The Great White Elephant Gift Exchange
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The Great White Elephant Gift E·X·C·H·A·N·G·E

In 2012, a leap year, Dan Dean set out to meet a different person every day for all 366 days, with one goal: exchange a white elephant gift with each one. Over the course of the year, he met dozens of strangers, passed along gifts both weird and whimsical, made new friends and chronicled every encounter on a daily blog — complete with a brief, quirky interview with each participant.

The Great White Elephant Gift Exchange is a heartfelt, wholesome and witty exploration of what happens when we’re intentional about forging personal connections. The world has changed a lot since 2012 — we’re more isolated, more glued to our phones and our society feels increasingly strained and fragmented. Needed now more than ever, this book is an inspirational record of one man’s quest to connect with strangers in a unique, lighthearted way. Readers will come away inspired to be more intentional in making new friends, and to bring more joy, connection and humor into their own lives.

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The Great White Elephant Gift Exchange by Dan Dean, a coral paperback with hand-drawn illustrations of a rubber chicken, a slow cooker, a tortoise, a mug and a bowling pin

About the Author

After being diagnosed with stage 4 cancer at age 23, Dan Dean learned firsthand how isolating a diagnosis can be — and how much connection to other people matters in the fight to survive it. Originally from Cleveland, Dean began his career working for the Cleveland Cavaliers before his diagnosis reshaped the course of his life. He went on to found Cancer Dudes, a nonprofit built to combat the isolation men often feel after a cancer diagnosis through community and psychosocial support. For two decades, he has worked as a healthcare and science writer. He lives in Chicago.