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One Last Question Before You Go: Why You Should Interview Your Parents
How well do you know your parents? Really.
Kyle Thiermann’s dad once bought a hot-air balloon off a hitchhiker. His mom and stepdad are trying to spread a conspiracy theory. Now, with his first book, Kyle wanders the American West—through rich redwood forests, seedy surf culture, and a 1997 RV with teal carpet interior—to probe how asking the right questions can change a relationship. Blending witty narrative with practical advice and twenty-seven bold questions, the popular podcast host and pro big wave surfer shows that interviewing our parents can create way more than digital family heirlooms. It can reframe the way we see each other.
One Last Question Before You Go is part story, part strategy—and entirely unexpected.
Kyle Thiermann’s dad once bought a hot-air balloon off a hitchhiker. His mom and stepdad are trying to spread a conspiracy theory. Now, with his first book, Kyle wanders the American West—through rich redwood forests, seedy surf culture, and a 1997 RV with teal carpet interior—to probe how asking the right questions can change a relationship. Blending witty narrative with practical advice and twenty-seven bold questions, the popular podcast host and pro big wave surfer shows that interviewing our parents can create way more than digital family heirlooms. It can reframe the way we see each other.
One Last Question Before You Go is part story, part strategy—and entirely unexpected.
182 pages, Hardcover
Published November 18, 2025
10 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
October 31, 2025
Below are the 27 questions Kyle Thiermann encourages you to ask your parents before they die.
Kyle advises: "If you’re unsure whether a question is “good,” ask yourself: Is it specific? Am I genuinely curious? Does it make me a little nervous?"
Some may wonder if I'm giving away the book by revealing all the questions, but these questions are listed in the table of contents, which is freely available if you download a free sample of the ebook on Kindle.
Kyle elaborates on each question, devoting a chapter to each.
1. What was your parenting style?
2. What do you believe that most people think is crazy?
3. How do you want to die?
4. What advice would you give to your younger self about money?
5. What have you changed your mind about?
6. What’s a helpful question you’ve asked yourself throughout life, and why?
7. What’s one thing you put off for way too long?
8. What is the story of this photograph?
9. What movie influenced you most in life?
10. What’s a belief that got you into trouble?
11. What is the biggest misconception about you?
12. What trip will you always remember?
13. How do you manage stress?
14. Describe the culture around you when you were in college. How did it influence your outlook on the world?
15. What’s a memory that makes you cringe with embarrassment?
16. Which sibling are you closest with?
17. What should you apologize for?
18. What’s a hobby of yours? (past or present)
19. What’s one lesson your parents taught you that you passed down to me?
20. What’s one thing you wanted to do differently from your parents when you raised me?
21. What’s one thing we have in common? 22. Have you ever had a near-death experience? What’s the story?
23. What’s a hard truth you’ve had to accept?
24. What scares you but is good for you?
25. What is your most painful memory?
26. What do you want more of from your kids?
27. What are you most grateful for?
Kyle writes: "When interviewing your parents, it may be helpful to linger on their twenties. These are formative years when we are out of the house and thrust into culture. We learn drinking habits and thinking habits that can set the trajectory for the rest of our lives. As Meg Jay wrote in her book The Defining Decade, “Personality can change more during our twenties than at any other decade in life… As we age, we feel less like leaves and more like trees.”"
CONCLUSION: It's a great book! He devotes a chapter to teaching you how to record the interview. His podcasting experience is helpful. I would record it with video, not just audio.
DISCLOSURE: I received an advanced copy from the publisher.
Kyle advises: "If you’re unsure whether a question is “good,” ask yourself: Is it specific? Am I genuinely curious? Does it make me a little nervous?"
Some may wonder if I'm giving away the book by revealing all the questions, but these questions are listed in the table of contents, which is freely available if you download a free sample of the ebook on Kindle.
Kyle elaborates on each question, devoting a chapter to each.
1. What was your parenting style?
2. What do you believe that most people think is crazy?
3. How do you want to die?
4. What advice would you give to your younger self about money?
5. What have you changed your mind about?
6. What’s a helpful question you’ve asked yourself throughout life, and why?
7. What’s one thing you put off for way too long?
8. What is the story of this photograph?
9. What movie influenced you most in life?
10. What’s a belief that got you into trouble?
11. What is the biggest misconception about you?
12. What trip will you always remember?
13. How do you manage stress?
14. Describe the culture around you when you were in college. How did it influence your outlook on the world?
15. What’s a memory that makes you cringe with embarrassment?
16. Which sibling are you closest with?
17. What should you apologize for?
18. What’s a hobby of yours? (past or present)
19. What’s one lesson your parents taught you that you passed down to me?
20. What’s one thing you wanted to do differently from your parents when you raised me?
21. What’s one thing we have in common? 22. Have you ever had a near-death experience? What’s the story?
23. What’s a hard truth you’ve had to accept?
24. What scares you but is good for you?
25. What is your most painful memory?
26. What do you want more of from your kids?
27. What are you most grateful for?
Kyle writes: "When interviewing your parents, it may be helpful to linger on their twenties. These are formative years when we are out of the house and thrust into culture. We learn drinking habits and thinking habits that can set the trajectory for the rest of our lives. As Meg Jay wrote in her book The Defining Decade, “Personality can change more during our twenties than at any other decade in life… As we age, we feel less like leaves and more like trees.”"
CONCLUSION: It's a great book! He devotes a chapter to teaching you how to record the interview. His podcasting experience is helpful. I would record it with video, not just audio.
DISCLOSURE: I received an advanced copy from the publisher.
November 12, 2025
Kyle Thiermann’s One Last Question Before You Go is part memoir, part field guide for emotional courage. It begins as a practical project, recording conversations with his parents before it’s too late, but evolves into a moving exploration of love, misunderstanding, and reconciliation. Thiermann opens his life with remarkable honesty, describing a childhood shaped by idealism, tension, and unconventional choices. His storytelling blurs the line between instruction and confession, reminding readers that asking questions can be both a form of preservation and an act of healing.
Thiermann’s writing balances clarity and lyricism. He recounts moments from his youth in Santa Cruz with humor and unease: surf sessions laced with danger, family debates over truth and science, and a mother whose belief in conspiracy theories fractures their bond. When he writes, “Now when my mom and I look up at the same blue sky, she sees chemtrails, where I see clouds,” the simplicity of the line reveals something profound about distance and love. It’s this honesty, direct, unsentimental, but deeply felt, that gives the book its emotional weight.
His reflections on interviewing parents are both practical and philosophical. Thiermann treats listening as a skill that requires humility and patience. His advice to start with simple questions, to let silence breathe, feels genuine and attainable. He doesn’t posture as an expert but as someone learning in real time. When he describes forcing himself to write “bad questions” until something true appears, it captures the imperfect process of reaching toward another person.
The book’s rhythm is conversational yet purposeful. Thiermann alternates between intimate family vignettes and broader reflections on communication, mortality, and forgiveness. He resists the urge to offer neat resolutions, allowing discomfort and ambiguity to remain. That restraint makes his insights resonate more deeply.
One Last Question Before You Go manages to be both instructive and profoundly human. It’s a reminder that asking hard questions is not about control or closure, it’s about connection. This is a book for readers who value sincerity over polish, who want to bridge emotional gaps with their own parents, or who simply wish to understand their family stories before time takes them. Thoughtful, unguarded, and deeply affecting, Thiermann’s work lingers long after the final page.
Thiermann’s writing balances clarity and lyricism. He recounts moments from his youth in Santa Cruz with humor and unease: surf sessions laced with danger, family debates over truth and science, and a mother whose belief in conspiracy theories fractures their bond. When he writes, “Now when my mom and I look up at the same blue sky, she sees chemtrails, where I see clouds,” the simplicity of the line reveals something profound about distance and love. It’s this honesty, direct, unsentimental, but deeply felt, that gives the book its emotional weight.
His reflections on interviewing parents are both practical and philosophical. Thiermann treats listening as a skill that requires humility and patience. His advice to start with simple questions, to let silence breathe, feels genuine and attainable. He doesn’t posture as an expert but as someone learning in real time. When he describes forcing himself to write “bad questions” until something true appears, it captures the imperfect process of reaching toward another person.
The book’s rhythm is conversational yet purposeful. Thiermann alternates between intimate family vignettes and broader reflections on communication, mortality, and forgiveness. He resists the urge to offer neat resolutions, allowing discomfort and ambiguity to remain. That restraint makes his insights resonate more deeply.
One Last Question Before You Go manages to be both instructive and profoundly human. It’s a reminder that asking hard questions is not about control or closure, it’s about connection. This is a book for readers who value sincerity over polish, who want to bridge emotional gaps with their own parents, or who simply wish to understand their family stories before time takes them. Thoughtful, unguarded, and deeply affecting, Thiermann’s work lingers long after the final page.
November 11, 2025
📚 E-ARC BOOK REVIEW 📚
One Last Question Before You Go
By Kyle Thiermann
Publication Date: November 18, 2025
Publisher: Scribe Media | Lioncrest Publishing
📚MY RATING: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Thank you to Scribe Media, Lioncrest Publishing, and NetGalley for this e-ARC in exchange for my honest review!
📚MY REVIEW:
One Last Question Before You Go, the upcoming release from Kyle Thiermann, is the perfect book for #NonFictionNovember ! This book not only offers encouragement to interview your parents & learn more about their lives, but it also serves as a step-by-step resource guide to do just that!
Thiermann doesn't just tell you why you should interview your parents -- he gives you a list of thought-provoking questions, offers guidance about how to invite them to do this with you, and then shares tips about how to get them talking too. As if that isn't enough, the book ends with an interview checklist, a list of bonus questions, and the list of Thiermann's go-to, tried-and-true equipment that he uses to record his own podcast -- in case you want to mirror his set-up.
A few years before she passed, I gifted my maternal grandmother (who I was especially close to) a book of questions to answer. She finished it over the next year, and it became one of my most cherished possessions -- and remains so today. This book encouraged me to be sure I take time to interview my parents - while I still can. ❤️
What makes this book even more special is that, in between all the practical advice, Thiermann shares sweet and emotional stories about his own experiences interviewing his parents. These stories added a heartfelt side to the book and showed how the most unexpected moments of understanding can happen when the book's tips are used.
One Last Question is a beautiful book filled with questions that will help your parents share stories about their lives, things you'd maybe otherwise never know, and things that can help you get to know them in a whole new way. It's a helpful resource you can turn to again and again. This book should be required reading for anyone who has parents (so, pretty much everyone😉). Be sure you grab your copy when it publishes November 18th!
#OneLastQuestionBeforeYouGo #KyleThiermann #ScribeMedia #LioncrestPublishing #NetGalley #NetGalleyReviews #nonfictionnovember #bookreviews #bookrecs #booklover #bookaddict
One Last Question Before You Go
By Kyle Thiermann
Publication Date: November 18, 2025
Publisher: Scribe Media | Lioncrest Publishing
📚MY RATING: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Thank you to Scribe Media, Lioncrest Publishing, and NetGalley for this e-ARC in exchange for my honest review!
📚MY REVIEW:
One Last Question Before You Go, the upcoming release from Kyle Thiermann, is the perfect book for #NonFictionNovember ! This book not only offers encouragement to interview your parents & learn more about their lives, but it also serves as a step-by-step resource guide to do just that!
Thiermann doesn't just tell you why you should interview your parents -- he gives you a list of thought-provoking questions, offers guidance about how to invite them to do this with you, and then shares tips about how to get them talking too. As if that isn't enough, the book ends with an interview checklist, a list of bonus questions, and the list of Thiermann's go-to, tried-and-true equipment that he uses to record his own podcast -- in case you want to mirror his set-up.
A few years before she passed, I gifted my maternal grandmother (who I was especially close to) a book of questions to answer. She finished it over the next year, and it became one of my most cherished possessions -- and remains so today. This book encouraged me to be sure I take time to interview my parents - while I still can. ❤️
What makes this book even more special is that, in between all the practical advice, Thiermann shares sweet and emotional stories about his own experiences interviewing his parents. These stories added a heartfelt side to the book and showed how the most unexpected moments of understanding can happen when the book's tips are used.
One Last Question is a beautiful book filled with questions that will help your parents share stories about their lives, things you'd maybe otherwise never know, and things that can help you get to know them in a whole new way. It's a helpful resource you can turn to again and again. This book should be required reading for anyone who has parents (so, pretty much everyone😉). Be sure you grab your copy when it publishes November 18th!
#OneLastQuestionBeforeYouGo #KyleThiermann #ScribeMedia #LioncrestPublishing #NetGalley #NetGalleyReviews #nonfictionnovember #bookreviews #bookrecs #booklover #bookaddict
November 28, 2025
(3.50*)
One Last Question Before You Go is a memoir, but also a guide — it was created as a way to really get to know your parents by interviewing them before the time passes. The book mixes personal stories from the author, Kyle Thiermann’s upbringing, with a structured set of over 25 thought-provoking questions designed to spark deeper conversations and understanding for not only his own story/situation, but for readers to do the same if they’d like to do so in the future. Unlike a therapy type of guide that feels clinical or heavy, Thiermann keeps things conversational and very light. Each chapter centers around one question and he shares examples from his own family to show how a single question can open unexpected doors.
In my opinion, there are reasons why this book works and reasons why it falls short. The writing is informal, relatable, sometimes funny, sometimes wistful — which invites the reader in and allows for them to be more engaged; as many parts of the book read like a conversation with a friend. Where it lacks: the answers to the questions being asked don’t always get into deep psychological or relational analysis. If you as a reader, are looking for a deep exploration of parent-child dynamics, generational trauma, or family psychology — this is more a starting point than a comprehensive read.
Overall, I think the idea of this book is really creative and intriguing. This guide may not solve all family wounds or guarantee reconciliation, but it is a call to curiosity, empathy, and connection — it’s effective and emotionally honest. It reminds us: the people we think that we know well … they still have hidden stories, regrets, forgotten memories but sometimes the simplest questions can reveal more than we expected. Thank you Scribe Media & NetGalley for the ARC!
One Last Question Before You Go is a memoir, but also a guide — it was created as a way to really get to know your parents by interviewing them before the time passes. The book mixes personal stories from the author, Kyle Thiermann’s upbringing, with a structured set of over 25 thought-provoking questions designed to spark deeper conversations and understanding for not only his own story/situation, but for readers to do the same if they’d like to do so in the future. Unlike a therapy type of guide that feels clinical or heavy, Thiermann keeps things conversational and very light. Each chapter centers around one question and he shares examples from his own family to show how a single question can open unexpected doors.
In my opinion, there are reasons why this book works and reasons why it falls short. The writing is informal, relatable, sometimes funny, sometimes wistful — which invites the reader in and allows for them to be more engaged; as many parts of the book read like a conversation with a friend. Where it lacks: the answers to the questions being asked don’t always get into deep psychological or relational analysis. If you as a reader, are looking for a deep exploration of parent-child dynamics, generational trauma, or family psychology — this is more a starting point than a comprehensive read.
Overall, I think the idea of this book is really creative and intriguing. This guide may not solve all family wounds or guarantee reconciliation, but it is a call to curiosity, empathy, and connection — it’s effective and emotionally honest. It reminds us: the people we think that we know well … they still have hidden stories, regrets, forgotten memories but sometimes the simplest questions can reveal more than we expected. Thank you Scribe Media & NetGalley for the ARC!
November 17, 2025
One of the best books I’ve read this year. It’ll truly live on my shelf forever.
It came at just the right time for me as I’ve been itching to dig deeper in my relationships. Kyle encourages and guides the reader to become a journalist in the story of their family. Anyone can do it, and he shows you exactly how.
Every time I second guessed the process due to my own family dynamics he already thought it through and reassured the next step with careful and open minded steps.
Couldn’t go without mentioning how intriguing his own story is, woven throughout this book. I ripped through it so fast I had to slow myself down to enjoy every story fully. A necessary read for cultivating deeper relationships and better understanding the why
It came at just the right time for me as I’ve been itching to dig deeper in my relationships. Kyle encourages and guides the reader to become a journalist in the story of their family. Anyone can do it, and he shows you exactly how.
Every time I second guessed the process due to my own family dynamics he already thought it through and reassured the next step with careful and open minded steps.
Couldn’t go without mentioning how intriguing his own story is, woven throughout this book. I ripped through it so fast I had to slow myself down to enjoy every story fully. A necessary read for cultivating deeper relationships and better understanding the why
September 26, 2025
Oh I wonder what responses I would get from my very Kenyan, very African Mother to these questions! It's what made reading this book such a thrill, and I think we could definitely have a whole conversation about "what's a belief that got you into trouble?"
I loved these stories and more so these experiences because it reminded me of the sheer brilliance, life, dreams, light and expectations that our parents may have that we never get to ask to know about and I am even more grateful that this book made me excited at the thought of having such conversations with my Mother.
Thanks Netgalley for the eARC.
I loved these stories and more so these experiences because it reminded me of the sheer brilliance, life, dreams, light and expectations that our parents may have that we never get to ask to know about and I am even more grateful that this book made me excited at the thought of having such conversations with my Mother.
Thanks Netgalley for the eARC.
November 17, 2025
One Last Question Before You Go is a fascinating book all about interviewing your parents. It's a subject I've never deeply thought about before, but Thiermann makes a compelling case as to why you should do so.
Each chapter, separated into the 27 different questions, throws you a new question accompanied by his own, and his loved ones, experiences surrounding it. The questions vary from more basic, common questions such as 'What trip will you always remember?' to more series, and hard questions like 'How do you want to die?'.
Having never thought about creating digital family heirlooms, I now think I will try and undertake this as a little project to keep myself busy.
I would recommend this book to everyone as it broaches an interesting question of how well do you really know people.
Thank you to author, publisher and NetGalley for the copy of this book!
Each chapter, separated into the 27 different questions, throws you a new question accompanied by his own, and his loved ones, experiences surrounding it. The questions vary from more basic, common questions such as 'What trip will you always remember?' to more series, and hard questions like 'How do you want to die?'.
Having never thought about creating digital family heirlooms, I now think I will try and undertake this as a little project to keep myself busy.
I would recommend this book to everyone as it broaches an interesting question of how well do you really know people.
Thank you to author, publisher and NetGalley for the copy of this book!
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews