I will not recommend this book to anyone. You’ll have to discover it on your own. I don’t even know why I read it. (Except that my Goodreads friend, Abby, had it on her list and really liked it.) Something pushed me towards it. Without even thinking, I got on Amazon and bought a used copy. Going against my better judgment, I said “Yes” to this book.This book is not what it appears to be. It appears to be a British humour (don’t get me wrong, I like British humour) (with a “u”), The Year of Living Biblically-esque, full of language that I don’t use (Cursing. Not English.) type of book. But really it is a life-changing , inspirational, philosophical sort of book wrapped in a Monty Python sketch.The premise, of course, is, after meeting a stranger on a bus who told him he should “say ‘Yes’ more,” Danny Wallace takes it quite literally and says ‘Yes’ to EVERYTHING. Amazing results ensue.(Skip this paragraph if you’d rather avoid a long-winded travel log.)Danny’s visit to Singapore actually reminded me of our honeymoon to Greece and Turkey. When we arrived in Istanbul late in the afternoon the first day, we started to walk from the pier into the city. We were young, didn’t speak the language and were a bit overwhelmed at a filthy, unknown city (and this is after having loved running wild on the streets in Athens!) We immediately went back onto our ship and spent the evening aboard. Not to be discouraged, the next morning we decided we were going to enjoy and see Istanbul whatever it took. We walked off the ship and accepted the first man who asked if we wanted a taxi. Fiko (to whom we still refer lovingly thirteen years later) was our Turkish guardian angel as he drove us around the streets of Istanbul pointing out various mosques and their relative ages, “That mosque, almost new! 500 years old!” He took us to a mosque not in our guide book. He walked us around to the back entry and through the mosque (walking on prayer rugs! Augh!) took our shoes (“Will we get those back?”) and gave us coins to toss into the courtyard fountain. When we expressed our wish to see The Blue Mosque, he said, “We will go there, but first I must make a stop to my cousin’s rug shop.” Ah. The old “Drive the Tourists to Our Shop and You’ll Get a Commission” trick. We were NOT in the market for a rug. We were poor newlyweds. There is no way we could afford a Turkish rug! (And HOW would we get it home?! Pay for shipping?!) Fiko insisted that we needn’t buy a rug, he just wanted to get something at the shop. SO… we followed him up the dark staircase into the upper room of his ‘cousin’s’ rug shop. (I know!) We were kindly offered a place to sit and had to go through the zillionth time of “Mormons Trying to Politely Decline a Cup of Tea.” Coca-cola was offered and we quickly accepted. Then, the cousins said, “We know you are not going to buy a rug, but if you were what color rug might you like?” We tossed out a few colors and immediately two of the cousins grabbed gigantic rugs and unfurled them before our eyes. “No, no, thank you. We can’t afford a rug.” “Yes, but if you could which would you prefer?”. So we pointed to one and then they were rolled up and two or three smaller rugs were unrolled. You get the idea. We ended up buying a 2x4 Turkish rug for about $500 (which we LOVE to this day!). That business done, Fiko shows back up and we are whisked off to the Blue Mosque. After that, he asks if we would like to see the Topkapi Palaces. We agree and off he drives. He asks for our money for tickets and we hand him (with blind trust) enough money for the three of us to go inside the palace. He pushes to the front of the line and brings back two tickets, gives us the remaining money and tells us that he has seen it plenty of times, he doesn’t need to go in. He will wait for us (with our newly purchased rug in the trunk!) until we get back out. He tells us to go in, turn right, look at the jewels, turn left, see fancy room, etc. Now we are both slightly nervous. What if he takes our rug? We quickly follow the path he recommended (albeit TOO quickly. One day we will return to Istanbul and see the Topkapi palace in all it’s splendor) and rush back outside and Fiko is nowhere to be seen in the parking lot. After five minutes of looking for him, he comes rushing out of a well-covered shady spot, waving his arms and shouting, “Here I am! Over here!” (He probably wasn’t expecting us to finish our palace tour so quickly.) We both quietly breath sighs of relief and question our distrust of this wonderful man. He takes us to the Hagia Sophia and back to our ship and we most appreciatively thank him for an amazing day in Instanbul.***I’ve actually been told that I should say ‘No’ more. I already say ‘Yes’ to so many things I end up teaching Sunday School, singing in the church choir, saying the closing prayer in Relief Society, making a salad for the Ward gathering and taking dinner to the mother who just had a baby all on the same day (and this is just church! This doesn’t cover PTA or Political activities!). I don’t regret saying ‘Yes’ often. After reading Yes Man I’ll be even more willing to say yes to things I would normally decline… mostly in the hope that I’ll end up in Singapore.Besides all this, it is full of humour (with a “u”).
I am a bit saddened by all the appalling reviews that the movie Yes Man has been getting. I mean, I was a bit apprehensive when I heard that Jim Carrey was going to play the lead role... and that it was going to be set in America instead of Britain... and that they'd essentially written a whole new story... but, well, I wasn't really paying much attention at the time, so I remained optimistic.But since it's come out, from what I hear it's more or less Liar, Liar reworked, and that's kind of depressing.So anyway, instead of dwelling on that and complaining I thought I would counter the purported suckitude of this movie by recommending something that really is worth your time and money, which is the book Yes Man by British humourist Danny Wallace.The basis for the movie, Yes Man is the true story of what happened when Danny took the words of a stranger on a bus - "say yes more" - to heart and for the next few months committed himself to saying yes to everything, where he once may have said no. This vow takes him across the globe. It leads him into meetings with conspiracy theorists who believe aliens built the pyramids. It causes him to poke a Buddhist monk on television. It prompts him to accept the heartfelt emailed plea of a Nigerian prince.It's an hilariously funny story, filled with all sorts of silly hijinks that had me grinning from start to finish, but there's also a very sweet little message at its heart: Saying yes starts things. That one little word can draw you into all kinds of new opportunities, experiences and relationships. It can also get you into a lot of trouble if you're not careful, but mistakes, they're an experience in themselves. And more often than not, action is far more rewarding than inaction. Of course we don't have to be like Danny, throwing common sense to the wind and saying yes indiscriminately, but we could all take a little something from that mantra of his and say yes more.Just not to Nigerian princes.
Do You like book Yes Man (2006)?
"It's incredible how a few words from someone you hardly know can have an impact on your life."This book really is inspirational. If you follow me on twitter/my blog (fascistkillingblog.blogspot.com) you will know that I am currently battling chronic anxiety. I think to just 'say yes more' could prove a better solution than any. To drop all my worries and do it, is an idea that could change my life. Of course, the book discusses the lack of freedom yes brings, and the power that is no. It is very philosophical and is a very intelligent peice of writing in a lot of ways, considering this man falls for every request on a scam email ever! However, he seems a bit too naive at times, and his constant replies to emails become grating. Obviously this book is a true story, but I wish he could have pushed the action on a bit. I became bored halfway through. This is such a shame because it is a fantastic, wonderful story. If only he could have made it a tad shorter!Nevertheless, everybody should read this book, it is incredibly uplifting and insightful.
—Tash Berbank
Mein erster "Wallace". Der Schreibstil ist wunderbar locker und der Humor fantastisch britisch. Er ist einer meiner absoluten Lieblingsautoren. Die Idee mit dem Ja-Experiment ist toll. Hab so beim Lesen lachen müssen, das ich verwunderte Blicke aus meiner Umgebung erntete.Wer bereits den Film gesehen hat, der Ja-Sager, sollte sich davon nicht abschrecken lassen. Das Buch ist viel besser. (Fand den Film selbst etwas lahm.)Dieses Buch hat mich auf den Geschmack gebracht mehr von Danny Wallace zu lesen. Und ich wurde nicht enttäuscht.
—Tessa
Okay. So I was travelling back from Norwich to North Wales, facing a six hour train journey, still tired, not ready to face Roberto Bolano, and from within the shop window I saw a copy of Danny Wallace’s Yes Man. The night before, with an evening to kill in Norwich, I went to the cinema with no idea what was playing, and so I made a decision – buy a ticket for whatever the next film starting was. That film was Yes Man, with Jim Carrey. The film, it had its moments, and Zooey Deschanel was gorgeous, but I thought there was a better story lurking in it somewhere, something that might have become lost in translation, for I knew of the book. Only I thought the book was fiction – it’s not. Danny Wallace did this. He said yes to everything.After a fractured opening in which Wallace teases the encounter that led to him making such a decision – a decision he calls life changing but what others might call foolish. You see, things hadn’t been going well for Danny. His girlfriend had dumped him, and he had retreated into his own self-absorbed world, staying in watching television when he could be out with friends, basically saying no to the world. Deciding to say yes alters everything. What follows is a madcap adventure that takes him around the world, has him getting into a fight in a nightclub, involving himself in charitable actions, taking drugs and getting chased by lizards. At times his tale seems far-fetched, and you find yourself questioning his account.Wallace’s prose is quite straightforward, and he has an engaging persona – some might know him from his work on British radio and television – and at times his portrayal of events is hysterically funny – the dinner date with his ex and her new boyfriend is pure agonizing comedy. You have to admire Wallace for allowing himself to open to this, and his dunderheaded approach to it. Most people, I feel, would have quit by the end of the second day.Yes Man is one of those fun books you buy for such long journeys, and as such it works well. While you’re reading you may question the way you live your own life, you might even seriously consider undertaking a similar challenge, but once the book is put down, you carry on just the same. It seems saying yes can be as hard as Wallace makes out.
—Ben Dutton
