Chasing the Dream

by Shaun Wallace

Born on the 2nd of June 1960 to Jamaican parents, Shaun is a Londoner born and bred, and has been a devoted Chelsea fan since 1967. From the age of 12, Shaun knew he wanted to be a barrister and was determined to make it. Despite one or two setbacks along the way, he finally managed to fulfill his childhood ambition when he was called to the bar in November 1984. He has been a Criminal Defence Advocate now for nearly 34 years, and has worked tirelessly on cases ranging from murder to money laundering to firearms to drug trafficking.Shaun has also regularly appeared on British television quiz shows such as Fifteen-To-One, The Weakest Link, Greed, and Are You an Egghead?. Shaun catapulted to national prominence and recognition when, on the 5th December 2004, he became the first black person to win the BBC’s renowned Mastermind. Since 2009, he has become a household name, regularly appearing as The Dark Destroyer on the smash ITV hit teatime quiz show, The Chase.Read how Shaun’s passions have helped turn him into the man he is staunchly just and fair, ruthless when he needs to be, kind, fun, and a fiercely loyal friend.

Genres: Nonfiction

572 pages, Paperback

Published October 31, 2018

Reviews

[Caroline · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found this a tad long, and a bit long winded. Did I really need to know every single question, along with the answers, that was asked in every quiz show Shaun Wallace took part in?
The Book ended rather abruptly with no mention of The Chase or how he came to be a chaser.
Despite these minor complaints, it was an interesting read.

[Sally Parker · Rating 2 out of 5]

As Shaun Wallace is my favourite Chaser, I was really looking forward to reading his autobiography. I admire his grit and determination in pursuing his dream of becoming a barrister, but I would have enjoyed his book so much more if it had been shortened to half its length. I thought there was far too much detail about every aspect of his education, his football playing , and his progress as he commenced his career at the bar. I also felt his editor or proof reader had failed to do their job properly as there are far too many typographical/grammatical errors in the book. I have to confess I ended up skip reading many of the unnecessarily long passages.

[Martin Braunton · Rating 2 out of 5]

Overlong with no editor in sight. Meaningless football matches and exams are dragged out with excessive detail. The quiz sections are interesting if you are a quizzer but there is no mention of The Chase which is rather bizarre given the cover photo and blurb’s reference to it. In fact the story stops in 2009 which in a way is a godsend.

[Wendy Apps · Rating 2 out of 5]

I am appalled at how poorly written this is. There are so many spelling and grammar errors that I wondered how he managed to finish school and get into law school. At over 600 pages it is also overwritten; a good editor could cut the length by half.

[Debbi Barton · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF soooooo boring.

[Elizabeth Paterson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyable

Really enjoyed this book and would recommend it. I am a big fan of Shaun so interesting to find out about his life.

[Kathryn Pulman · Rating 3 out of 5]

Shaun is my favourite Chaser, so I was really looking forward to reading this. Unfortunately, I don't think it lives up to its potential. While he has led a very interesting life, to me the book felt as if he'd written down his memories, stapled them together, and called them a book. It would have benefitted greatly from being edited and proofread. It was also a bit disappointing that there was nothing about 'The Chase', or about why Shaun no longer drives. I'm glad I stuck with finishing this, but it was fairly hard going.

[Stephen Simm · Rating 3 out of 5]

Edit and proof read please

In a way I really enjoyed reading about Shaun’s life story but my word the book needs editing. It should probably be less than half its current length. Who wants to know about every kick of every football match he has played in or every question asked in his numerous quizzing events.
In addition the number of typos is ridiculous. One is probably one too many but there are so many. “Thems the brakes” is one that is included several times.
I suggest skim reading it as it has some interesting stuff in it.

[Gordon Burgess-Parker · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very detailed read

I chose to read Shaun's book as interested in his quizzing journey to The Chase. This was obviously written before he became involved in The Chase.
I found it very interesting, though incredibly detailed, meaning I often scan read large sections of the book.
I was very moved by how hard Shaun had to work to chase his dreams. In both his work and his quizzing, he had to give his all. He came across as very humble indeed.

[Mrs S L George · Rating 1 out of 5]

Dull

The most boring book I've ever read. Shaun includes the full names of everyone he's ever interacted with in his whole life, and when discussing quiz shows he's been on, he literally gives details on every question asked, what the answer was, how the audience reacted and so much more. This level of meaningless detail makes the book tedious to read and dull. I struggled to read 70% of the book, then gave up.

[marie mitchell · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good read.

All thought l was not expecting much from this book l was very surprised. It started off as l had expected but then started to get better. A lot was left out about his young life and there didn't seem to be much influence of input from his parents. I was a present read and l am glad I read it.

[Sue Connell · Rating 3 out of 5]

Really enjoyed the first half, all About how he got to the Bar, but second half I'm struggling with getting into the Chase...started reading a different book, it didn't hold my attention...having said that what I read was interesting. Sorry Shaun.

[Carole Thompson · Rating 1 out of 5]

Boring

Very boring. Wouldn't recommend to anyone. Took me as an avid reader who normally reads 10 books a month, 6 months to read.
Chose this rating as it was the lowest I could give.

[Sarah Haden · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ever so slightly disappointed in this book. The last half felt like a quiz book...question and answer. And he doesnt go into how he came to be a chaser

[lorna davidson]

not a lot you can say

[JOHN C FRASER · Rating 5 out of 5]

A challenging Life

A great read. Between law work and quizzing,family,injury and enjoyable baths this book is not to be missed. A Mastermind read.

[John McLeod · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book ended without moving on to The Chase. A few too many grammatical errors and typing mistakes. A lesson in perseverance to achieve .

[Carol Holder · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well written. I enjoyed this book. It shows with hard work what a person can achieve and no negative remarks given, as a child which stays with you can hinder a person from achieving success.

[Yvonne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting reading about Shaun.

[Steve Hobo-Tuck · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting read but disappointing in some ways

I was looking for a piece on how he got onto The Chase, but interesting to learn about the quizzing world in the UK nonetheless.

[Mick · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nearly 600 pages, enjoyed every one of them. Couldn’t put the book down until I had finished it.

[Sara Mallet · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed reading this. What a life he has lived and all the game shows he was on.