Monday, April 27, 2009

The Noticer by Andy Andrews

Andy Andrews new book "The Noticer" is a work of love from his very personal life experiences. Orange Beach, Alabama is a simple town but the impact of one person on the whole citizenship is amazing. We keep hearing that one person can make a difference, but Andrews actually put it in perspective so we can actually see how it can be put into practice.

The central character in the book is a man named Jones, just Jones, no mister or sir. He has an uncanny knack of meeting people at the just right time for just the right purpose, when they need a friend. That's someone we could all use from time-to-time.

We are introduced to several people along the way:

There is the Wayward, the Lover Lost, the Worrier, the Lustful Youth, the Workaholic, and the Useless.

Each of us can find ourselves in the book at any given point. Perhaps we can find portions of our life in several instances as we move along the highway of life. But the object is to not just see ourselves but to see how we have overcome, to recognize the needs of other people to whom we can speak and encourage through our own experiences and residual knowledge.


For those of us who have lived a pretty lengthy life and experienced many things, it is a great look at where we may have been, where some of our friends currently are, and a perspective on how we can do friendly intervention. Younger adults and teens can glean some interesting points inside of a really easy to read and entertaining book.


One of the parts I really enjoyed are the pages of questions at the end where we can do a personal review, or even use it in a group sifting through the characteristics. Being a recovered workaholic, I saw so much of my life, do-do-do and do-it-now. But it all starts with Andy, the Wayward Youth whose parents have passed on, or as he describes it, they died. What an interesting point of discussion--have things in your life died or passed on? I had to do some real introspection on that question.


But the central character, Jones, explains that he has what is called "a little perspective," a gift of noticing things that others miss. In this simple interactions, Jones speaks to that part in everyone that is yearning to understand why things happen and what they can do about it. The Noticer is based on a remarkable true story that is beautifully blended with fiction, allegory, and inspiration.

Words help us define us. In the bullet point list above do you identify with any of the points that are woven within the story of this delightful book?


I hope you will be encouraged to read The Noticer, and then become one yourself. We all win when others take notice, can speak encouragement to us, and take a genuine interest. Perhaps the way society has become cold and uninteresting to so many is because people have stopped caring, sharing and just taking notice of their surroundings.


Author Bio:

Andy Andrews, hailed by a New York Times reporter as someone who has "quietly become one of the most influential people in America," is a best-selling novelist and in-demand corporate speaker for the world's largest organizations. He has spoken at the request of four different U. S. Presidents and at military bases world-wide. Andy is also the author of The Traveler's Gift, The Lost Choice, Island of Saints and Return to Sawyerton Springs. He lives in Orange Beach, Alabama, with his wife Polly and their two sons.


Product Information:

ISBN: 0785229213
ISBN-13: 9780785229216

Available on Amazon.com

5 comments:

smithsk said...

Thanks for the post, Susan. I've been hearing all lot of buzz about this book on Twitter and Blogs. Now, I have a better idea what it is about.
The other Susan

Anonymous said...

Susan, I wanted to check out your review because I noticed on the Book Review Blogger site it had two stars out of five. I was surprised at how positive the review was. Was the rating a mistake? Fine either way, I was just curious.

Susan Storm Smith said...

Thanks Lindsey for the shout out regarding the blogger stars, no I had clicked on 4. I'll go back and check/change. Thanks for stopping by.

Anonymous said...

Thanks for reviewing. I loved reading your thoughts on The Noticer.

Today's Christian Mom~ said...

It's on my list! I have an award for you!