Yes Man (Paperback)

~ (Author)
Key Phrases: television centre, golden child, murdered sultan, Danny Wallace, Brick Lane, Molly Van Brain (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Wallace, a freelance radio producer for the BBC in London, takes three simple words uttered by a stranger on a bus-"say yes more"-as a challenge and says "yes" to everything for a year. He says "yes" to pamphleteers on the street, the credit card offers stuffing his mailbox and solicitations on the Internet. He attends meetings with a group that believes aliens built the pyramids in Egypt, says "yes" to every invitation to go out on the town and furthers his career by saying "yes" in meetings with executives. The potential for enlightenment and insight into the human condition abounds, yet Wallace doesn't dig deep. Mostly, he covers his relationships with his male friends and former and current girlfriends. While the writing is lively enough-arch and full of colorful British slang-the minutiae of Wallace's world won't fascinate readers as much as it seems to fascinate him. The book is culled from his diary, and it shows: the text is crammed with casual observations and mundane details of everyday life. It meanders through the year, shapeless and slack. Still, Wallace raises an interesting question-if you said "yes" to everything, would you be prepared to deal with the outcome?
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

From Booklist

Following up his charmingly offbeat Join Me (2004), in which he inadvertently started a cult, Wallace recounts his year as perhaps the world's most foolishly agreeable person. Lost in the doldrums (for a variety of reasons), Wallace, a British journalist and comedian, realized he was closing himself off from the world. He was turning down invitations, manufacturing wild excuses to get out of having fun. Then came a chance meeting with a stranger who advised, "Say yes more." So Wallace did, embarking on a year-long odyssey of eccentric discoveries, unexpected delights, and a few unsettling experiences. Wallace is an agreeable storyteller, not afraid of presenting himself in an unflattering light (especially if he can make us laugh). If this were a novel, we would probably shake our heads and call it ridiculous. But it's all true (saying yes really did lead to the author's winning $48,000), and it's thoroughly entertaining. David Pitt
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 384 pages
• Publisher: Simon Spotlight Entertainment (June 6, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1416918345
• ISBN-13: 978-1416918349
• Product Dimensions: 8.1 x 5.5 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (29 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #309,000 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Hilarious, wry, outlandish, touching, warm and hopeful all at the same time, August 14, 2005

By	Alexander M. Moir "Lt. Moir" (Vero Beach, FL and Huntington, NY) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Yes Man (Hardcover)

One of the greatest reading pleasures in recent years. I bought this book upon reading a review in EW, and was unable to put it down. Perhaps it's the fact that Danny and I are the same age (26) and both are at a crossroads at which we're unsure how to proceed with life and how to get the most of it, but I guarantee there's more to it.

Danny Wallace, first of all, did a great job writing his year of saying Yes in book format. At once glib, crazy and wracked with confusion, Danny infuses every page with that indelible dry British wit.

Yes, he wins the lottery; yes, he travels the globe; yes he meets a whole variety of unusual characters; yes, he goes to the boring coworker's party and winds up meeting a BBC exec who makes him a TV documentary star; and yes, it all comes off very believable and human.

If you've ever been feeling disenchanted with the flow of modern life, if you have been wanting to take a stand and grab the reins of life (ironically in Danny's case, by letting life sweep him wherever it wanted) or merely want to read an account of how a simple change can give you new eyes to view the world, don't miss "Yes Man."

My highest recommendations all around.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Dice Man - with more heart and more humour, September 11, 2005

By	Muwaffaq Salti "Reading junky" (Singapore) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Yes Man (Hardcover)

An extremely enjoyable and entertaining read. For those who have not read the dice man (an excellent read also by the way), the main theme that is shared is the central character giving up control of his life - in the dice man it is by setting out outcomes and letting the dice decide, and in "Yes Man" it is by the simple act of saying "yes" to everything. Saying "yes" to dinners with ex-girlfriends on first dates, saying "yes" to attending boring co-worker parties, saying "yes" to an Internet email plea to help one of the Sultan of Oman's sons smuggle 40mm dollars out of the country (not recommended). This is an orgy of "yes". In doing so Danny opens himself up to a world of new people and new opportunities and his experiences and humerous anecdotes are laid out in an easily digestable and entertaining read. At first the humour seemed a little forced but as the story unwound it was touching, hilarious and a very fun read. Enjoy, and say "yes" more.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Funny and thought provoking at the same time, January 12, 2008

By	D. Lynne Rostochil (OKC, OK) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I read this book a few months ago, and hardly a day goes by that I don't think about it. A man decides to say yes to everything -- to every invitation, to every opportunity, to every solicitation. EVERYTHING. What a simple idea. But, that one resolution leads to many adventures and relationships that are so hystericallly funny and beyond belief; I found myself gut-bursting laughing through the entire book (good thing I was at home by myself because when I start to giggle, there ain't no stopping me!).

This book goes far beyond being a funny, silly book, however. It really makes you think. What if you decide to say yes more -- how would that change the way you see the world and what opportunities would present themselves if you utter that one little word? It's worth saying yes to more things just to find out, which is why I've made Danny's mantra my own, as well.