WAIT, WHAT? AND LIFE’S OTHER ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS By James E. Ryan


Wait, What? started out as a college graduation speech. Jame E. Ryan, a lawyer and former professor at the University of Virginia Law School, is now the Dean of the School of Education at Harvard University. Every year, he gives a speech to his graduating students. “Wait, What” was the speech Ryan delivered for 2016. However, the speech went viral and before he knew it, Ryan had a book deal to turn the speech into something more. Ryan believes that our lives could be improved if we asked more questions. In this slim little book, Ryan shows how asking the right question at the right time can change lives. I found Wait, What? funny, and clever, and profound. Diane recommended Wait, What? to me after listening to the author being interviewed on National Public Radio. GRADE: A

TABLE OF CONTENTS:
Introduction: “Why Do You Ask? 1
1. “Wait, What?” 21
2. “I Wonder…?” 39
3. “Couldn’t We At Least…?” 63
4. “How Can I Help?” 83
5. “What Truly Matters?” 103
Conclusion: The Bonus Question 127
Acknowledgements 137

14 thoughts on “WAIT, WHAT? AND LIFE’S OTHER ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS By James E. Ryan

    1. george Post author

      Steve, I didn’t think WAIT, WHAT? would be my kind of book either, but James Ryan’s engaging stories captured my imagination. And, I read it in about a half an hour!

      Reply
  1. Jeff Meyerson

    Too bad no one in the White House is asking those kinds of questions?

    PS – My name and information has disappeared again.

    Reply
    1. george Post author

      Jeff, sorry for the vanishing info. WORDPRESS has still not responded to my complaints. They’re stone-walling me!

      Everyone on the White House staff pretends to be Sgt. Shultz in HOGAN’S HEROES: “I hear nothing, I see nothing, I know nothing.”

      Reply
  2. Rick Robinson

    Not my thing either. Not sure what being an attorney makes him qualified to be Dean of Education, except maybe a good job pitch. This slim volume, eh? Yet what did it cost, $14 at Amazon. For a half-hour read? I think the question this author asked was how can I pad a speech and make more money?

    Reply
    1. george Post author

      Rick, I was wondering why the Harvard School of Education hired a law professor as its Dean. But Ryan explains how that all came about: a little thinking outside the box. I picked up a copy of WAIT, WHAT? at my local public library.

      Reply
    1. george Post author

      Rick, I was stuck on the plane for four hours and then fell victim to a flaky internet connection. But now I’m home, safe and sound…with a reliable computer.

      Reply
  3. Cap'n Bob

    I used to live in San Jose! In fact, it was the first place I lived when I moved to Cal in 1969!

    Reply

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