WC Archive

A few years ago, a bored young man in London named Danny Wallace sent a brief advertisement to a local newspaper reading, simply, "Join Me!," along with instructions to send a single passport-sized photo to a particular address. No further explanation was given; in truth, Wallace didn't really have much of one. At first, there wasn't much of a response, but pictures started to come in. Soon there were a few members, then a few dozen. Eventually, Wallace needed to figure out just what these people around England were joining.

Join Me! is Wallace's book describing the Join Me! movement, which now has thousands of members around the world, including the US and Australia. What is the Join Me! movement? Once Wallace got over his initial joke, he managed to turn the growing membership into a force for, well, good. Calling it the "Karma Army," Wallace instructed his Joinees to engage in random kindness, particularly on Fridays.

Despite the tongue planted firmly in-cheek, Join Me! manages to demonstrate that there are great numbers of people out there looking for reasons to do good deeds, just waiting for someone to give them the push in the right direction. And while Join Me! has neither the political sophistication or forward-looking agenda needed for a modern environmental movement, it does show that a combination of humor, generosity, and social connections can go a long way towards building a powerful movement.

Join Me! (the book) is a quick and enjoyable read, particularly for those trying to build a new movement for changing the world.