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    Wait, What?: And Life's Other Essential Questions
    Wait, What?: And Life's Other Essential Questions
    Wait, What?: And Life's Other Essential Questions
    Audiobook2 hours

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

    Written by James E. Ryan

    Narrated by James E. Ryan

    4.5/5

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    About this audiobook

    Joining the ranks of Tina Seelig’s What I Wish I Knew When I Was 20, Clayton Christensen’s How Will You Measure Your Life, Mary Karr’s Now Go Out There, and George Saunders’ Congratulations, By the Way comes an insightful guide that reveals the secret to pursuing a rich, fulfilling life: the art of asking (and answering) good questions.

    In his commencement address to the graduating class of 2016, James E. Ryan, dean of the Harvard University Graduate School of Education, offered remarkable advice to the crowd of hopeful men and women eager to make their mark on the world. The key to achieving emotional connections and social progress he told them, can be found in five essential questions:

    • Wait, what?
    • I wonder if . . .
    • Couldn’t we at least?
    • How can I help?
    • What truly matters?

    ""Wait, what?"" is at the root of all understanding. ""I wonder"" is at the heart of all curiosity. ""Couldn’t we at least?"" is the beginning of all progress. ""How can I help?"" is the basis of all good relationships. And ""what truly matters?"" gets you to the heart of life. By regularly asking these questions, Ryan promises, you will be prepared to enthusiastically answer ""Yes"" to one final—and, ultimately, most important—question: ""And did you get what you wanted out of life, even so?""

    In this thoughtful, illuminating book, Ryan builds upon his wildly popular and universally praised address which has been viewed more than four million times online. Wait, What? offers further insights into the art of asking good questions, highlighted by hilarious and surprising anecdotes from Ryan’s personal and professional life, as well as stories from politics, popular culture, and social movements throughout history.

    Engaging and inspiring, Wait, What? will change the way you look at yourself and the world, and, in the process, help you get what you want most out of life.

    Editor's Note

    The right questions…

    The wisest people have said true happiness comes not from having the right answers, but from asking the right questions. So your first question is probably: what are the right questions? That’s where James E. Ryan’s book comes in to help. His five simple prompts promise profound answers and a more fulfilling life.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherHarperAudio
    Release dateApr 4, 2017
    ISBN9780062673725
    Author

    James E. Ryan

    James E. Ryan is the eleventh dean of the Harvard Graduate School of Education. Before joining Harvard, he was the Matheson & Morgenthau Distinguished Professor at the University of Virginia Law School, where he founded the school’s Program in Law and Public Service. He is the author of the nonfiction work Five Miles Away, A World Apart. A former clerk for Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist, as well as a former rugby player, he has argued before the United States Supreme Court. He lives with his wife, Katie, in Lincoln, Massachusetts, with their four kids, two dogs, two cats, and nine chickens.    

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    Reviews for Wait, What?

    4.5/5

    163 ratings8 reviews

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    Review must be at least 10 words

    • 5/5
      This was a pretty decent book. Good writing and good narration makes an audiobook that much Moore enjoyable. This book fits both criteria. Additionally, the questions presented are useful and easy enough to readily insert into a conversation. Honestly, there's nothing new here, but it's a fun read.
    • 5/5
      Many true stories to illustrate the importance of these great questions to ask in different circumstances.
    • 5/5
      This was a very good and important book. It caused me to stop and ask myself what kind of questions I was asking; and, if I wasn't - why not? It's a book I highly recommend and will listen to again.
    • 5/5
      Small and precious book. Worth reading. everyone should know these essential questions.
    • 3/5
      Interesting at times but I did get slightly bored with the personal stories. But it's short.
    • 5/5
      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.
    • 3/5
      Useful questions to remember, but definitely written for a younger audience.
    • 3/5
      Very American in its telling, but not too bad.