Monday, April 11, 2011

"Reggie" by Reggie Dabbs with John Driver



"You can't change your past, but you can change your future." This quote is from the front cover of "Reggie" and is so true. Yet how many of us spend too much time dwelling on occurrences from the past instead of focusing on the future in front of us? Before reading this book, I had never heard of Reggie Dabbs. After reading his book I can understand why he is such a phenomenal motivational speaker.
The book isn't just a retelling of Reggie's life with a sad beginning and happy ending, it is an eventful ride which began with a birth mother who was a prostitute, asking a teacher, her only friend, to raise her son. The teacher and her husband adopted Reggie. It wasn't until second grade that Reggie realized his parents were not his birth family. Although raised in a loving home, Reggie struggled growing up with obstacles which made him question his self worth. It is through these struggles that he finds the transforming power of God's love. It is Reggie's faith in this love, how it changed his life and continues to help him evolve today that has made Reggie the motivational speaker that he is today. Reggie wants to share this message of God's love and that each day we have choices to make and it is how we respond to those choices that will determine our future.
"I don't have to know your name to know your pain...I have my own. I don't have to see your home to know your shame...I have my own. But someone loved me just the way I am, and someone loves you just the way you are." This is a poem hastily written by Reggie when he was sixteen and his English teacher gave him an assignment to write a poem. Now, this stanza is repeated by Reggie at speaking engagements around the world. The book is divided into ten chapters and at the end of each chapter, there are questions that can be used by the reader alone, in a group discussion or a book club. "Reggie" will inspire readers of all ages and I highly recommend this book.

You may find Reggie Dabbs by visiting his website, here.

A free copy of this book was provided to me by the publisher through BookSneeze Blogger in return for my unbiased

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