Idiosyncratic memoir of a London journalist's experiences forming a
"karma army." In 2002, Wallace placed a small ad in a London paper
exhorting readers to "Join Me!" by sending him a passport-sized
photo, but giving no other details about his reasons or intentions.
He was inspired to this eccentric project by boredom and a
great-uncle's death; at the funeral, he learned that the uncle had
been much mocked in youth for attempting to form a farming commune
and impulsively decided to revive the project. Wallace was so
pleased to meet the first iconoclasts who joined-each of these
early meetings is recreated in exhaustive detail-that he began to
obsessively propagate Join Me, spreading the word online and with
flyers, still without divulging any specifics. While this alienated
some, resulting in a bit of hate mail, a surprising number of
high-spirited nonconformists continued to join this collective (or
"cult," as many wags dubbed it), leading its instigator to set a
thousand joinees as an ostensible goal. The organization's purpose
amounted to vaguely defined minor philanthropy: "They wanted to do
good," Wallace enthuses about his joinees, "they just never had
enough of an excuse before." Yet the "good" seems limited to random
acts of kindness directed toward elderly pensioners, while the
rambling narrative becomes increasingly subordinate to the
ego-demands of its author's exhibitionistic and hectoring
personality. (Even his shabbily treated, long-suffering girlfriend
finally wises up and dumps him.) For a sense of movement, the
joke-heavy prose relies principally on disingenuous false surprise
and wisecracks that refer back to the preceding paragraph, tactics
that quickly become tiresome. By the time we reach the minor-key
denouement-Wallace intends to relinquish Join Me, but is voted the
collective's "Leader"-only the most guileless readers will think
the journey worthwhile. An odd tale, reflecting the motivations of
contemporary group-think, but otherwise skippable. (Kirkus Reviews)
Some men are born to lead. Others, not so much... Danny Wallace was
bored. Just to see what would happen, he placed a whimsical ad in a
local London paper. It said, simply, 'Join Me'. Within a month, he
was receiving letters and emails from teachers, mechanics, sales
reps, vicars, schoolchildren and pensioners - all pledging
allegiance to his cause. But no one knew what his cause was. Soon
he was proclaimed Leader. Increasingly obsessed and possibly
power-crazed Danny risked losing his sanity and his loyal
girlfriend. But who could deny the attraction of a global following
of devoted joinees? A book about dreams, ambition and the
responsibility that comes with power, Join Me is the true story of
a man who created a cult by accident, and is proof that whilst some
men were born to lead, others really haven't got a clue.
General
Is the information for this product incomplete, wrong or inappropriate?
Let us know about it.
Does this product have an incorrect or missing image?
Send us a new image.
Is this product missing categories?
Add more categories.
Review This Product
No reviews yet - be the first to create one!
Welcome to Loot.co.za!
Sign in / Register |Wishlists & Gift Vouchers |Help | Advanced search
