'Dark tourism is the act of travel and visitation to sites, attractions and exhibitions which have real or recreated death, suffering or the seemingly macabre as a main theme' Ever since he can remember, Dom Joly has been fascinated by travel to odd places. In part this stems from a childhood spent in war-torn Lebanon, where instead of swapping marbles in the schoolyard, he had a shrapnel collection -- the schoolboy currency of Beirut. Dom's upbringing was interspersed with terrifying days and nights spent hunkered in the family basement under Syrian rocket attack or coming across a pile of severed heads from a sectarian execution in the pine forests near his home. These early experiences left Dom with a profound loathing for the sanitized experiences of the modern day travel industry and a taste for the darkest of places. And in this brilliantly odd and hilariously told travel memoir, Dom Joly sets out on a quest to visit those destinations from which the average tourist would, and should, run a mile. The more insalubrious the place, the more interesting is the journey and so we follow Dom as he skis in Iran on segregated slopes, spends a weekend in Chernobyl, tours the assassination sites of America and becomes one of the few Westerners to be granted entry into North Korea. Eventually Dom journeys back to his roots in Beirut only to discover he was at school with Osama Bin Laden. Funny and frightening in equal measure, this is a uniquely bizarre and compelling travelogue from one of the most fearless and innovative comedians around.
The Dark Tourist
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'The Dark Tourist takes in a list of destinations that would make a travel agent go pale'
--The Sunday Times
`...brilliantly funny, irreverent writing with non-sickly compassion for those who live under the most oppressive regimes... a very human travelogue'
--Country Life
Readability in spades
-- --Scotsman
--The Sunday Times
`...brilliantly funny, irreverent writing with non-sickly compassion for those who live under the most oppressive regimes... a very human travelogue'
--Country Life
Readability in spades
-- --Scotsman
About the Author
Dom Joly is a British television comedian and journalist. He is the star of Trigger Happy TV, a hidden camera show that was sold to over seventy countries worldwide as well as World Shut Your Mouth for BBC1 and Dom Joly's Happy Hour, a spoof travel show for Sky One.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
23 of 25 people found the following review helpful
By Neil Butler
Format:Paperback
Highly recommended. Dom travels beyond the radius of Ryan Air's reach and gives us a literary photo album of his exploits travelling through the atmospheric North Korea (to the extent possible for a foreigner), Cambodia, Lebanon, Iran and USA. Though laugh out loud funny in parts, I would say the books main attraction was its interesting ability, through scary and funny travel anecdotes, to give the reader the feeling of what it is like to be there, without the actual travel. I like anything that overcomes the media stereotype for a particular travel location (though his trip to North Korea actually reinforced my media derived image).
Iran's always been on my "to do" list, now its near the top.
Iran's always been on my "to do" list, now its near the top.
12 of 13 people found the following review helpful
By Charlotte
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
There's not many books i'd give 5 stars to.. but this piece of reading has it all! I a a big Dom Joly fan, I think his comedy is great and Trigger Happy TV still gets me in fits of giggles after watching it for the 100th time. I'm not a travel book fan, but seeing a promotion in the newpaper for this I thought I'd give it a go.
I had no great knowledge of any of the countries in question (apart from America) and so this book really was enlightening, especially for me. He explains the history of the places he visits beforehand, so even if you don't really know anything, you will come out of reading this book with some knowledge. The book is of course hilarious, but he mixes it with the right mixture of humour, honesty and history.
I'd recommend this to everyone. 5*s!
I had no great knowledge of any of the countries in question (apart from America) and so this book really was enlightening, especially for me. He explains the history of the places he visits beforehand, so even if you don't really know anything, you will come out of reading this book with some knowledge. The book is of course hilarious, but he mixes it with the right mixture of humour, honesty and history.
I'd recommend this to everyone. 5*s!
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
By Kate H
Format:Paperback
I couldn't put this book down. Very funny, and occasionally surprisingly moving, it takes you on a whirlwind tour of some of the world's darkest political regimes, war zones, disasters and assassination sites. This isn't a serious travel guide, or in-depth current affairs analysis, but is hugely entertaining and gives a real sense of each of the places he visits. Thoroughly recommended.
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2.6 out of 5 stars
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
2.0 out of 5 stars
A missed opportunity
Not sure why, given the great material, and Dom Joly's previous work, why this book didn't even raise a titter?
Published 22 hours ago by BobMay
5.0 out of 5 stars
Very funny
Funny, light hearted and easy to read. A perfect book to read on the beach. Dom joly has fantastic stories about travelling to these obscure regions and I couldn't put this book... Read more
Published 13 days ago by E
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Brilliant Read!
I bought this book after hearing the author, Dom Joly, bang on about it on Twitter. Well, he was right to shout about it - it's a fascinating read. Read more
Published 21 days ago by pevans83
5.0 out of 5 stars
Very good
Highly enjoyable travel book with humor and pathos throughout interesting destinations and different experiences although the singularity sign in Cambodia is due to nervous... Read more
Published 1 month ago by Mr. Joshua C Greedy
5.0 out of 5 stars
Not what I expected, but a real treat all the same.
Finding fun and interest in some of the seemingly worst places imaginable. An absolutely engaging journey with a witty and clever traveller.
Published 4 months ago by J. C. Higginbotham
5.0 out of 5 stars
Fantastic
Fantastic book. Having visited a lot of these places I found it intriguing to see another view on them and someone actually take the time to write down their feelings on these... Read more
Published 4 months ago by Victoria Kelly
5.0 out of 5 stars
Well written, funny and unusual travel book
Being an "Armchair tourist", too lazy and cheap to go anywhere this book really appealed to me and I was not disapointed. Read more
Published 5 months ago by Jamzi
5.0 out of 5 stars
Top book !
Really loved this book , I was travelling around Vietnam whist reading it , so that made it even better . Read more
Published 6 months ago by 2teas
5.0 out of 5 stars
dark tourist
A very very funny book as only dom joly would do it.Its a book you cant put down and have to finish.
Published 8 months ago by softderch
3.0 out of 5 stars
Interesting, if irritating
Joly's travels into the gasp driven previously war torn, or politically charged places that most hear about on the news. Read more
Published 8 months ago by Hazy
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