Pasadena, CA ≠ Columbia Heights, DC
A little bit about the area (thanks to Rose Berger, an associate editor at Sojourners):
- The population of Columbia Heights is ethnically predominantly black, with large Salvadoran, Ethiopian and Vietnamese contingents.
- In 2007, the population distribution of D.C. in general was 55.6% black, 36.3% white, 8.3% Hispanic (of any race), 5% other, and 3.1% Asian.
- Also in 2007, violent crime in D.C. was more than three times the national average, with the larger Columbia Heights area being one of the top three areas in the city for violent crime.
- About 33% of D.C. residents are functionally illiterate, compared to the national average of 20%.
Also, this may be the first place I've lived where the police drive around with their lights on, just so people know they're there.
The Noticer: Review
At the start of the book, young Andy is homeless and hopeless. But an encounter with a mysterious old man by the name of Jones changes all that as Jones shows Andy a different way of looking at life, a way of noticing, that will forever change his perspective and through this, his life. And as Andy’s life changes, he begins to realize that his is not the only life that has been impacted by this enigmatic character.
At first I wasn’t too sure about the story: there seemed to be too many opportunities for it to descend into being tacky and overly-preachy, as an unfortunately high number of Christian fiction books have shown. But as I got more into the book, I was pleased with Andy Andrews’ light touch, and the way he effortlessly weaved biblical truths and good spiritual lessons into the narrative.
On the whole, I enjoyed the book. It was a good, pretty well-written novel that reminds us that our perspective impacts the way we live, and by implication, that God’s perspective should also impact the way we live.