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What We Ask Google: A Surprisingly Hopeful History of Humankind
Ever wondered what goes through other people’s minds—their silly questions, their inner anxieties, hopes, and dreams?
In What We Ask Google, Simon Rogers explores insights from the world’s biggest an epic snapshot, two decades long and counting, of our collective brain. What it reveals about us might surprise you.
Every June, for instance, the world sees a spike in searches for “How to help a bee.” Reassuringly, people consistently want to know, “How often can you donate plasma?” And despite superficial differences (such as the deeply divided world map of cat people vs. dog people), humanity has a lot more in common than we often acknowledge. After all, everywhere around the world, it’s two a.m. when parents want to know how to get their baby to sleep.
Brimming with insights that vary from the playful to the profound, What We Ask Google delves into the momentous and the mundane secrets of what we ask when we get the chance to ask anything, offering a surprisingly hopeful picture of humankind.
In What We Ask Google, Simon Rogers explores insights from the world’s biggest an epic snapshot, two decades long and counting, of our collective brain. What it reveals about us might surprise you.
Every June, for instance, the world sees a spike in searches for “How to help a bee.” Reassuringly, people consistently want to know, “How often can you donate plasma?” And despite superficial differences (such as the deeply divided world map of cat people vs. dog people), humanity has a lot more in common than we often acknowledge. After all, everywhere around the world, it’s two a.m. when parents want to know how to get their baby to sleep.
Brimming with insights that vary from the playful to the profound, What We Ask Google delves into the momentous and the mundane secrets of what we ask when we get the chance to ask anything, offering a surprisingly hopeful picture of humankind.
- GenresNonfiction
288 pages, Hardcover
Published May 5, 2026
2 people are currently reading
3838 people want to read
About the author
Simon Rogers
45 books19 followersSimon Rogers is the founding editor of the Guardian’s Datablog and has won numerous awards for his work, including a Royal Statistical Society’s award of excellence in 2012.
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
If Google search data tells us anything, it’s that none of us know how long to boil an egg, and most of us need help sounding professional on demand.
In What We Ask Google: A Surprisingly Hopeful History of Humankind, Simon Rogers uses aggregated Google search data to map patterns in what people around the world are curious about, from everyday questions to more private, sometimes uncomfortable concerns.
The writing is accessible, and many readers will likely find satisfaction in the broad patterns the book reveals. There is something genuinely compelling about seeing our collective curiosity reflected back at us. These are the quiet, unfiltered questions we ask when no one is watching.
And that’s exactly where the book lost me.
Rogers makes it clear early on that he is not commenting on the content of the internet or questioning whether it is good or bad. He does not engage with those debates; it is not his goal. Even so, that absence stands out, particularly given Rogers’s position and proximity to this kind of data.
When you’re working with aggregated data drawn from people’s search activity, there is a widespread expectation that those queries remain private. The book treats that data as a shared resource for understanding human behavior, but that framing glosses over how complex those questions of use and ownership are. Even when anonymized and used to identify patterns, seeing those queries repurposed into a broader narrative raises questions the book chooses not to address. A brief acknowledgment of how this data is collected, aggregated, and de-identified, along with some reflection on the responsibility that comes with access to it, would have gone a long way.
The result is a book that draws meaning from data that many users do not fully understand is being collected or repurposed, while sidestepping the discomfort that reality creates. For readers who are already uneasy about privacy and data collection, that absence is hard to ignore.
Readers interested in data storytelling may still find value here. I found myself more distracted by what wasn’t said than engaged with what was.
Rating: 2 stars
In What We Ask Google: A Surprisingly Hopeful History of Humankind, Simon Rogers uses aggregated Google search data to map patterns in what people around the world are curious about, from everyday questions to more private, sometimes uncomfortable concerns.
The writing is accessible, and many readers will likely find satisfaction in the broad patterns the book reveals. There is something genuinely compelling about seeing our collective curiosity reflected back at us. These are the quiet, unfiltered questions we ask when no one is watching.
And that’s exactly where the book lost me.
Rogers makes it clear early on that he is not commenting on the content of the internet or questioning whether it is good or bad. He does not engage with those debates; it is not his goal. Even so, that absence stands out, particularly given Rogers’s position and proximity to this kind of data.
When you’re working with aggregated data drawn from people’s search activity, there is a widespread expectation that those queries remain private. The book treats that data as a shared resource for understanding human behavior, but that framing glosses over how complex those questions of use and ownership are. Even when anonymized and used to identify patterns, seeing those queries repurposed into a broader narrative raises questions the book chooses not to address. A brief acknowledgment of how this data is collected, aggregated, and de-identified, along with some reflection on the responsibility that comes with access to it, would have gone a long way.
The result is a book that draws meaning from data that many users do not fully understand is being collected or repurposed, while sidestepping the discomfort that reality creates. For readers who are already uneasy about privacy and data collection, that absence is hard to ignore.
Readers interested in data storytelling may still find value here. I found myself more distracted by what wasn’t said than engaged with what was.
Rating: 2 stars
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
ARC for review. To be published May 5, 2026.
4 stars
If you love lists and data like I do you’ll probably find this fascinating. Google Trends compiles information on what people from all over the world search for on Google and Rogers, who heads up the department, gives us some snapshots of the information.
He divides it into relevant chapters like “animals” and “grief” and I found it so very intriguing…I could have pored over double the amount of lists. Roger’s also points out that, to him, it’s very hopeful; he notes that when natural disasters occur people are always searching for ways to help (though he also is very happy that people are always seeking to donate plasma I hate to burst his bubble, but does he not know that people get paid for that, and that’s why people are searching for that versus donating blood? Sweet summer child Simon!). It’s a short book and a fun way to spend some time.
4 stars
If you love lists and data like I do you’ll probably find this fascinating. Google Trends compiles information on what people from all over the world search for on Google and Rogers, who heads up the department, gives us some snapshots of the information.
He divides it into relevant chapters like “animals” and “grief” and I found it so very intriguing…I could have pored over double the amount of lists. Roger’s also points out that, to him, it’s very hopeful; he notes that when natural disasters occur people are always searching for ways to help (though he also is very happy that people are always seeking to donate plasma I hate to burst his bubble, but does he not know that people get paid for that, and that’s why people are searching for that versus donating blood? Sweet summer child Simon!). It’s a short book and a fun way to spend some time.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
I had heard that Google searches are the only place on the internet where people actually tell the truth and was interested in getting the nitty gritty. What I got was a little bit less salacious and a little more heartwarming. I hadn't noticed the subtitle before I read it, but after finishing, I told a friend how it gave me the warm fuzzies and it was surprisingly hopeful. And then came here only to notice, guess what, that was the point!
The book is divided into different popular search topics: love, health, end of life, manners, etc. The main thesis running throughout is that our Google searches reveal that the citizens of the world are more alike than different and that we are more likely to search for positive ways to interact with others. It's not that we didn't know all this, but it sure is nice in these turbulent times to be reminded of it!
Thanks to Dutton, via NetGalley, for the ARC!
The book is divided into different popular search topics: love, health, end of life, manners, etc. The main thesis running throughout is that our Google searches reveal that the citizens of the world are more alike than different and that we are more likely to search for positive ways to interact with others. It's not that we didn't know all this, but it sure is nice in these turbulent times to be reminded of it!
Thanks to Dutton, via NetGalley, for the ARC!
Review of advance copy
Rating: 3,5
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews