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“Each vignette, whether it’s about his childhood as an adopted child, finding his birth mother, meeting the love of his life, his college days, being an alcoholic, his love for his family, or being fired is told with such an infectious sense of authenticity and vulnerability which kept me captivated and wanting more.”

– Amazon reviewer

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“Stuart Watson does a rare thing in this book: He takes an honest look at his own flaws and mistakes, especially around women. He comes out the other side bruised but smarter. Most of us could benefit from this kind of self-examination. Stuart shows us how.”

— Tommy Tomlinson, author of The Elephant In The Room

“A little bit Harper Lee…reminds me of David Sedaris… you can feel the influence of Gonzo journalism.”
— Colleague/Network TV Correspondent

“We all bloom when we are heard. Stuart gets it.”
—Anne Heffron, author of You Don’t Look Adopted (2020)

“At times funny, irreverent, and touching – this was a fast read that I couldn’t put down. His stories were told in such a way that I could imagine he was telling them to me in person”.

– Amazon reviewer

“Brilliantly written.”
– Cheryl Brayboy, WBTV

What She Said & What I Heard

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 of interviews, mostly with women, to learn about their lives and his.  They included his birth mother, his wife and daughters, friends, therapists and other strong women.
All too often Stuart interrupted, “mansplained” or flat out argued. He had to learn how to stop talking over women and really listen to them.
What She Said & What I Heard is the result.  It’s a rollicking memoir told in stories, each revealing a profound moment in which a woman said something that Stuart actually heard. With photos plus links to audio and video, every chapter is an immersive experience.
Stuart is a true Southern storyteller and journalist, combining the narrative skills of a fiction writer with the dogged research of a career investigative reporter.  His distinctive voice carries you along for the ride as he shares unforgettable tales about growing up an adoptee in small town Georgia.  About unraveling how to live as a recovering alcoholic whose father died alone with three bottles of Smirnoff.  About learning from a 40-year marriage and getting schooled about women by his three daughters (and sometimes his son, too).