132 books
—
68 voters
Goodreads helps you keep track of books you want to read.
Start by marking “Join Me” as Want to Read:
Join Me
by
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 c ...more
Paperback, 400 pages
Published
June 3rd 2004
by Ebury Press
(first published May 29th 2003)
Friend Reviews
To see what your friends thought of this book,
please sign up.
Reader Q&A
To ask other readers questions about
Join Me,
please sign up.
Be the first to ask a question about Join Me
Community Reviews
Showing 1-30

Start your review of Join Me

Read up to page 44 then lost the will to live. As funny as a bus ticket. Excellent flash reviews on the cover though eg "Hilarious" The Times, or "One of the funniest stories you will EVER read" Daily Mail. Perhaps the humour all starts on page 45?
Loved Wallaces's book "Awkward Situations for Men". I just couldn't carry on carrying on though. Time for a large gin and tonic, and I don't even drink.... ...more
Loved Wallaces's book "Awkward Situations for Men". I just couldn't carry on carrying on though. Time for a large gin and tonic, and I don't even drink.... ...more

What the fuck?
Who would publish such ridiculous, self-centered shite?
I read the whole thing! These were exceptional circumstances. Stuck somewhere with nothing else to do.
The author clearly thinks that he is extremely funny, and clever. He is neither. He is a total prat, and I want to slap him.
It went on, and on, and on, and on... nothing changed. It didn't get any better. It got worse. ...more
Who would publish such ridiculous, self-centered shite?
I read the whole thing! These were exceptional circumstances. Stuck somewhere with nothing else to do.
The author clearly thinks that he is extremely funny, and clever. He is neither. He is a total prat, and I want to slap him.
It went on, and on, and on, and on... nothing changed. It didn't get any better. It got worse. ...more

Non-fiction. Bored, Danny Wallace puts an ad in his local paper that reads "Join Me" and accidentally starts an cult. This is written as non-fiction but reads like a wacky British comedy. Danny asks people to join him, and they do, but they want to know why they're joining him, and that's a question he can't answer. So he has to come up with a purpose for his group, and along the way he meets up with his Joinees and travels about Europe to promote his Join Me collective.
This book had me laughin ...more
This book had me laughin ...more

There’s a whole canon of literature that revolves around what is neatly described by Wallace’s girlfriend as ‘stupid boy bets’. Started by Tony Hawks hitching around Ireland with a fridge, to playing the Moldovan football team at tennis, or getting a no. 1 record in Albania with the help of the late, great Norman Wisdom – followed by Dave Gorman with his adventures in Googlewhacking, and now Danny Wallace has taken the helm of the pointless mission initiative with ‘Yes Men’ and the book under sc
...more

Danny Wallace, you're a silly bitch! Awesome. Though it kind of annoyed me what a douche he was to his girlfriend.. and that HE didn't really do the good-deeds-on-friday thing. COME ON!
Also! I don't buy his slightly self-depriciating air (oh.. I don't know what I'm doing..). He's CLEARLY very pleased with himself. Still, the book was pretty amusing so eh. ...more
Also! I don't buy his slightly self-depriciating air (oh.. I don't know what I'm doing..). He's CLEARLY very pleased with himself. Still, the book was pretty amusing so eh. ...more

I don't know, I just got a little bored of this in the middle. I think he probably imagined he was being terribly arch and funny, but it just didn't seem to be going anywhere quickly enough for me.
...more

Wanted to like this book. I want to like Danny Wallace. I want to like this whole project of being nice to people on a Friday and a Monday. But...
It's the buts that kill this book for me. It's the buts that get me annoyed at the silliness of it all. It's the buts that made me glad that this book is over and done with.
It's not that Danny isn't an entertaining and useful person because he is. It's not that he wouldn't be a brilliant bloke to spend a couple of hours with down the pub talking about ...more
It's the buts that kill this book for me. It's the buts that get me annoyed at the silliness of it all. It's the buts that made me glad that this book is over and done with.
It's not that Danny isn't an entertaining and useful person because he is. It's not that he wouldn't be a brilliant bloke to spend a couple of hours with down the pub talking about ...more

Mar 05, 2020
Ape
rated it
liked it
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
biographies-memoirs,
england
How did I never hear about Join Me and the Karma Army at the time it was going on? How how? It sounds like something I would have joined. Ah well. The website looks like it's been ignored for almost 10 years so I guess it's fizzled out. I've read a couple of Danny Wallace books before, Yes Man which must be chronologically after this one, and one he did with Dave Gorman which comes before this. It's very light reading, the style isn't to be taken too seriously as he has a slightly lame way of wr
...more

My CurledUp review: While it seems that in the United States young adults keep getting busier and busier, continually adding activities to an already full calendar, juggling dating, career, family, and friends, it seems that in England blokes have a lot of time on their hands. At least, Danny Wallace does.
In his sheer boredom and with a little inspiration from his recently deceased great-Uncle Gallus, who, he discovers, tried to start a commune, Wallace undertakes a little project. The only goal ...more
In his sheer boredom and with a little inspiration from his recently deceased great-Uncle Gallus, who, he discovers, tried to start a commune, Wallace undertakes a little project. The only goal ...more

Mar 31, 2019
Victoria Roe
rated it
really liked it
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
b-roes-books,
to-re-read
I have read this before but have a vaguely hazy memory of how it all played out (but I could remember the key bits). It turns out that it’s probably best on the first read; I found it a little repetitive this time round so the 4 stars probably represent a generous review (or first time one). Funny though, and written in a style that makes it feel like listening to a long stand up gig which includes the odd bits of throwaway humour for the reader that keep it moving.

It never ceases to amaze me how Danny Wallace manages to get himself into awkward situations – in fact, he’s written two books called Awkward Situations for Men, and he shows no signs of slowing down in his (slightly) old age. In Join Me, though, he accidentally starts a cult from his flat in London, after whimsically posting an advertisement in his local paper saying ‘Join Me’ and eventually receiving letters and e-mails from people that were based all over the world.
I won’t go any further into ...more
I won’t go any further into ...more

This book was recommended to me by a teacher at my school when I rushed into his room one morning looking for a book to read for SSR. Little did I know, I fell in love with Danny Wallace. His unique sense of adventure has enchanted me and inspired me to find purpose in my life despite what the negative people in my life say.
When Danny attends his grandfather's funeral, he discovers that the recently deceased man once tried to start his own community of like-minded people. This triggered Danny to ...more
When Danny attends his grandfather's funeral, he discovers that the recently deceased man once tried to start his own community of like-minded people. This triggered Danny to ...more

Join Me...Seriously JOIN ME right now! Join Me in having read this book 'Join Me' by Danny Wallace...then...JOIN ME in joining his Karma Army - the instructions are in the back of the book. Then you too can be part of the world-wide collective doing Random Acts of Kindness (RAoK) every Friday. Go on - make every Friday a Good Friday too!
Start by finding a copy of this book any legal way you can - buying it new also helps the author remember - and READ IT and be inspired...go on, while you're the ...more
Start by finding a copy of this book any legal way you can - buying it new also helps the author remember - and READ IT and be inspired...go on, while you're the ...more

I actually finished this book a while back so I don't know why it has taken me until now to write a review, but here goes. I've decided to give this book four stars based on the sheer fact this is based on a true story. This actually happened. I suppose I'm trying to distance myself from the context I am reading it in because I remember reading this thinking 1000 followers is nothing, but I guess this was written in the days before social media. Dan also appeared a little arrogant to me, but ove
...more

May 28, 2007
EJ
rated it
it was amazing
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
If you need a laugh.,...
Shelves:
hahahahahaha,
memoir
Danny Wallace is extremely charming through his quirky wit. He will win you over! I laughed out loud at every page. Very rarely am I able to fall into humourous books...lets face it, its so much better when someone delivers a line rather then reading it. Danny is funny both on Tv and in writing.
Danny often comes up with little adventures...little did he know that one day of boredom would result in a worldwide cult.
You don't find out till the end what the the purpose for the cult is, but truthfu ...more
Danny often comes up with little adventures...little did he know that one day of boredom would result in a worldwide cult.
You don't find out till the end what the the purpose for the cult is, but truthfu ...more

What can happen when a man follows through...
With a crazy idea! I admit, I have a bit of a crush on Danny Wallace, after reading this shortly after his latest non-fiction account of his exploration of rudeness in society.
He makes no qualms about placing himself and his life in the centre of his books, and his loveable 'man child' persona is rather endearing as well as whoe-heartedly entertaining to follow on his escapades around the globe (or the European part of it, in this instance).
Danny her ...more
With a crazy idea! I admit, I have a bit of a crush on Danny Wallace, after reading this shortly after his latest non-fiction account of his exploration of rudeness in society.
He makes no qualms about placing himself and his life in the centre of his books, and his loveable 'man child' persona is rather endearing as well as whoe-heartedly entertaining to follow on his escapades around the globe (or the European part of it, in this instance).
Danny her ...more

Absolutely hilarious book tracking the path of a Danny Wallace almost accidently starting a cult before he knew what had happened.
Particularly fascinating given that this is pre-social media and he launched his community entirely through newspaper ads and chatroom style comments boards.
Danny writes phenomenally well, incredibly personably and conveys his own unique voice well. I got into trouble with my girlfriend numerous times by laughing aloud whilst she was trying to sleep. It's rare that a ...more
Particularly fascinating given that this is pre-social media and he launched his community entirely through newspaper ads and chatroom style comments boards.
Danny writes phenomenally well, incredibly personably and conveys his own unique voice well. I got into trouble with my girlfriend numerous times by laughing aloud whilst she was trying to sleep. It's rare that a ...more

Actually a much more interesting read, and for reasons you wouldn't expect!
.
Wallace's man-child approach to life introduces yet another good read. Any newspaper ad asking people to 'Join Me' just by sending in a passport sized photograph, morphs into something a lot more and in addition brings Wallace to a significant decision about his approach to the way he lives his life.
.
The beautiful thing about this book is how it shows how so many people want to do good; and this is what I really liked ab ...more
.
Wallace's man-child approach to life introduces yet another good read. Any newspaper ad asking people to 'Join Me' just by sending in a passport sized photograph, morphs into something a lot more and in addition brings Wallace to a significant decision about his approach to the way he lives his life.
.
The beautiful thing about this book is how it shows how so many people want to do good; and this is what I really liked ab ...more

It’s very rare that I laugh at a LOL book (as judged by the critics) but in this case I did, many times. A thoroughly good read - who knew it takes this much effort to start a cult, sorry, collective. A shame it doesn’t appear to have survived the test of time and society is Everyman (or women) for himself as per usual.

I approve of "Boy Projects"! There should be more.
Danny starts a collective, in honour of his great-uncle. He comes to realise he should have a purpose for it, so it's decided that all Joinees should do a random act of kindness on a Friday. I'd definitely have joined that!
An entertaining read. ...more
Danny starts a collective, in honour of his great-uncle. He comes to realise he should have a purpose for it, so it's decided that all Joinees should do a random act of kindness on a Friday. I'd definitely have joined that!
An entertaining read. ...more
There are no discussion topics on this book yet.
Be the first to start one »
Daniel Frederick Wallace is a British filmmaker, comedian, writer, actor, and presenter of radio and television. His notable works include the books Join Me, Yes Man, and the TV series How to Start Your Own Country. As an author, Wallace's bestselling books have been translated into more than a dozen languages.
He began writing reviews for video game magazines at the age of 13 for school work exper ...more
He began writing reviews for video game magazines at the age of 13 for school work exper ...more
Related Articles
Memoirs and autobiographies consistently deliver some of the most compelling reading on the virtual shelves. There’s something about the...
20 likes · 4 comments
No trivia or quizzes yet. Add some now »
“The sad thing is, I was discovering that you almost have to make a joke of being good to strangers. Up and down the country, these people doing their good deeds were doubtless being seen as slightly eccentric, when in reality and in an ideal world they should be deemed the most normal people of all.”
—
15 likes
“And before any Christian readers get all offended - relax. I'm not saying that I'm the new Jesus. I'm just saying there's a very good chance that I might be.”
—
9 likes
More quotes…