Customer Reviews

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

5 star:		(73)
4 star:		(15)
3 star:		(9)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

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.

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
Payment: Free

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

This book is an awesome easy read. Author gives you 50 little lessons for life. I have given this book as a gift to many of my friends. Everyone of them has commented on how much they liked this book.

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.

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.

It was the title that caught my interest. It is a phrase I had never thought about, but I recognized the truth in it. The fifty lessos run a gamut. Some really spoke to me, some did not. That being said, I feel that all the lessons will be revelant at some time. Its not the lesson necessarily but where you are and what you need to make the message meaningful. This is a book to keep handy as a reference book.

Regina Brett is an award-winning columnist for the Cleveland Plain Dealer. The columns that comprise this book come from a series that she wrote after surviving cancer, but the inspirational lessons are applicable to everyone's daily life. Each chapter/column is brief and can be easily read and re-read whenever it's needed. The overall themes of are universal and not centered on any specific faith practice, although she does refer to her own Christian upbringing. Gratitude and appreciation along with not letting life get too heavy are the keys to many of the columns. Brought to life by the author's own life experiences, the lessons will stay with the reader.

Many other reviews have mentioned that the book skews heavily toward a female audience, but as a man, I respectfully disagree. I read Ms. Brett's columns each week and also found this book to be immensely interesting and inspirational.

Easy and entertaining to read, yet packed with a lot of common sense "why didn't I think of that" advice for living a more fulfilling day-to-day, I highly recommended this book for anyone who needs some uplifting (or knows someone else who does).

I'm a 21 year old male, and while some sections of the book deal with single mothers and 50 year old 'difficulties' I still learned a lot of valuable lessons. I believe that everybody should read this book. I sent a copy to my mother as a gift as well.

God Never Blinks: 50 Lessons for Life's Little Detours
I Could not put this gem of a book down. I ordered several copies for friends. What I found especially interesting is that I received the book as a gift from my niece, a young teacher. Since I am retired and approaching seventy, I am happy to report the universal appeal of an inspiring writer,Regina Brett.