Pawnee: The Greatest Town in America [Paperback]

Leslie Knope (Author)

Book Description

Release date: October 4, 2011

Welcome to Pawnee: More Exciting than New York, More Glamorous than Hollywood, Roughly the Same Size as Bismarck, North Dakota

In Pawnee, Leslie Knope (as played by Amy Poehler on NBC’s hit show Parks and Recreation) takes readers on a hilarious tour through her hometown, the Midwestern haven known as Pawnee, Indiana. The book chronicles the city’s colorful citizens and hopping nightlife, and also explores some of the most hilarious events from its crazy history—like the time the whole town was on fire, its ongoing raccoon infestation, and the cult that took over in the 1970s. Packed with laugh-out-loud-funny photographs, illustrations, and commentary by the other inhabitants of Pawnee, it’s a must-read that will make you enjoy every moment of your stay in the Greatest Town in America.

Praise for Pawnee

“Carrying this book around is a good way of picking up girls with glasses.” —Tom Haverford

“I have read over four books, and this is by far the one that has me in it the most.” —Andy Dwyer

“Literally the greatest endeavor of human creativity in the history of mankind.” —Chris Traeger

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Leslie Knope has lived in Pawnee since her childhood. The community programs she enjoyed in her youth inspired her to pursue a life of public service and serve the city. Leslie is a member of several action committees in her role at city hall, including the Equal Opportunity Committee, the Fun in the Sun Committee, the Clean Restroom Task Force, the Handicapped Restroom Task Force and the Task Force to Reduce the Number of Public Restrooms.Her goal is to become the first female President of the United States. Leslie is the Deputy Parks Director of Pawnee's parks and recreation department, a mid-level bureaucrat position. She hopes to advance her career (possibly aiming to jump over the department's Director position and become a City Manager) and improve her town. Leslie also has a love for sweets, especially whipped cream, as she usually adds excessively large amounts to coffee, waffles and other food.

Product Details

• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: Hyperion; Original edition (October 4, 2011)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1401310648
• ISBN-13: 978-1401310646
• Product Dimensions: 7.2 x 0.7 x 9.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.5 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (55 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #17,166 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #64 in Books > Humor & Entertainment > Television

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

165 of 174 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Don't trust that man who says, "Don't trust this woman!" October 11, 2011

By Larry Tuxbury

Format:Paperback

Enough of this "Gotcha" journalism! So what if the author wasn't born in Pawnee? I've always felt that it's where you're from that counts, not where you were born. Sure, Ms. Knope may have been born in that awful Eagleton, but she's definitely from Pawnee.

62 of 64 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars It had me crying with laughter in the first page! October 4, 2011

By Lauren

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

Pre ordered it as soon as I could. This book is a must own for any parks and recreation fan. They put so much thought into every description often with multiple layers of jokes for each item. Seriously, can not recommend it any more highly. One note, read it a couple pages at a time and savor it, I blew through too many pages the first day I got it!

580 of 676 people found the following review helpful

1.0 out of 5 stars Don't trust this woman! October 8, 2011

By Joe Lawler

Format:Paperback

She's not even from Pawnee! She's nothing but a rubber nipple bagger from Eagleton who wants to turn our fair city into a snobbish hellhole like that place! I've reported this fact to Burt Macklin, FBI, but he didn't seem concerned with this threat.

29 of 30 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars FANTASTIC! October 7, 2011

By Jennifer Lima

Format:Paperback

The second I opened this book I burst out laughing and never stopped smiling. As a fan of this show, I was able to read every section with each characters voice and expression in mind. This is a super fun read and so thorough! I definitely recommend it, even for non-fans of the show because its hysterically written. This was a no-regrets purchase for sure! PARKS AND RECREATION FANS MUST BUY THIS!! If you don't then I'm telling Ron Swanson.

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful Satire October 15, 2011

By Jeff Sprague VINE™ VOICE

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

A really fun read in the vein of The Daily Show/Colbert Report mocumentary "text"books. The writing is entertaining and nails the characters. You could tell which character wrote each piece without looking at the byline.

Clever essays, clever ads, uncountable references back to every detail of the show. Not the funniest thing I ever read, but up there. Mad magazine for grown-ups.

You'll believe the town of Pawnee exists in more than Leslie Knope's mind. I especially enjoyed the bitter chapter on Eagleton.

One complaint: I like to keep books like this in pristine condition, but the book itself is printed on recycled matte stock, not the traditional high-quality glossy paper of similar books, so the photographs don't have the best quality, and the paper just sucks up the moisture. I left this book in a room with an open window on a day with slightly high humidity and the cover curled up and the pages are all slightly warped.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars so hilarious October 13, 2011

By Qui Nguyen

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

This book is a LOL fest. It's so creative and funny. Kudos to whoever actually wrote it. "Parks and Recreation" has really good writing, and I think this book is even funnier than the show, if that is possible. The essence of each character is so well preserved here. Even the ads at the end are funny. Incredible book. Buy it, you won't regret it if your sense of humor is on similar tangent with Parks and Recreation.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Treat Yo'Self January 9, 2012

By Collsm

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

Fantastic book. Highly entertaining and very funny. Any fan of Parks and Rec would love this book. Does a superb job showing you Pawnee---First in Friendship, Fourth in Obesity.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Hilarious. November 28, 2011

By Steven Castellano

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

If you like Parks & Recreation, you'll love this book. It has the same oddly twisted sensibility as the television series, and provides a lot of great backstory for Pawnee. Reading the history Sweetums is more than worth the price of the book.