields were crossed.The trips to Racy Ghyll Farm in north western England were interesting as the farm, owned and operated by James Rebanks and family is an old fashioned farm, hewed from old buildings, with stone fences, livestock- cattle and sheep adapted to that particular environment, and a good hard working ethic to give back to the land, just as much, if not more than they take. Offerman waxes eloquently about this land ethic, and this reader got the feeling from the authors words, this is how all farms should be. As nice as that might sound, the world is populated by billions of people, and I fear the multitudes could neither be fed or afford the produce and meat from this type of operation. Idyllic but really not practical for all those in the world in which we live.The last portion of the book, at least to this reviewer, is little more than a guy with a lot of money and his toys, including all that could go wrong before and during the trip, as well as the many enjoyable experiences. By this time in Offerman’s book I became bored with the story, and much more interested in his political views, which I welcomed as a break from his travel log.In conclusion, I found the book crashed repeatedly in regard to holding my interest, or in other words, it was easy to put down. It was a Jackson Pollock painting of experience and thought, and just as difficult at times to interpret. Yet, Offerman is a talented man, an actor, writer, humorist, wood worker and traveler. He embraces the writings of John Muir and Aldo Leopoldo. He has interesting friends, and because of the book, I’ve actually listened to some of Tweedy’s band Wilco’s music, I may pick up on some of Saunder’s writing, and will give the television series of which Offerman was a part, Parks and Recreation, a try. As uneven as I found Where the Deer and the Antelope Play, it has provided other topics/subject matter with which to experiment. An autographed copy was a pleasant surprise.

This was my first Nick Offerman book. I came away with more respect of the man than I could have imagined. His insights on our world, physical and philosophical, were both sobering and inspiring. Thank you, Nick.

Nick Offerman... you are a gem of a human being. I checked out this book at my local library, loved it so much, then bought it for my husband for his birthday. He admires you in all arenas of skills and talents you have. I didn't know the copy I purchased was going to be signed. This was a delightful surprise for both of us. Thank you, good sir.