The Underdog: How I Survived the World's Most Outlandish Competitions

I enjoyed every page of this well-written and FUNNY book. An unlikely hero, Joshua Davis takes the reader on a journey through his quest to make a name for himself in . . . something. The son of a "failed" beauty queen, this young man bursts with talent and ambition. With a loving and supportive wife allowing him the chance to try and fulfill his dreams, he ventures into the little known worlds of bizarre competitions: Arm wrestling, Sumo wrestling, bullfighting, backward running, and perhaps, the strangest thing I've ever imagined, competitive sauna-sitting. (He doesn't call it that, but that's what it was to me). At one point after spending time in the steamy sauna, he describes his feelings as "buoyant, like I was filled with helium." That's how I felt while reading this book. It's light, original, funny and brave. I highly recommend the read and look forward to future work by this rising star. From the author of "I'm Living Your Dream Life," and "The Things I Wish I'd Said," McKenna Publishing Group.

I wasn't sure what to expect. I read it in two days, and found myself laughing out loud, which is rare. I found the best part to be his description of becoming a 128 lb sumo wrestler, and being surrounded by "man fat" as he plowed into his opponent. There's a photo of a race, but everybody seems to be looking behind them. I couldn't figure it out until I started reading the chapter, that Mr. Davis decided to take up backwards running. It's amazing the feats he attempts to conquer, in his quest for a fulfilled, exciting life. "The Underdog" is "What Color is Your Parachute" for an aging Gen-X, who want to feel unique and fulfilled, but have no idea how to do it. I recommend this book, not just for being well-written and enjoyable, but also for touching on how scary it is to grow up, take on adult responsibilities, and live up to the expectations of the family, partner, and self. Mr. Davis' self-deprecating humor is charming, and I found myself rooting for him. Maybe he would be a great matador, maybe he would win the Finnish sauna contest, maybe he would be happy with his life and find satisfaction with the mundane as well as the fantastic. Maybe.

While we exchanged some emails and ideas after I'd read Joshua's article "Apocalypse Now," in the April, 2004 issue of Wired magazine, it did not prepare me for what was to come in his "Coming of Age" book. It is almost Chaplinesque in its story-line and delivery.... To say he has a hilarious choice of sports, by any conventional measure, is an understatement. Yet, despite of all the macho and/or weird engagements and the images they conjure - and you can go to Josh's web sites to see a good collection of them - I would argue that this is, in essence, a love story female readers can and will also appreciate. Male cheerleading will probably fire up the imagination of the hot-blooded, only to be followed by ice swimming (or wife carrying)? Take your pick out of the 47 offbeat activities Joshua sweats through on the way to becoming a matador of some renown. Out of all these crazy sports, backward running is my favorite. I finish my three mile jogging/running sessions with it. People say nothing (except their facial expressions) on the track, but you know what...my wife is for it. It's given me comfort to learn from this book that I could, one day, enter the Gambero D'Oro (The Golden Shrimp) race in northern Italy. Thank you, Joshua!

This is a stay up all night, read every sentence, every word, laugh out loud book. If the light by which I read this book had not disturbed the sleep of my wife, then my laughter must have done. In "The Underdog", Joshua Davis approaches the question of whether or not, given enough determination, anyone can do anything. The journey he takes with heartfelt sincerity to answer this question leads him to participate in the World Armwrestling Championship, to train as a matador, to learn Sumo, to embrace backwards running, and finally, to turn up the heat in the sauna. In other words, he gets a grip, grabs the bull by the horns, grows big, or at least grows to feel big, goes forward by moving backward, and stops sweating the small stuff. In the end, he discovers that as a man who has "reserved the right to always do stupid things," he may not ever pull off something spectacular, but he can, and does, do things in a spectacular way.

The cover alone made me giggle in the aisle of my local bookstore . . . opening the book and reading the chapter titles made me laugh aloud . . . looking at some of the pictures had me guffawing in the aisle . . . I stopped reading in the aisle for fear of snorting and causing a scene. This book is hilarious and touching all at once. An honest and lovely account of trying to figure out who we are in this post-modern generation of American dreamers. Josh's dedication to his wife Tara adds depth to this novel found in the humor section and his competitions are . . . absurd. Favorite chapters? I can't decide between the sauna chapter where the author and his family roast themselves in Finland for a family bonding experience; the chapter about arm wrestling and imagining this tiny squirt of a man dying his hair ferocious red in an attempt to appear frightening; or the chapter that inspired the cover when he tries to be big, to be a sumo wrestler. Then again there is walking backwards . . . In a time when laughter is scarce and the world is tough, Joshua Davis' book shines a light of hilarity that can strengthen our own hope and dare us to dream and do what we thought previously impossible. Enjoy the book, and congratulations Josh!