From Academy Award–winning actress and bestselling author Shirley MacLaine, a collection of imaginative ruminations: “Fun and thoughtful by turns and told in MacLaine’s feisty, funny voice, this should appeal to fans and doubters alike” (Booklist).

Beloved actress and bestselling author Shirley MacLaine contemplates everything from the everyday to the esoteric in this collection of ideas and observations, each of which begins with two simple, powerful words: What if?

Taking this as her starting point, Shirley explores a wide range of matters—spiritual and secular, humorous and profound, earthbound and intergalactic, personal and universal. Along the way, she also reflects on joining the cast of Downton Abbey, receiving the prestigious American Film Institute Lifetime Achievement Award, and introducing a new puppy into her formerly one-dog home.

From Shirley’s questions emerges a striking portrait of a constantly curious woman who thrills to new ideas and discoveries—all while enjoying one of the most extraordinary and enduring careers in Hollywood. What if . . . captures the one and only Shirley MacLaine at her witty, acerbic, imaginative, and irresistible best.