Book info

• Title Dave Gorman's Googlewhack Adventure
• Author Dave Gorman
• Year 2004
• Genre Travel

If someone called you a 'googlewhack' what would you do? Would you end up playing table tennis with a nine year-old boy in Boston? Would you find yourself in Los Angeles wrangling snakes, or would you go to China to be licked by a performance artist? If your name is Dave Gorman, then all of these things could be true. Fuelled by a lust for life and a desperate desire to do anything except what he's supposed to be doing (writing that novel and growing up), Dave falls under the spell of an obscure internet word game - Googlewhacking. Addicted to the game, and gripped by obsession, Dave travels three times round the world, visiting four continents and the unlikeliest cast of real life eccentrics you'll ever meet in what becomes an epic challenge, a life-changing, globe-trotting Googlewhack adventure.

Thoughts

Dave Gorman is determined to prove he’s changed by stopping his antics, writing a novel and growing a beard. Only he can’t think of a single word to get down in writing and he’s easily distracted by a bet involving ten googlewhacks and a heck of a lot of travelling.

Lots of people feature in this book: Dave Gorman, obviously, a lot of googlewhacks who really are too plentiful to count, plus the David Gorman who made the bet, his agent Rob and his book publisher Jake. I did miss Danny Wallace a little bit, but I bet DG is fed up of the association there.

It was very funny, insightful and very literal about everything. Whipped along at a great pace and very honest about every step of the way. Must admit that about 70% of the way through, I was sure that if I ever heard the word googlewhack again, I’d run away screaming. But it’s worth it.

Rating: 4 / 5