Q: THE Book
Questions are so familiar that we rarely pay them any attention. Like breathing, they play a vital role in our lives and yet we are not taught to ask questions; instead, throughout our lives, we are judged by the answers we give. As a result, this essential human skill is often overlooked and almost invariably underdeveloped.
But questions are powerful. They direct the course of a conversation, an interview, a relationship. It is a power that is present in our daily lives and in our social and political institutions.
In Q, Lani Watson reveals how we can all learn to use this power. On a journey that takes us from the death of Socrates to the dawn of AI, she demonstrates that questions have shaped our world in significant and largely unrecognised ways, from the evolution of our species to how we experience the worlds of school and work, to healthcare and law, to our closest relationships.
We live in an answer-oriented world, where the power of questions remains underappreciated, underutilised and unevenly distributed. We can change this by learning to harness the hidden power of questions in our lives, and by working together to build a question-oriented future which is richer and fairer. Q shows us how.
What people are saying about Q...
Somewhere along the way, we confused intelligence with knowing answers – and that confusion is holding us back. Lani Watson traces this mistake from the classroom to the boardroom, building a case that is both unsettling and oddly freeing. Q is one of those rare books that hands you back a capability you didn't realize you'd lost - Daniel H. Pink, author of Drive and The Power of Regret
Lani Watson’s wonderful book is a study of the nature of questions … It’s immensely entertaining, and the author very compelling in the way she presents her argument - Spectator
Asking a question can change your mood, and having a questioning mindset can change your life … Q is written with a deceptive simplicity and an almost kindly encouragement - Guardian
Will you find this book fascinating, thoughtful, enlightening? No question. Q is one of those rare books that alters how you interact with the world – an excellent read - David Edmonds, author of Death in a Shallow Pool
Why did I enjoy Q so much? For its clarity, curiosity and thought-provoking ideas? Does Socrates live still through Watson and her readers? Might we change ourselves and the world through more and better crafted questions? Read Q and find out - Shami Chakrabarti, author of Human Rights
Energetic and insightful, this will inspire readers to take a fresh look at the world around them - Publishers Weekly
Watson writes breezily and with welcome self-awareness - Wall Street Journal
By teaching us to value inquiry over certainty, Lani Watson shows us how we can use the radical, transformative potential of questioning. An essential guidefor anyone committed to the collective quest for a more just and curious future - Kate Pickett, author of The Good Society
Humans are constitutionally questioning mammals: to thrive personally, societally and politically we need to interrogate ourselves and our worlds properly. In this exhilarating, humane, rigorous and wise book, Lani Watson exhorts us to act in accordance with our constitution, and shows us how. Q is what philosophy should be - fizzing, sparking and catalytic - Charles Foster, author of Being a Beast
Watson makes the transition from an ‘answer-centred’ world to a more ‘question-centred’ alternative an attractive prospect -Ian James Kidd, Daily Philosophy
A thought-provoking exploration of curiosity, communication … creating a richer and more thoughtful way of engaging with the world - Frob, Friends of Books
Powerful and beautifully written, I didn’t want to put Q down: I wanted to absorb all of Lani Watson’s wisdom and run out into the real world and act on it. By giving us back a simple tool we’ve had all along – the tool of questioning – Q empowers us all. This is a book that could change lives - India Rakusen, award-winning presenter, journalist and narrative audio producer
Answers are only as good as the questions you ask. In fast-moving workplaces fixated on answers and output, Lani Watson helps us harness the power of asking the right questions - Elaine Lin Hering, author of Unlearning Silence
Many and marvelous insights ... I felt the strength of her thesis: questions are a form of power - Lynn Borton, Choose to Be Curious Podcast
With Lani Watson as our great and rare guide, Q shows us there is a magic in questions – and, even better, the power behind that magic is easier to tap into than you might think … This is your ‘Q’ to dive in - Larry Robertson, Author of Great Question
In a world saturated with easy answers, Watson celebrates the power of a good question. Every great adventure starts with a question, and this is the book to start us off - Jonny Thomson, Author of The Art of Enough
I... really loved it. Highly recommended for anyone who loves questions! - Jeff Wetzler, Author of Ask