Be the Miracle: 50 Lessons for Making the Impossible Possible [Hardcover]

Regina Brett (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 6, 2012

Want to live your dreams--or even surpass them? Want the world to change for the better? Want to see a miracle? What are we waiting for? Why not be the miracle?

That's the challenge Regina Brett sets forth in BE THE MIRACLE. To be a miracle doesn't necessarily mean tackling problems across the globe. It means making a difference, believing change is possible, even in your own living room, cubicle, neighborhood, or family.

Through a collection of inspirational essays, Regina shares lessons that will help people make a difference in the world around them. The lessons come from Regina's life experience and from the lives of others, especially those she has met in her 24 years as a journalist. Each chapter is a lesson that can stand alone, but together they form a handbook for seeing the miracle of change everywhere.

With upbeat lessons from "Do Your Best and Forget the Rest" to "Sometimes It's Enough to Make One Person Happy," these lessons will help you accept and embrace yourself, challenge and change yourself, and better serve others.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Regina Brett has been a newspaper columnist for eighteen years, ten of them for Cleveland's Plain Dealer, where she was a finalist in 2008 and 2009 for the Pulitzer Prize in Commentary. Her last book, God Never Blinks, was a New York Times bestseller. Regina hosts her own call-in talk show, "The Regina Brett Show," on WKSU, the Northeast Ohio NPR affiliate. She speaks regularly to companies and not-for-profit organizations.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 288 pages
• Publisher: Grand Central Publishing; 1 edition (January 6, 2012)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 145550033X
• ISBN-13: 978-1455500338
• Product Dimensions: 5.8 x 1 x 8.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (36 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #48,510 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Please spend time with this book of miracles [RECOMMENDED] May 16, 2012

By Steve Proctor

Format:Hardcover

I bumped into Be the Miracle by accident. Intrigued by the great reviews of Regina Brett's other books, I decided to try it. And I'm glad I did. Like most general interest inspirational/advice books, you're not exactly going to learn something you didn't-on some level-already know. But as a journalist who traffics in human drama and a gifted storyteller, you'll hear life's lessons in a way that can touch you so you do know it a little better.

Take, for example, the book's opening lesson: Start Where You Are. We're immediately greeted with a great quote: "There's an old saying, `if you think you're too small to make a difference, think of a mosquito in a tent.'" She then goes on to relate how a clerk at a convenience store recognized a kidnapper and saved a little girl's life. Of course summarizing it like that sounds so hum drum, but not when in Brett's hands or I should say keyboard. She makes the story come alive, making the reading and lesson go down like candy.

I enjoyed spending time with her lessons, and bet you will too.

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Full of Inspiration January 27, 2012

By tdhtim

Format:Hardcover

I also stumbled onto this book by accident. It was a "sizzler" at my local library, and sounded interesting, so I picked it up. I'm only halfway through, but have LOVED reading it. Brett teaches important life lessons through personal experiences (which sends them "home" but doesn't feel preachy). Her "lessons" have truly helped change the way I look at my life and what I am capable of, and has generated a greater faith in humanity for me as a whole. I would recommend this book to absolutely everyone.

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Brett's writes about life, turning each short essay into a lesson to be both learned and shared. March 27, 2012

By Blaine Greenfield

Format:Hardcover

Regina Brett's GOD NEVER BLINKS was one of my favorite books from a few years ago . . . I just finished listening to her latest, BE THE MIRACLE: 50 LESSONS FOR MAKING THE IMPOSSIBLE POSSIBLE (Hachette Audio), which she also narrated . . . it has already been added to my list of 2012 favorites.

The author again writes about life, turning each short essay into a lesson to be both learned and shared . . . this time, many of them deal with cancer because Brett is now a cancer survivor.

In particular, I liked how she wrote about her own struggles with the disease, as well as about her bargains with God.

I also liked her observations about some things that might ordinarily be considered as mundane--but aren't really:

* I've never forgotten the day I was a ball of stress and stopped to pay for parking. In most parking lots, you pull up, the person takes your money, gives you change, and you pull away. Your eyes never meet and neither of you remembers the encounter.

This time the attendant looked me in the eye, greeted me, shook my hand, and gave me a blessing before I left.

He told me he loved his job and saw it as his ministry to bless people as they passed through his parking lot into the rest of their day. Where I saw a mere money collector, he saw a mission in life. He left me feeling renewed and calm.

We've all had moments like that. They happen when you are with people who know that everyone matters, that you don't have to make a lot of money to make a big difference, that you can simply start where you are and magnify the good.

In another chapter, Brett urges all to speak up for others, especially when
when they aren't present to speak up for themselves:

* Far too many of us remain silent.... Years ago I wrote an investigative story about a teenager in Rittman, Ohio, who had been arrested for killing his father. For years, Will Snyder had suffered constant abuse at the hands of his alcoholic dad, who also suffered from a serious untreated mental illness. Then one morning, on Jan. 21, 1996, the quiet 17-year-old who had never been in trouble picked up a baseball bat and killed his sleeping father. As soon as the news broke, a stream of neighbors and friends called the police on the boy's behalf. They told the police about all the times they had seen bruises on the boy.

Neighbors had seen Will's dad hit him so hard the boy fell to the ground. Friends had seen Will with black eyes, bruises and welts. After the police completed their investigation, 70 people had confirmed that Will had been battered for years by his dad. Will was convicted of manslaughter. The judge gave him five years probation. No one had spoken up until it was too late.

Graduation time will soon be coming. BE THE MIRACLE would be great gift idea to give any high school or college student. You'll enjoy it, too. Read more ›

9 of 12 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars LIFE-CHANGING, LIFE-AFFIRMING January 6, 2012

By Sue from Cincinnati

Format:Kindle Edition

I have no idea how many copies of Regina's first book I have purchased; I'd buy copies for friends, relatives and colleagues for special occasions or special needs. Regina's life-changing, life-affirming messages are the perfect gift. Can't wait to share her latest book, "Be the Miracle."

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Hard to put down March 25, 2012

By Philip Yeoh

Format:Hardcover

I purchased this book and Regina Brett's previous one, God Never Blinks. These two books have helped me so much after going through a bitter divorce. Her life lessons are each only a few pages long, and yet they reveal so much wisdom, insight, courage, and wit. These two books are never far from me--when a depressing moment comes up, all I have to do is refresh myself and thumb through either book. Sometimes, even just reading the header of each life lesson helps.

Very highly recommended. I look forward to your third volume, Regina!

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Really enjoyed this book! March 12, 2012

By Leah Orr

Format:Hardcover

makes you want to be a better person. Inspiring short chapter stories that make you want to run out and do something really special for someone else!

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars inspiration for living positively February 16, 2012

By Judy Loftus

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

Regina Brett has a wonderful approach to life. Her insight into the miracles of daily life is inspirational and helps readers to focus on the positives in their lives and challenges you to be positive in others lives as well.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Love reading Regina Brett books ! January 29, 2012

By Cathy

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

I loved reading Regina Brett when she was a columnist for the Akron Beacon Journal. I bought "Be The Miracle" after my husband bought me her first book, "God Never Blinks". These are the stories that give you Hope. These are the books that you read over and over and share with friends !! They are great easy reads !!! You'll love reading both of these books !! Enjoy !!!