Review written by Julie Mackey, MS, LPC
The Book of Questions by Gregory Stock, Ph.D. is an interesting collection of ideas, what-ifs, fantasies, and self-reflections posed in the form of questions. In the introduction of this revised and updated edition the author states, “Everything was different. And nothing was different. People struggled then as they do now with money and family, love and loss, hope and fear”. This array of human feelings, challenges, and struggles are represented throughout this book of nearly 300 questions.
Most of these questions are thought provoking inquiries for any age to ponder, but as a whole the book seems to be intended for a mature audience. There are questions about sex, drugs and alcohol, violence, suicide, and pornography.
Here are some examples of some memorable questions:
*What are the most important things (excluding children) you’ve brought into the world that would not exist without you?
*When did you last cry in front of another person? To yourself?
*Five years from now, what would you like to be doing? What do you think you will be doing?
As I read through this book I would find myself reacting by thinking “I don’t know” but then giving the question more thought and pushing myself to come up with an answer. Some of the questions offer choices where none of the options are good, also causing more thought to be put into what was being asked. Furthermore, some of the questions were quite outlandish which made buying in to the request to come up with an answer difficult.
Overall, this is a book I enjoyed reading and as a therapist could see using as an icebreaker with older adolescent –adults clients who have difficulty opening up. The questions could easily lead to more intense discussions about many different topics. I am glad I was given the chance to spend time with these questions and think you would too!
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