HomeGroupsTalkMoreZeitgeist
Search Site
This site uses cookies to deliver our services, improve performance, for analytics, and (if not signed in) for advertising. By using LibraryThing you acknowledge that you have read and understand our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. Your use of the site and services is subject to these policies and terms.

Results from Google Books

Click on a thumbnail to go to Google Books.

Loading...

Wait, What?: And Life's Other Essential Questions

by James E. Ryan

MembersReviewsPopularityAverage ratingMentions
1456189,635 (3.71)1
New York Times Bestseller "What, What? is a welcome--and joyful--reminder that true wisdom comes from asking the right questions. Should you read this book? Absolutely."  --Clayton Christensen, bestselling author of How Will You Measure Your Life? Based on the wildly popular commencement address, the art of asking (and answering) good questions by the Dean of Harvard University's Graduate School of Education. Whether we're in the boardroom or the classroom, we spend far too much time and energy looking for the right answer. But the truth is that questions are just as important as answers, often more so. If you ask the wrong question, for instance, you're guaranteed to get the wrong answer. A good question, on the other hand, inspires a good answer and, in the process, invites deeper understanding and more meaningful connections between people. Asking a good question requires us to move beyond what we think we know about an issue or a person to explore the difficult and the unknown, the awkward, and even the unpleasant. In Wait, What?, Jim Ryan, dean of Harvard University's Graduate School of Education, celebrates the art of asking--and answering--good questions. Five questions in particular: Wait, what?; I wonder...' Couldn't we at least...'; How can I help?; and What truly matters? Using examples from politics, history, popular culture, and social movements, as well as his own personal life, Ryan demonstrates how these essential inquiries generate understanding, spark curiosity, initiate progress, fortify relationships, and draw our attention to the important things in life--from the Supreme Court to Fenway Park. By regularly asking these five essential questions, Ryan promises, we will be better able to answer life's most important question: "And did you get what you wanted out of life, even so?" At once hilarious and illuminating, poignant and surprising, Wait, What? is an inspiring book of wisdom that will forever change the way you think about questions.  … (more)
None
Loading...

Sign up for LibraryThing to find out whether you'll like this book.

No current Talk conversations about this book.

» See also 1 mention

Showing 1-5 of 6 (next | show all)
An essential guide to living and learning. Thank you Katie Couric for recommending this book during your joint podcast with Kara Swisher.

Ryan doesn’t answer questions as much as posit the questions what should ask of ones-self and the world around us.

In so fractured a society and body politic they are questions to help break down the barriers to knowledge, build empathy, and provide an environment to tackle thorny interpersonal problems as well as problems of public policy.

There are several touching and funny stories to illustrate his points.

Remind me to ask my daughter to read it.
( )
  MylesKesten | Jan 23, 2024 |
Interesting at times but I did get slightly bored with the personal stories. But it's short. ( )
  infjsarah | Sep 4, 2019 |
I noticed this book while in my school's bookstore and was intrigued by the title. Maybe it's because graduation season is here or maybe it was the subtitle and my thoughts about having to write a speech for an upcoming presentation, but I was hooked.

James E. Ryan turned a graduation speech about asking 5 questions into a thought-provoking, at times humorous, treatise on the importance of asking questions, listening for answers, and being involved with others around you. It definitely made an impression on me and I encourage you all to find a copy of it, read it, and start to ask the 5 questions Ryan asks as well as the 'bonus question' at the end of the book. ( )
  prudencegoodwife | May 14, 2019 |
Useful questions to remember, but definitely written for a younger audience. ( )
  BookBuddies | Jun 20, 2018 |
Very American in its telling, but not too bad. ( )
  Mithril | Jul 12, 2017 |
Showing 1-5 of 6 (next | show all)
no reviews | add a review
You must log in to edit Common Knowledge data.
For more help see the Common Knowledge help page.
Canonical title
Original title
Alternative titles
Original publication date
People/Characters
Important places
Important events
Related movies
Epigraph
Dedication
First words
Quotations
Last words
Disambiguation notice
Publisher's editors
Blurbers
Original language
Canonical DDC/MDS
Canonical LCC

References to this work on external resources.

Wikipedia in English

None

New York Times Bestseller "What, What? is a welcome--and joyful--reminder that true wisdom comes from asking the right questions. Should you read this book? Absolutely."  --Clayton Christensen, bestselling author of How Will You Measure Your Life? Based on the wildly popular commencement address, the art of asking (and answering) good questions by the Dean of Harvard University's Graduate School of Education. Whether we're in the boardroom or the classroom, we spend far too much time and energy looking for the right answer. But the truth is that questions are just as important as answers, often more so. If you ask the wrong question, for instance, you're guaranteed to get the wrong answer. A good question, on the other hand, inspires a good answer and, in the process, invites deeper understanding and more meaningful connections between people. Asking a good question requires us to move beyond what we think we know about an issue or a person to explore the difficult and the unknown, the awkward, and even the unpleasant. In Wait, What?, Jim Ryan, dean of Harvard University's Graduate School of Education, celebrates the art of asking--and answering--good questions. Five questions in particular: Wait, what?; I wonder...' Couldn't we at least...'; How can I help?; and What truly matters? Using examples from politics, history, popular culture, and social movements, as well as his own personal life, Ryan demonstrates how these essential inquiries generate understanding, spark curiosity, initiate progress, fortify relationships, and draw our attention to the important things in life--from the Supreme Court to Fenway Park. By regularly asking these five essential questions, Ryan promises, we will be better able to answer life's most important question: "And did you get what you wanted out of life, even so?" At once hilarious and illuminating, poignant and surprising, Wait, What? is an inspiring book of wisdom that will forever change the way you think about questions.  

No library descriptions found.

Book description
Haiku summary

Current Discussions

None

Popular covers

Quick Links

Rating

Average: (3.71)
0.5
1
1.5
2 1
2.5 1
3 8
3.5 2
4 13
4.5
5 4

Is this you?

Become a LibraryThing Author.

 

About | Contact | Privacy/Terms | Help/FAQs | Blog | Store | APIs | TinyCat | Legacy Libraries | Early Reviewers | Common Knowledge | 205,845,113 books! | Top bar: Always visible