First published 2021
Nick Offerman examines America's relationship with its natural landscape through three distinct adventures. A question from Wendell Berry in 2018 sparked his investigation into how Americans connect with their land. Offerman chronicles a hiking expedition to Glacier National Park with friends Jeff Tweedy and George Saunders, then travels to visit James Rebanks, author of The Shepherd's Life and English Pastoral. The 2020 pandemic leads to a third journey when Offerman and his wife Megan Mullally purchase an Airstream trailer for cross-country travel. These experiences prompt Offerman to consider conservation practices, outdoor recreation, and the philosophical dimensions of human interaction with nature. He explores national parks, agricultural communities, and suburban spaces to understand what the land means to its inhabitants both historically and today. The book combines travel narrative with environmental reflection, examining how Americans have shaped and been shaped by their geography. Offerman delivers his observations through humor and personal insight, creating both a travelogue and a meditation on place.
Genres: nature, american, adventure, environment, biography-memoir, 21st-century
Vibes: intimate, reflective, thought-provoking
Tropes: personal-journey, travelogue
Setting: Glacier National Park, America
Period: 2018, 2020
352 pages · Hardcover · Dutton