Reviewer Fran Lewis:
Fran worked in the NYC Public Schools as the Reading and Writing
Staff Developer for over 36 years. She has three masters degrees and
a PD in Supervision and Administration. Currently. She is a member of
Who's Who of America's Teachers and Who's
Who of America's Executives from Cambridge. In addition,
she is the author of three children's books and a fourth Alzheimer’s
book is Memories are Precious: Alzheimer’s Journey: Ruth’s story
in honor of her mom. Fran
hopes to create more awareness for a cure of Alzheimer.
She
was also the musical director for shows in her school and ran the
school's newspaper. Fran writes reviews for authors upon request and
for several other sites. You can read some of my reviews on Ezine.com
and on ijustfinished under
the name Gabina.
Follow Here To Listen to Fran's Radio Show and Here
Author: Andy
Andrews
ISBN: 978-0-7852-2921-6
Publisher: Thomas
Nelson Publishers
Click Here To Purchase The Noticer: Sometimes, all a person needs is a little perspective.
Perspective has been
defined as a mental view or outlook. It is how you look at
things in your life from different viewpoints. Some people look at
things in a singular way through only one pair of glasses and see
things as being either black or white. There are those that choose to
look through multi-colored glasses and see many aspects of their
lives and situations through their own eyes and those of others
trying to understand and develop a broader viewpoint. Enter the
Noticer, Jones an older man who appears when someone needs help in
some way. The Noticer by Andy Andrews is a unique and thought
provoking novel that not only stimulates the mind of the reader but
forces us to look inside ourselves for the true meaning of what is
important in life.
As the story begins a younger Andy,
encounters this amazing older man under the Gulf State Park Pier
where he is living. Working odd jobs by cleaning boats and cleaning
fish and living day by day, Andy had no direction and few goals.
Enter, Jones appearing almost out of nowhere, and manages to convince
Andy to sit and listen and hear his words.
Jones
encouraged him to read many books about people whose lives were
touched with failure, romance, tragedy, intrigue and triumph and
more. Each person he read about helped him to understand that with a
positive attitude and perspective people will want to be around you
and good things will happen. With a negative attitude no one will
want you around and things will not fall into place the way you want
them to. It is all in your mental viewpoint: YOUR PERSPECTIVE! A
grateful perspective, the author states will bring happiness and much
more into your life
Throughout the novel we meet many
people whose lives Jones touches such as Barry and Jan Hansen. Two
people who belong to together but lost sight of what is important in
any relationship whether marriage or in their careers: Communication
is part of the answer. Through the wisdom of this amazing man he
allowed these two people to learn what was right there in front of
them and what they needed to do to change their perspective on
marriage and life. Jones states that there are four dialects that
everyone needs to understand in order to make any communication
between 2 people in any type of relationship work: Physical Contact,
Quality of Time, Favors and Deeds and Word of Approval. Explaining
the meaning of these four dialects helped these two people understand
what was missing in their relationship to make it work.
Next
we meet Walker, a man who feels his life is going nowhere and focuses
on being unhappy. After meeting with Jones he realizes that life
should not revolve around being unhappy and the things we cannot
control. If you worry about something you can do nothing about my dad
used to say, why worry you can’t change the outcome or control what
is going to occur. If you worry about something you can do something
about he would say, why worry. Control the situation and do something
about it. Jones imparted this and more to Walker who definitely had a
better perspective of life after meeting him.
I love
the way Jones describes relationships to the young people at the club
and friendships and marriage. It is refreshing to see that they
listened, questioned and determined whether what he was saying was
sound or not. As he described the reasons why people marry and stayed
together and how important in a relationship it is not to isolate
your mate from family and friends, the reader becomes enveloped in
his words and can hear them if you close your eyes and just listen.
“The ability to see into the future the consequences of your
choices in the present,” if only we would.
Why is it
that we often feel that when we get older we are no longer a vital
part of society? I guess that might be because of the ignorant people
that try and make us feel that are purpose in life is over you are no
longer needed on this planet. How untrue. Read what our Noticer tells
Willow Callaway and you will certainly change your understanding and
know how each of us as long as we are alive our job on this earth is
not done or as Jones says,
Choices we all make them.
Some are the right ones and others are not. Henry Warren learns the
difference between the meaning of the word choice and the definition
of a mistake. A man who treats his employees poorly and does not
listen to his wife or respect those landscaping jobs he has to
fulfill will soon learn a hard lesson in life. Does he learn and will
he change his ways? You will have to read what Jones tells him and
learn how whether he will change his perspective in life for his
family.
The story comes full circle at the end with
Jones and Andy revisiting where it all began and meeting a young man
named Jason. While Jones explains that he is a Noticer and that he
sees what others often overlook, we once again remember Andy and his
first meeting with this man and now joining Jones with Jason in his
hope to give him a new perspective.
What the people of
the town learn and what happens at the end you will have to read. I
think we all need a little of Jones and a lot of a better perspective
on life. From the seeds that he planted in the minds of those whose
lives he touched this book has taught me that positive thinking, a
smile and new perspective is what everyone needs. Thanks Andy and
where you are Jones: thank you too.
Click Here To Purchase The Noticer: Sometimes, all a person needs is a little perspective.