If...

If... #1

by Evelyn McFarlane, Saywell, James

In an elegant, two-color format, punctuated with intriguing drawings, If . . . poses hundreds of questions ranging from practical to maddening, moral to hilarious.

If you could spend one whole night alone with anyone in history, whom would you choose? If you could suddenly possess an extraordinary talent in one of the arts, which would you like it to be? If you could commit one crime without being caught, what crime would you commit? If your plane were about to crash and you had time to write one quick note, to whom would you write, and what would you say? If you could run any single company, institution, or organization in the world, which would you choose? These are but a few of the five hundred provocative queries from If . . . (Questions for the Game of Life).

If . . . can be a wonderful after-dinner parlor game; it can serve as an icebreaker between new acquaintances; it can even help you better understand yourself, your dreams and aspirations, and the mysteries of life. After the hours of inquisitive thoughts and revelations inspired by If . . . (Questions for the Game of Life), you'll wonder, “If I had never picked up this book, what would have happened to me?”

Genres: Nonfiction, Self Help, Philosophy, Inspirational, Religion, Relationships, Motivational

137 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 1995

Reviews

[Carol Hardesty]

It started out interesting enough. But as it went along, the questions kept seeming to repeat themselves. It wasn't quite the thought-provoking read I had hoped it would be. If anything, this book is a conversation piece.

[Lindsay]

This book had some creepy questions...... some i didn't want to think about and other that i knew the answers to right away without much thought.....this was an interesting read.

[Marilyn]

This will be absolutely Indispensible to any teacher of conversational English and a heck of a lot of fun at a dinner party too.

[Carmen Cerevisiae]

If you remove all the "who would you sleep with" questions, this is a good way to entertain kids on a long car ride.

[Krisi Kranz]

It started okay with questions, but then got kind of repetitive and some the questions were not good!

[Shaima Alhamedh]

* عنوان الكتاب: كتاب لو أسئلة للعبة الحياة
* اسم المؤلف: ايفيلين ماكفارلين و جيمس سايويل
* عدد الصفحات: 131 صفحة
* الناشر: مكتبة جرير
* سنة النشر: 2010

فكرة الكتاب تدور حول التفكير خارج الصندوق، تجعل الشخص يتفكر بما حوله ويضع نفسه في عدة أماكن وفي مختلف الازمنة بدءً من الماضي والحاضر والمستقبل.
الكتاب يحتوي على العديد من الأسئلة بعضها يحتوي على طابع ايجابي وبعضها سلبي، بعضها حقيقي وواقعي وبعضها خيالي.. فتتنوع الأسئلة ويتنوع الجواب في كل سؤال ليكتشف الشخص بعض خبايا عقله الباطن من ناحية وجانبه الابداعي من ناحية أخرى.
هناك بعض الأسئلة التي كنت أتمنى أن لا يتم طرحها بالتأكيد وخاصة الأسئلة المتعلقة بالجرائم لأنه شئنا أم أبينا يستوعب العقل هذه الأسئلة على أنها اقتراحات فتساهم بنشر الفساد بطريقة ربما تكون غير مقصودة.

[Charles]

Most of the questions that humans deal with on a daily basis are quite routine and don’t have major consequences. Those questions are not the content of this book. These questions are extremely difficult, based on unusual and at times what some would consider offensive premises. For example, on page 58 there is the question, “If you had to have one family member (besides your spouse) witness your next sexual act, who would you pick?”
Therefore, almost nothing is off limits in this collection of “If…” questions. Designed to be provocative in putting forward questions for discussion and comment, the authors have succeeded in achieving their goal.

[Marci Stone]

Going through old books and came across this one. I needed this book at a time in my life when I did not know the questions to ask or what my values were. It helped me to really think about life and what I wanted out of it. In some sense, this book helped me to have an opinion on issues of our times. Good read and it inspires great thinking.

[Kasey Wilson]

60% of questions are not great. 40% are ok.

[Jesus Armando]

good

[The Reading Countess]

Publisher's Summary: In an elegant, two-color format, punctuated with intriguing drawings, If . . . poses hundreds of questions ranging from practical to maddening, moral to hilarious--which, if read alone, inspire self-exploration; if shared, spark fascinating discussions at gatherings, dinner parties, or meetings.
************************************************************************
Dr. Teri Lesesne mentioned this book at a workshop I went to recently. This is the first in a series of IF books by authors who are fortunate enough to live in Tuscany. I think if I lived fulltime in historic Wine Country, the premise of this book would be easy to come up with...

This is a quick read (I read it within thirty minutes). I found myself tabbing every other page to use with my students. Some questions are simply not fit to pose to fifth graders either because they are of a sexual nature or are too provacative to pose to impressionable children:
"If you had to sleep with someone you despise in exchange for one thing, what is it that you would demand?" (p. 64)
"If you could bomb one building in the world without hurting any people, which would you blow up?" (p. 89)
But for the most part, there are wonderful questions in this book meant to spur discussion and get to know the people participating even better.
I can see IF being used in a myriad of ways at my school: as a writing prompt, as a talking point to encourage community building (our school uses TRIBES and we work in community circles often), or even as a faculty or team warm-up activity. The uses of IF are endless!

[Tapi Bachteler]

The book is definitely interesting. Its nothing like I have ever read. Instead of having a traditional story the book takes on a different approach. The whole contents of the book is questions. Generally most of them are easy to answer then you come across the one or two mind boggling ones. For example, "If you had to choose the single most valuable thing you ever learned what would it be?" The book is very straight forward and short containing only 129 pages.The book is the first of three. The reason I gave it two stars was because the book is a book of questions, there is no story or plot. However it is interesting to read the questions in a group setting and see how the answers vary. Over all it was interesting to read and respond too.

[Katherine]

It's a great ice breaker and it's so simple, I could have written it myself and made millions! I also recommend it to many parents at my school when they're stuck trying to figure out topics for their kids to write about. One great prompt is "If you were stuck on an island, what three things would you bring and why?." I also advice them to sit down and write with their children then share- that way, they're doing something fun together, they're sharing about each other and the kids are practicing their vocabulary and handwriting at the same time!

[Renee]

This is a BLAST! It's a great way to break the ice. Consider questions you never would have asked yourself, or others for that matter. I got this book from a very dear old friend, born in England, lived in Scotland, and nurtured us here in the states. My favorite thing to do is to sit around a campfire passing the book around and posing the question, "IF..."

[Robin]

This book would be a great party game. The questions throughout vary from ones you can answer quickly to ones that would really make you think. Either way, it'd be fun to use this with a group and get discussions going, as well as to see what your friends would say. Definitely could start a few interesting conversations.

[Debbie]

Whether you are attempting to strike up an interesting conversation with friends or using this book as a tool for introspective look at yourself, it is brilliantly done. The book (and subsequent editions are filled with challenging and intriguing questions to take you beyond the small talk of everyday life.

[Alyssa]

I've had this book in my collection for years and have absolutly loved it.

So many questions make for: a great converation starter, a great group question/answer book or a great road-trip book.

[Courtney Klein]

Overall a great way to start a conversation or get to know someone. There are some repetitive sounding questions though and some of the questions are a bit far stretched to be appropriate for many situations (sex/murder).

[TPK]

A little spicier (and less in-depth) than The Book of Questions, these would be great for a dinner party -- though a few questions, answered honestly, might possibly get you into trouble with your significant other.

[Victoria]

I used to use these "if" statements to start conversation in the classroom.

[Sarah]

this is a good one to take on road trips. we took it on our long drive to florida and the questions sparked some interesting conversations!

[angrykitty]

this is a great "what if" game book....duh. it's the title. these are more serious though and are not the "if you could do it with a golden girl..." type what ifs.

[Brian Sturtz]

A set of books that started my relationship with my wife while on RA staff at BGSU. Still on the shelf!

[Kevin]

If you were an insect, which one would you be. That sort of questions. Fun stuff. Icebreaker kind of questions.

[Adrian]

A Classic party game and way to get know people you think you know...

[Don Gubler]

Intriguing and revealing questions to ask yourself or others.

[Christina]

Lots of fun for dinner parties of any size or long tortuous car trips!

[Soul-jurney]

This is a wonderful thought provoking book for the whole family

[Camille]

This is my all time favorite book! It never gets old.

[Karen]

Overall a fun book to use to journal with.