Dave Gorman's Googlewhack Adventure - Dave Gorman

I hadn't heard of Dave Gorman until recently. It turns out though, that once you bring him up in conversation, everyone knows of him, has seen a show, read a book, heard a rumour. Dave Gorman is a truly compelling man. Googlewhacking, chasing his namesakes, travelling across the States (and around the world) at a whim, letting his horoscope lead the way, living with Danny "Yes Man" Wallace- need I say more? This guy has a lot of stories to tell and he tells them so very well that people cannot help but listen and, even better, become wholly involved in Dave Gorman's adventures.

Dave Gorman's Googlewhack Adventure is an autobiographical book that follows Dave (I use first name terms because I now feel like I know him so well!) around the world in search of Googlewhacks. Incase you are unsure of what I'm talking about, a googlewhack is found by typing two words in to Google and only achieving one hit, ie only one website in the entire world includes those two keywords. It is a difficult task. Dave Gorman will vouch for that.

To review this book in too much detail is risky. The whole experience is engrossing because you don't know what's happening next, where Dave is going to go or who he is going to meet. The jist of his tale is that, at the age of 31, he has decided it is time he grows up- no more silly adventures, whimsical decisions and no more accepting dares or wagers from friends. You will learn very early on that, despite all his best intentions, Dave Gorman is not ready to grow up. He does accept a wager, he does embark on a silly adventure and he does make whimsical decisions. A friend tells him that he cannot meet ten googlewhacks in a row (each introduced by the previous googlewhack who can only find him two more). The hilarity of this idea is not only that Dave accepts this challenge, but that he never ever strays from the rules- ever.

Dave Gorman is hysterical; his lust for life is unrivalled; and his manner of relating his stories is compelling. Even the blurb is captivating: "If someone said you were a googlewhack what would you do? Would you end up playing table tennis with a nine-year old boy in Boston? Or would you go to China to be licked by a performance artist? If your name is Dave Gorman, all of these things could be true..." I'd like to meet someone who can pick this book up without enjoying it, someone who doesn't feel like they too are part of Dave's journey.

The only downfall in this book- and it really is tiny- is that the book is not as good as the live show. As someone who saw the stand up show first, I can honestly say that the show is better but if you've not seen it, it will not hinder your experience at all. The book is great and I really cannot recommend it enough.