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What She Said & What I Heard: How One Man Shut Up and Started Listening
Meet a man who actually listens to women. An award-winning investigative journalist tells poignant stories in this compulsively readable memoir, each revealing a profound moment when a woman said something that he actually heard, transforming his life for the better. With more than 50 photos, plus dozens of links to bonus audio and video, each chapter is an immersive experience that grabs hold and does not let go.
Stuart Watson spent his first career earning a living by talking. His whole identity was wrapped up in being a Peabody-award-winning investigative reporter. Then he turned 55 and got fired. He began to doubt himself. He flirted with suicide. To escape such dark thoughts, he began a five-year odyssey conducting dozens and dozens of interviews for a podcast, a book, and a film. Increasingly, those interview subjects were women. But all too often, Stuart interrupted or "mansplained" or flat-out argued. It didn't work. So gradually he learned how to stop talking over women and really listen to them. The result is this book and a podcast called ManListening, in which Stuart elevates the stories of a diverse group of strong women who bounced back.
What She Said & What I Heard is a memoir told through a series of profound moments where a woman said something that Stuart actually heard. He shifted and changed because in a moment, he really listened. This book is for broken people and the people who don't know how to hear them. If you're still reading, you're one of us.
Stuart Watson spent his first career earning a living by talking. His whole identity was wrapped up in being a Peabody-award-winning investigative reporter. Then he turned 55 and got fired. He began to doubt himself. He flirted with suicide. To escape such dark thoughts, he began a five-year odyssey conducting dozens and dozens of interviews for a podcast, a book, and a film. Increasingly, those interview subjects were women. But all too often, Stuart interrupted or "mansplained" or flat-out argued. It didn't work. So gradually he learned how to stop talking over women and really listen to them. The result is this book and a podcast called ManListening, in which Stuart elevates the stories of a diverse group of strong women who bounced back.
What She Said & What I Heard is a memoir told through a series of profound moments where a woman said something that Stuart actually heard. He shifted and changed because in a moment, he really listened. This book is for broken people and the people who don't know how to hear them. If you're still reading, you're one of us.
235 pages, Kindle Edition
Published October 5, 2020
10 people are currently reading
34 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
February 9, 2021
Meh. I wanted to like this book more, but basically it’s a memoir of the “alcohol and me” variety and not so much a “how to actively listen and why this is important” discourse. Felt like the book was part of the author’s personal therapy and a tool for sending readers to his website for the interviews he’s conducted with various women. While the videos there are interesting and insightful, I was wanting more from them in the book which, I guess, explains my disappointment.
That being said, his personal stories about life challenges are a good reminder that some folks have pain placed in their soul the minute they are born, so be sympathetic to their experience and be grateful if your days on earth follow a more tranquil path.
That being said, his personal stories about life challenges are a good reminder that some folks have pain placed in their soul the minute they are born, so be sympathetic to their experience and be grateful if your days on earth follow a more tranquil path.
June 3, 2021
Not at all what I expected from listening to his interview on the radio. This was memoir at best and self involved blather at least. Wish I hadn't purchased it.
October 16, 2022
Stuart Watson has a true gift with words- most Peabody Award and multiple Emmy award winning journalists do, but his voice is uniquely his. As is this story, uniquely his. I devoured this book in less than 24 hours- one short, funny, powerful chapter at a time. I’m inspired by his vulnerability, his humility and his desire to keep growing and learning. I recently met Stuart and was immediately captivated by him. I had no idea he had written a book. This book is for those who love variety, growth, struggle and triumph. I think there are many many part of Stuart’s life we can all relate to. He has reminded me, we each have a story to tell. We each have a voice and we each can hold space for others to tell their stories too.
November 15, 2020
This book is a series of short stories from different points in Stuart’s life. By the end of the book, it feels as though you’ve been taken along on a journey alongside him in discovering what shaped him into the person he’s become. At times funny, irreverent, and touching this was a fast read that I couldn’t put down.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews