Gumption

This funny audiobook combines the author's "Parks and Recreation" persona with his real-life self to bring us character sketches of 21 Americans who inspire him. He tries to portray them as people who've walked off the beaten path, with limited success, but he has a storyteller's soul and a friendly wit. As narrator, Offerman has the requisite vocal training to pronounce every word clearly and to keep the book moving. What he needs, though, is some, well, gumption. Offerman's pacing is somewhat slow, and he drops many words at the ends of sentences. He's trying to be snarky, but he needs to add some snap. This is a fun audiobook that should be so much better. R.I.G. © AudioFile 2015, Portland, Maine