The Noticer: Sometimes, all a person needs is a little perspective. (Hardcover)

~ (Author)
Key Phrases: Henry Wallace, George Washington Carver, Henry Warren (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Bestselling inspirational writer and speaker Andrews (The Traveler's Gift) again blends fiction, allegory and inspiration and seasons it with a dash of autobiography. The result is a readable little tale of a mysterious old man named Jones—just Jones, no mister—who shows up in the lives of people in crisis. Jones brings the gift of perspective—he notices alternative ways to think about things. Some of what he says is common sense: yes, sir works better than I guess. Some of what he says counters received wisdom: do sweat the small stuff, because little things can make a big difference as surely as brushstrokes make up a masterpiece. The narrator Andy is personable and appealing, and Jones is mysterious and brusque enough not to be a cloying Pollyanna. The title is awkward and not everyone likes motivational books, but many readers do. Andrews brings a track record, wordsmith skills and, best of all, an imagination. (Apr. 28)
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Product Description

A new story of common wisdom from the bestselling author of The Traveler's Gift.

Orange Beach, Alabama is a simple town filled with simple people.  But like all humans on the planet, the good folks of Orange Beach have their share of problems - marriages teetering on the brink of divorce, young adults giving up on life, business people on the verge of bankruptcy, as well as the many other obstacles that life seems to dish out to the masses.

Fortunately, when things look the darkest - a mysterious man named Jones has a miraculous way of showing up.  An elderly man with white hair, of indiscriminate age and race, wearing blue jeans, a white T-shirt and leather flip flops carrying a battered old suitcase, Jones is a unique soul.  Communicating what he calls "a little perspective," Jones explains that he has been given a gift of noticing things that others miss.  "Your time on this earth is a gift to be used wisely," he says.  "Don't squander your words or your thoughts. Consider even the simplest action you take, for your lives matter beyond measure…and they matter forever."

Jones speaks to that part in everyone that is yearning to understand why things happen and what we can do about it.

Like The Traveler's Gift, The Noticer is a unique narrative is a blend of fiction, allegory, and inspiration.  Gifted storyteller Andy Andrews helps us see how becoming a "noticer" just might change a person's life forever.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 176 pages
• Publisher: Thomas Nelson; 1 edition (April 28, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0785229213
• ISBN-13: 978-0785229216
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.7 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (594 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,085 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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  #37 in	Books > Health, Mind & Body > Self-Help > Personal Transformation
  #78 in	Books > Nonfiction > Education

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

75 of 80 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Don't wait until bedtime to start reading., April 23, 2009

By	Monty Rainey (New Braunfels, TX) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

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If you pick up this book titled THE NOTICER, by Andy Andrews, don't make the mistake I made. Don't wait until bedtime to start reading it. When I picked it up last night, I had every intention of simply reading the introduction and then turning out the light and calling it a day. Having read everything Andy Andrews has written, I knew it would be a good and just wanted to see what it was going to be about. Well, there is no introduction, so I thought I'd just read the first few pages to get a feel for it. I finished reading it around 1:30 this morning. Yes, it's that good.

Okay, it gets even better. Just past midnight, I even got up and ate a plum for a quick midnight snack and told myself, "Okay, you've got a busy day tomorrow. Go to sleep." I turned out the light and it took all of about 3 minutes before I turned it back on and opened the book again. I knew trying to fall asleep was a fruitless endeavor. I simply had to finish the book.

Andy Andrews is one of the finest writers (and public speakers) of our time. If you are not familiar with his work, this book would be a great place to start. For me, it may not have been quite as good as The Traveler's Gift, but that book has had such a profound effect on my life, I may be a little biased. I hope in time, this book will have an equally profound effect and in the few hours since I read it, I have thought about it's messages all day. Those messages are still sinking in and I will certainly read the book again this weekend before I decide who I want to share it with first.

I don't want to spoil the story for anyone, so I will only say the story revolves around a very influential old sage who touches so many lives by simply giving the people he encounters a new persective. When it all boils down to the basics, that's how simple it is in creating the determining factors of our lives. Whether we choose to be happy or miserable all revolves around our perspective.

One of the beauties of this book is that Andrew's deftly applies the "new perspective" principal to so many differing situations. You are sure to find more than a few examples of things that will relate to your own life. There's definately a message here for everyone.

Andy concludes this magnificent story with a Reader's Guide. A few pages of thought provoking questions that will help put it all together for you and would make for an extraordinary group discussion.

For me, personally, the story really helps reinforce my own personal mission - to inspire and empower people professionally, personally and spiritually to elevate their lives to a higher level. There's a little bit of "Jones" in all of us. Read the book and you'll understand exactely what I mean. I give this the highest recommendation possible.

28 of 30 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Inspiring, a must read!, April 27, 2009

By	Klauer54 (Louisiana, United States) - See all my reviews

His name was Jones. Not Mr. Jones, just Jones. If you had the opportunity to meet Jones, you would never forget him. He had a way of making a significant impact on your life. He always seemed to come around when you were at your lowest. Life was difficult and you were not sure how to keep going. But then you met Jones. He called himself a "noticer", because he noticed things that others overlooked. He noticed "things about situations and people that produce perspective. That's what most folks lack--perspective--a broader view".

Perspective--it's about how you look at things--how you look at life. That is what I learned from reading this book. No matter how bad things look, it was all about HOW I looked at things. "The Noticer" is an amazing story of how one man changed a community. He helped many people look at their lives differently. Jones helped Andy who was 23, homeless, and parentless. He helped Andy find perspective and it changed his life. Jones helped a couple find perspective which helped them save their marriage. He helped an older widow, who felt her life had been lived and was finished, find perspective that her life was just starting and that even she could make a huge impact in people's lives. Jones helped so many people. He touched many lives.

"The Noticer" by Andy Andrews is one of the best books I have ever read. The book could not have come at a better time for me to read, as I gained perspective. Amazing, inspirational, encouraging are just a few of the many words that could be used to describe this book. This is a book that I will read again and again. This is a book that EVERYONE should have and read.

45 of 58 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Little to Notice About The Noticer, April 28, 2009

By	Susan K. Stewart "www.blogsofbooks.com" (California) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I struggle with the right words to describe The Noticer by Andy Andrews from Thomas Nelson. Is it the beginning of a movement, or a good marketing plan? Is it a feel-good book, or a short story stretched to fill about 150 pages? Is it autobiographical, or just written to sound like it? I'm afraid the latter of each of these questions is my impression.

I like the idea behind The Noticer Project (www.thenoticerproject.com). Think of five people who have impacted your life and write a note of appreciation - on the website, of course. However, as I began reading the book, I began feeling the project was a marketing device for a lack-luster tale.

The story surrounds a man, named "Jones", not "Mr. Jones", who helps people change their perspective on their own lives. I kept looking for Jones to point these people to the others who influenced their lives. It wasn't there. Jones appears and disappears with regularity in the community. Each time to help someone out of a personal dilemma. Jones pointed each of them to their own lives and how to change. Not a bad thing, but not the concept I was expecting. In none of the encounters is any one thanked, except Jones.

The various vignettes of encounters with Jones reminded me of the 80s television show "The Highway to Heaven" starting Michael Landon. In fact, these short tales could have been story ideas for that program. Unlike "Heaven," where we knew that Landon's character was an angel, it is never explicit with Jones in The Noticer.

There are good principles to learn from the stories and from Jones' philosophies. There are also comments, such as "Deciding to fly away and actually flying away are two very different things," that are worthy of posting over a desk or on the refrigerator. A Reader's Guide is included at the end of the book for book discussions or personal reflections.

Although I enjoyed most of the little stories, it wasn't a page turner. I could have easily set the book aside and not gone back to it. Considering the marketing hype, I was disappointed with this book.