God Never Blinks: 50 Lessons for Life's Little Detours [Hardcover]

Regina Brett (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 13, 2010

Already an internet phenomenon, these wise and insightful lessons by popular newspaper columnist and Pulitzer Prize finalist Regina Brett will make you see the possibilities in your life in a whole new way.

When Regina Brett turned 50, she wrote a column on the 50 lessons life had taught her. She reflected on all she had learned through becoming a single parent, looking for love in all the wrong places, working on her relationship with God, battling cancer and making peace with a difficult childhood. It became one of the most popular columns ever published in the newspaper, and since then the 50 lessons have been emailed to hundreds of thousands of people.
Brett now takes the 50 lessons and expounds on them in essays that are deeply personal. From "Don't take yourself too seriously-Nobody else does" to "Life isn't tied with a bow, but it's still a gift," these lessons will strike a chord with anyone who has ever gone through tough times--and haven't we all?

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

On turning 50, Cleveland Plain Dealer columnist Brett wrote her most popular piece ever, containing the cancer survivor and single mom's most important life lessons. Here she expands and expounds on that column, incorporating other essays penned over her 14 years as an opinion columnist, to make a rousing inspirational collection. Most of her pieces-dedicated to substantive but familiar ideas like "Overprepare, then go with the flow," "Stay put in the day you are in," and "God loves you because of who God is"-are short, sweet, and frequently resonant (if at times overly simple). Complimenting her own experience with anecdotes from friends and others, as well as poems, prayers, psalms and excerpts from treasured books, Brett employs a veteran writer's knack for keen observation and thorough self-knowledge, delivering hard-earned wisdom with deceptive ease.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Review

"Regina Brett's book, God Never Blinks, provides practical insights that can change the world."

--Deepak Chopra, Author, The Ultimate Happiness Prescription

"Regina Brett is a gifted observer of the experiences that shape who we are, and her lessons unfold with buoyancy, humor and a courageous honesty. She has given us a beautifully written roadmap for life."

-- Jeffrey Zaslow, coauthor of The Last Lecture

"I intend to give my 82-year-old dad a copy of God Never Blinks. I will also buy one for a 16-year-old friend. This wise, compassionate and honest book is a blueprint for living a happy, fulfilling life. Its lessons are timeless--and timely."

--Thrity Umrigar, author of The Space Between Us

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 256 pages
• Publisher: Grand Central Publishing; 1 edition (April 13, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0446556521
• ISBN-13: 978-0446556521
• Product Dimensions: 5.8 x 1 x 8.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (175 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #24,856 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

31 of 34 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Our troubled times need more books like this April 7, 2010

By L. C Glover VINE™ VOICE

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Vine™ Review (What's this?)

Summary:
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This is collection of life stories and observations by Regina Brett -- cancer survivor, columnist, single mother (not ex-single mother). She provides 50 good pieces of advice backed by actual life events to help make the point for the reader. Current trends in US society could benefit from the lessons in this book. Regina takes a spiritual view of life and self to help the reader have a more centered life.

The spiritual elements come from Christianity and eastern religions -- "zen meets do the right thing to help someone else". The book is strongly geared toward women.

Format:
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The format is 50 chapters each about 4 to 5 pages long. The chapters are self-contained mini-fables/stories based on real life events.

Writing:
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The writing is eloquent yet very approachable. She has a nice conversational tone; as if you were talking to a close friend.

Content:
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You will find at least 75% of the chapters helpful to you at any given time. Each time you are having doubts about something in life; you should take a look at the chapter titles to see what you are missing in life. I really liked "Don't audit life. Show up and make the msot of now" and "Breathe. It calms the mind". Everyone has different challenges on any given day; try to realize this and do the best you can by enjoying life and sharing it with loved ones.

The content is not super deep or innovative but it is accurate. A friendly reminder to not take everything so seriously and just enjoy life is a good thing...especially in these trying times.

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Simple is beautiful May 5, 2010

By Soar

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Vine™ Review (What's this?)

This book presents 50 life lessons that the author brings forth through experiences, revelations, and emotions. The writing is open, honest, and heartfelt. As I read through the book, I resonated with several of the stories, was touched by many, and did not (at this time) identify with some of the stories. My approach was reading one or maybe two lessons and setting the book down. My suggestion... read and absorb the experiences, take away what you need, and leave the rest.

The lessons are simple, very easy and digestible reading. I've seen some reviews scoff at the simplicity and complain about the lack of cookbook-like steps on how the readers should fix their life. This author does not presume to know how to fix someone else's life. She relates in a brutally open and honest fashion her experiences, her feelings, and what she took from them. We, you, all of us are so different, and so much the same... we hurt, we react, we need... so much. There isn't a book to fix that (well, for some the bible fills that space). This book, this experience is a sharing of life and, if you walk with this author through hers, perhaps you can take some of her insights and apply them into your life. It is that simple... and that beautiful.

Take away what you need, leave the rest.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars powerful! January 10, 2011

By jeanie

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

God Never Blinks is a wonderful book! I loved it so much, I bought copies for all the women in my life.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A Wonderful Way to Be Uplifted in Quick Snippets June 17, 2010

By Heather LaRee VINE™ VOICE

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Vine™ Review (What's this?)

Other reviewers have done a thorough job in offering details about this book. I appreciate this book also for the ease with which I can open it up and receive a nugget quickly. The Title is fabulous and I keep the book in eye's view to quickly remind me to re-set and re-connect with goodness. I continue to enjoy GOD NEVER BLINKS -- thank you, Regina, for sharing your world. Wishing you blessings.

20 of 29 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars Inspiration for the Tough Times, Good Times, and everything in between May 5, 2010

By Gregg Eldred VINE™ VOICE

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Vine™ Review (What's this?)

Author, newspaper columnist, radio personality Regina Brett has lived an interesting life; one of eleven children, "lost soul who drank too much at 16," unwed mother at 21, single parent for 18 years, college graduate at 30, bride at 40, diagnosed with breast cancer at 41. She's lived several lifetimes in fifty years. As a columnist for the Cleveland, Ohio, newspaper, when she turned 45, she wrote a column on the 45 lessons life taught her. As she turned 50, she added five more. The result is this book, God Never Blinks: 50 Lessons for Life's Little Detours.

Contents: Introduction; The Fifty Lessons; Author's Note; Acknowledgements; About the Author

Written in a very conversational tone, one that makes you think of the manner in which two very good friends converse, Regina Brett shares the lessons that life has taught her. Some are tender, others funny, some are "common sense," some are due to her faith, and others are due to being a cancer survivor. There are lessons in this book that can be applied to nearly everyone in a lot of situations. Credit issues? Lesson 5. Career issues? Lesson 20. Afraid of public speaking? Lesson 22. Fiftieth birthday staring you in the face? Lesson 36. Having trouble getting motivated? Lesson 46.

Many of the lessons are affirmations of Brett's faith. It seems appropriate, looking back on her life. However, as I am not a reader of her columns, it wasn't what I was expecting. Those chapters were a little heavy handed for my taste. Nonetheless, I can see how some could find peace, solace, and acceptance through some of her methods....

God Never Blinks: 50 Lessons for Life's Little Detours is not a book that I would normally read, I have Amazon Vine to thank for allowing me to experience something outside of my normal reading material. While there were lessons to which I could relate, for the most part I was uncomfortable with Brett's approach to her faith. Understandable, knowing the life she has lived, but not something I enjoyed reading. That said, this would be an excellent book as a Mother's Day gift, for a new graduate, for someone that needs a new lease on life or a better outlook. Brett has taken the time to share her lessons and those individuals could enjoy them and learn from her.

Disclosure:
Obtained from: Amazon Vine Review Program
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