What if? That’s the question that Shirley MacLaine centers her new book, What If… A Lifetime of Questions, Speculations, Reasonable Guesses, and a Few Things I Know for Sure, on. MacLaine questions every element in one’s life. Marriage, greed, the government, gratitude, inspiration, anger, war, love – MacLaine provides an answer.

“I just love to ask questions about everything,” said MacLaine. “As Jack Nicholson says I’m a question machine.”

What If…A Lifetime of Questions, Speculations, Reasonable Guesses, and a Few Things I Know For Sure is the thirteenth book for the New York Times best-selling author. If you’ve ever wondered why marriage exists, why we like objects or questioned aspects of life – then this book is for you. MacLaine provides the necessary comic relief, throughout the book, that will help you cope with the truth while accepting the reality of many institutions that are within life.

“Belief in humor is everything to me. I think humor is what makes the gods laugh,” said MacLaine. She believes if you can’t laugh or see the humor in life, then you will miss out on the best of everything. MacLaine says that the one “what-if” that she finds the most interesting are the questions that lie behind our origins as beings. “Our sense of time encompasses everything,” said MacLaine.

MacLaine believes that the world is obsessed with institutions and the statue that you’re expected to hold everything to. “There’s not a ground for jokes anymore. I think people are dealing with their spiritual questions,” said MacLaine. However, this is why books like MacLaine’s are so important to read; not only will you gain a different life perspective but you will also be challenged to question your own beliefs and values.

In her book MacLaine says, “What if cynicism, by being entertaining, insults us from the cruelty of the truth? I say always be aware of the rats who are setting up shop in the basement even as you do your best to recognize and appreciate all the good things around and above you.” While many will find this statement hilarious, the truth embedded within her words will leave you in constant question.

What If is more than just a book of Q and A’s; it’s a book that will provide you with the dose of humor that is necessary in anyone’s everyday life. The legendary MacLaine will leave you laughing out loud while scratching your head with questions.