Synopses & Reviews
A New York Times bestseller with over 2.5 million copies in print,
The Book of Questions poses over 300 questions that invite people to explore the most fascinating of subjects: themselves. These questions are as intriguing as our very lives because they are about our lives-our fundamental values and beliefs, our dreams and nightmares about sex, money, love, power.
Some of the questions thrust you into a value-testing hypothetical situation (Would you accept 20 years of extraordinary happiness and fulfillment if it meant you would die at the end of the period?), some ask you to delve into your past (When is the last time you stole anything?) and help you find out if you've changed (Would you now return it if you could?), and others reveal your basic nature by examining your behavior (When you are given a compliment do you usually acknowledge it or suggest that you really do not deserve it?). Whether used as an avenue for personal growth, a tool for deepening relationships, or simply as an entertainment, The Book of Questions may be the only publication that challenges-and even changes-the way readers view the world, without offering a single opinion of its own.
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"The best questions are the ones you can't Google. Here is a whole book of them." Austin Kleon, author of Steal Like an Artist
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"Capturing both future and present dilemmas, this deceptively simple book packs a real punch." Ray Kurzweil, author of How to Create a Mind and founder of Singularity University
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"In a good question is the thread of an answer. A good question is better than a brilliant answer. I personally focus on the word 'quest' in question, which is the essence of each interlocutory. Gregory Stock's book is a seductive and delightful journey about the essence of conversations which is the question." Richard Saul Wurman, creator of TED
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"These questions can take you into critical examination of what you are doing in this life." Robert Thurman, professor of Buddhist studies, Columbia University
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"Interesting questions! Some of the most bizarre ones may be everyday issues in our near future." Vernor Vinge, author of Marooned in Real Time
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"Stock's knack for wording a question in just the right way to provoke lively discussion is on full display again in this terrific new book. It's fantastic!" Jeff Probst, host of Survivor and The Jeff Probst Show
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"These questions will get you thinking about some of the things we can go through a lifetime avoiding; they're deep questions, but then humans at our best and most real are deep people." Bill McKibben, author of Oil and Honey
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"Don't know what to do this weekend? Here is the answer: Pick up this book and drive your friends, loved ones, neighbors, and strangers crazy with smart, tough, interesting questions." Juan Enriquez, TED speaker and coauthor of Homo Evolutis: Please Meet the Next Human Species
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"The Book of Questions covers an enormous range of challenging issues with wit, insight, and brio." Arthur Caplan, Director of Medical Ethics Division, NYU Langone Medical Center
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"Your answers to these questions will help us decide what humans should be. Take your time." Kevin Kelly, Senior Maverick at Wired and author of What Technology Wants
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"When the original Book of Questions was published, it provoked hours of conversation and engagement among me and my friends. The new book is even better and should provide hours and hours of entertainment and enlightenment." Fareed Zakaria, author of The Post-American World
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"Provocative, surefire conversation starters. Watch out; some of them will have you questioning old and comfy assumptions." David Brin, author of The Postman and The Transparent Society
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"In a world endlessly in search of answers, Greg Stock reminds us that what really matters are the questions." Seth Godin, author of The Icarus Deception
Synopsis
The phenomenon returns Originally published in 1987, The Book of Questions, aNew York Timesbestseller, has been completely revised and updated to incorporate the myriad cultural shifts and hot-button issues of the past twenty-five years, making it current and even more appealing.
This is a book for personal growth, a tool for deepening relationships, a lively conversation starter for the family dinner table, a fun way to pass the time in the car. It poses over 300 questions that invite people to explore the most fascinating of subjects: themselves and how they really feel about the world.
The revised edition includes more than 100 all-new questions that delve into such topics as the disappearing border between man and machine How would you react if you learned that a sad and beautiful poem that touched you deeply had been written by a computer?The challenges of being a parent Would you completely rewrite your child s college-application essays if it would help him get into a better school?The never-endingly interesting topic of sex Would you be willing to give up sex for a year if you knew it would give you a much deeper sense of peace than you now have?And of course the meaning of it all If you were handed an envelope with the date of your death inside, and you knew you could do nothing to alter your fate, would you look?
The Book of Questionsmay be the only publication that challenges and even changes the way you view the world, without offering a single opinion of its own.
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Synopsis
Ask your friends. Ask your parents. Ask someone you hardly know.
The Book of Questions gives you permission to ask those things that are too bold, too embarrassing, or just too difficult to ask by yourself. You will find questions of integrity; of sex; of what you would do for money; even things too personal to talk about out loud.
Whether you use it as a tool for self discovery, or as a provocative way to stimulate conversation, this book constantly challenges attitudes, morals, beliefs — and it challenges you.
About the Author
Gregory Stock is a biophysicist, bestselling author, biotech entrepreneur, and the former director of the Program on Medicine, Technology, and Society at UCLA’s School of Medicine. His interests lie in the scientific and evolutionary as well as ethical, social, and political implications of today’s revolutions in the life sciences and in information technology and computers. He lives in Houston, Texas.