Review of The Noticer

Andy Andrew's latest self-help book tells the story of Jones an enigmatic old man who has the gift of noticing things in other people's lives. Based in small town America Jones, always seen with an old tan suitcase, transforms lives with his homely wisdom. With his gospel of perspective ( the lack of it is apparently the origin of all our problems !!!) he rescues marriages, lifts young men out of poverty, and generally makes everybody happy. A sort of an older version of Oprah with a suitcase. The book ends with Jones doing a disappearing act, leaving behind his suitcase and a letter inside urging his followers to carry on his good work.

My view of self-help books is that they are a waste of time, ink, and paper. Sadly the Noticer confirmed my opinion. Jones 'wisdom' is claptrap. Articulate, fine sounding, and almost persuasive, yes certainly, but claptrap nonetheless. On page 135 he informs us with the less than thrilling insight that the greatest success secret in existence is to be a person others like to be around. Wrong. People liked to be around Hitler in 1930s Germany but I don't think he has been judged to be a success. In chapter four another Jones gem comes in the form of his solution to worry. In the world according to Jones (or should that be Andrews) only 8 percent of our worries are legitimate concerns and thus we concentrate on dealing with those and hey presto all anxiety is gone. Hogwash. See how the Jones formula works with the guy sitting in a cold, dark, prison cell awaiting execution in a few hours time.

This book described by Nancy Lopez as "the best book I have ever read" (presumably she doesn't read much) is a collection of self-help strategies, none of which stand up to scrutiny. Do yourself a favour, give [...] and [...] a miss try out Moses, Solomon, David Paul, and Peter. They are in the Bible and they know what they are talking about, unlike Jones.