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The Seventeen Second Miracle
From the New York Times bestselling author of The Wednesday Letters and The Cross Gardener, a story of small kindnesses-and life-changing miracles. Seventeen seconds can change a life forever. This is what Rex Connor learned on a gorgeous summer afternoon in 1970 when, as a lifeguard, he diverted his gaze for seventeen seconds and tragedy occurred. Forty years later the waves of that day still ripple through the lives of countless people, including his son, Cole. Cole Connor has become a patient teacher, and now he has invited three struggling teenagers to visit him on his front porch to learn about Rex Connor—and the Seventeen Second Miracle. Together they will learn how Rex Connor could have allowed seventeen seconds to destroy him, but instead he chose to live every day believing the smallest of acts could change the world for good. And the students, each with their own secrets and private pains, will begin to understand that even tragedy brings lessons. Even pain brings comfort. Even death brings miracles. A seventeen second miracle can change a life—if you let it.
275 pages, Kindle Edition
First published September 28, 2010
47 people are currently reading
1750 people want to read
About the author
Jason F. Wright
58 books592 followersJason Wright is a New York Times, Wall Street Journal and USA Today bestselling author.
Jason also writes an occasional column which has appeared in over 100 newspapers, magazines and web sites across the United States including The Washington Times, The Chicago Tribune, The Deseret News, Forbes, CNN, FoxNews, and others.
Jason is also a popular speaker who speaks on the miracle of opening doors, faith, failure, the Christmas Jars movement, the lost art of letter writing, and many other topics. He has been seen on CNN, FoxNews, C-SPAN, and on local television stations around the country.
Each year Jason visits schools across the country and presents assemblies and writing workshops to students at all ages.
Jason grew up in Charlottesville, Virginia, but has also lived in Germany, Illinois, Brazil, Oregon and Utah. In 2007, while researching Virginia’s Shenandoah Valley for his novel The Wednesday Letters, Jason fell so in love with the area that he moved his family westward from northern Virginia to Woodstock.
Jason is married to Kodi Erekson Wright. They have two girls and two boys they love, and two grandchildren they love even more.
Jason also writes an occasional column which has appeared in over 100 newspapers, magazines and web sites across the United States including The Washington Times, The Chicago Tribune, The Deseret News, Forbes, CNN, FoxNews, and others.
Jason is also a popular speaker who speaks on the miracle of opening doors, faith, failure, the Christmas Jars movement, the lost art of letter writing, and many other topics. He has been seen on CNN, FoxNews, C-SPAN, and on local television stations around the country.
Each year Jason visits schools across the country and presents assemblies and writing workshops to students at all ages.
Jason grew up in Charlottesville, Virginia, but has also lived in Germany, Illinois, Brazil, Oregon and Utah. In 2007, while researching Virginia’s Shenandoah Valley for his novel The Wednesday Letters, Jason fell so in love with the area that he moved his family westward from northern Virginia to Woodstock.
Jason is married to Kodi Erekson Wright. They have two girls and two boys they love, and two grandchildren they love even more.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 501 reviews
January 5, 2011
I feel like a jerk saying that I didn't much like this book, but I have to be honest. I have read The Wednesday Letters and Christmas Jars by Wright and enjoyed them very much, so I was excited to get Seventeen Second Miracle. I was certain I was going to love it. I was shocked when I didn't - I had to force myself to finish it.
It's not that the story itself or the idea of the seventeen second miracle is bad - I think reminding people to notice others' needs and offer help and kindnesses in all kinds of circumstances is great. But I was turned off by a main character who was gooey and syrupy to excess ... a little goes a long way, and I found the "hero" and founder of it all, to be unbelievably perfect. It annoyed me - a miracle or doing nothing but good every single day, sometimes at the expense of his family. I get it - I should give more and take less. But sometimes, people get grumpy. They argue. Sometimes, it's understandable that a kid will be disappointed because his dad pushes his son's plans to the bottom of the pile because there was someone else in need. There was always someone in need, and the wise sayings and advice never stopped flowing from the always kind, always patient dad who just couldn't understand why a 6th-grader might be upset that Dad couldn't find a way to compromise and help someone while also doing something nice for his son.
It's not that the story itself or the idea of the seventeen second miracle is bad - I think reminding people to notice others' needs and offer help and kindnesses in all kinds of circumstances is great. But I was turned off by a main character who was gooey and syrupy to excess ... a little goes a long way, and I found the "hero" and founder of it all, to be unbelievably perfect. It annoyed me - a miracle or doing nothing but good every single day, sometimes at the expense of his family. I get it - I should give more and take less. But sometimes, people get grumpy. They argue. Sometimes, it's understandable that a kid will be disappointed because his dad pushes his son's plans to the bottom of the pile because there was someone else in need. There was always someone in need, and the wise sayings and advice never stopped flowing from the always kind, always patient dad who just couldn't understand why a 6th-grader might be upset that Dad couldn't find a way to compromise and help someone while also doing something nice for his son.
February 16, 2011
A "miracle" is defined as an extraordinary event in the physical world that surpasses all known human or natural powers. The Seventeen Second Miracle, by Jason F. Wright, is a story about tragedy, forgiveness, hope, love, healing....and miracles. The theme of this book is that it only takes a few seconds to change another person's life....for the good or for the bad.
The title of the book refers to the 17 seconds it took for a young girl to drown. Seventeen year old Rex Conner was swimming with his girlfriend "Sparks" and her sister "Flick" on Flick's 8th birthday. Flicks mother left Rex responsible for watching the young girl while she played in the water. When Rex turns his attention away for only those few seconds the girl drowns. He tries to revive her but to no avail and the mother holds him responsible.
Rex was overcome with grief and guilt. He gradually started noticing others and their needs. He started doing small acts of random kindness. He also noticed nice things that others did for him. When he shared this with Sparks she told him to write these things down in a daily journal. He would let Sparks read his journal regularly. Then Sparks started her own journal, writing down all that Rex was doing to help others, his "Seventeen Second Miracles".
Rex passed his journals and his legacy of doing good down to his son, Cole. Cole's father taught him that "love is a verb" and that "doing good" is not the same as being a "do good" person who has self-centered motives. Cole led a "Seventeen Second Miracle Discussion Group" with high school students that were hand-picked by the school principal. You see, the principal had been profoundly touched by one of Rex Conner's "seventeen second miracles" when he was a young man.
Miracles are all around us if we open our eyes and our hearts to see them. It might take 17 seconds or five hours to reach out and make a difference in another life. Love is a verb and the time spent doing good is not wasted.
The title of the book refers to the 17 seconds it took for a young girl to drown. Seventeen year old Rex Conner was swimming with his girlfriend "Sparks" and her sister "Flick" on Flick's 8th birthday. Flicks mother left Rex responsible for watching the young girl while she played in the water. When Rex turns his attention away for only those few seconds the girl drowns. He tries to revive her but to no avail and the mother holds him responsible.
Rex was overcome with grief and guilt. He gradually started noticing others and their needs. He started doing small acts of random kindness. He also noticed nice things that others did for him. When he shared this with Sparks she told him to write these things down in a daily journal. He would let Sparks read his journal regularly. Then Sparks started her own journal, writing down all that Rex was doing to help others, his "Seventeen Second Miracles".
Rex passed his journals and his legacy of doing good down to his son, Cole. Cole's father taught him that "love is a verb" and that "doing good" is not the same as being a "do good" person who has self-centered motives. Cole led a "Seventeen Second Miracle Discussion Group" with high school students that were hand-picked by the school principal. You see, the principal had been profoundly touched by one of Rex Conner's "seventeen second miracles" when he was a young man.
Miracles are all around us if we open our eyes and our hearts to see them. It might take 17 seconds or five hours to reach out and make a difference in another life. Love is a verb and the time spent doing good is not wasted.
June 1, 2020
I liked the story, but I wasn't wowed. The message was good - take time and do things for people just because, and you might impact them in a big way.
The story felt a little slow though, like he was trying a little too hard to build anticipation for learning what the 17 second miracle was.
I also felt it was a bit over the top. The way Cole tells it, Rex did nothing but spend every second of the day happening upon people in need and rescuing them. Granted, he would be likely to talk about the highlights to his discussion group, but he just seemed a little too perfect. Also, making your kid a low priority for your personal mission in life is not a good thing to do, no matter how much good you do for strangers.
Overall, it was good, but there was really never a time when it was difficult to put down to resume later.
The story felt a little slow though, like he was trying a little too hard to build anticipation for learning what the 17 second miracle was.
I also felt it was a bit over the top. The way Cole tells it, Rex did nothing but spend every second of the day happening upon people in need and rescuing them. Granted, he would be likely to talk about the highlights to his discussion group, but he just seemed a little too perfect. Also, making your kid a low priority for your personal mission in life is not a good thing to do, no matter how much good you do for strangers.
Overall, it was good, but there was really never a time when it was difficult to put down to resume later.
March 17, 2023
It was a great story but the writing did not engage me as well as I wished.
June 17, 2011
I don't know if the writing of this book is brilliant but I think the message of it is brilliant. It takes only 17 seconds to change a persons life either for good or for bad. Something can happen in a split 17 seconds and it will alter your life. What you do with it is up to you. Take 17 seconds a day to make someone elses day better....... hold the door, smile at them, compliment them......... and in doing so, will make your own day better.
June 23, 2018
The theme of this book is that it only takes a few seconds to change another person's life....for the good or for the bad. I liked this book but it was a little over the top cheesy...like a good Hallmark Movie. But I loved the idea of thinking about how to help others everyday, anything from a simple smile to something big.
December 24, 2018
3 stars, rounded up from 2.5. I felt like I had eaten an entire bottle of strawberry jam with a spoon after finishing this meaningful and special book. Blick.
June 8, 2017
I absolutely loved this book. It was very uplifting and left me feeling positive and hopeful. Each and every time I started to read a page I found myself not wanting to put it down.
February 21, 2020
I loved this book. It shows what a difference we can make in someones life in a very short time.
November 24, 2023
Sweet but a little simplistic.
June 13, 2025
This was objectively cheesy but also so sweet and such an easy read.
June 12, 2020
I love this book! I hope to always perform a miracle for others daily!
January 28, 2015
So now I've read two of Jason F. Wright's books on the recommendation of my sister-in-law, and I hope to never pick up another one again! Before this, I read The Wednesday Letters. I rated it a 0, but had to go with a 1. The Seventeen Second Miracle didn't irritate me as much, so I'm being generous and giving it a 1.
Wright's writing is really sappy. He should be writing for the Hallmark Channel. First part of the story was really slow and boring. It finally picked up, and then I got to the anti climax and I couldn't believe it. It left me very disappointed and thinking, "Is this it? And so what?" Thanks goodness, it's a fast read, a no brainer, that is, if you can get though it.
There's a good message for the theme of the story, but I think it's really unrealistic to do acts of kindness every. single. day. of. your. life. I feel most people do, and it could be as simple as holding the door open for the person behind us, or letting the person at the four way stop sign who got there at the same time you did, go ahead of you. But I certainly don't agree with putting strangers ahead of our loved ones, and I don't necessarily feel we shouldn't have to look for it like Rex and Cole did in the story. I feel it should come naturally. This might seem harsh, but I'm too realistic to think that after someone reads this novel, that they will be fulfilling this message for the rest of their lives. Possibly for the first few days, or a couple of weeks after, but life will get in the way, and like everything else that doesn't come naturally to our human nature and routines, it will be long forgotten, and on the back burner before long. When Rex puts a perfect stranger ahead of his son, I feel that situation could had been handled better. Cole ended up missing a Halloween costume party, and being in middle school that is very important to a teenager, even if Rex didn't feel so. I feel Rex and Cole put others ahead of their family. We shouldn't be sacrificing our time with our family ahead of strangers. Another perfect example of my point is when Jade tells Cole on their honeymoon that he needs to put her first over strangers. Cole's thoughts, "The words cut me then; in fact, they still cut me now. Just as the dispute was ridiculous then and is certainly ridiculous now." Really Cole? I mean Wright? Wifey should always be first over strangers.
Things that bothered me with Wright's fluffy writing. Early on in the book, Rex is thinking back to Flick's birthday party, "Rex remembered Flick wanting to save the gifts until the end. Not because it was the most exciting thing about the party or the best part of the day, but because it was the least important. What mattered most was having friends there, having family around." Gag me please! This is a 8 year old child, of course, it's about the presents! This is an adult's point of view, not a child's!
Kinda hard for me to believe that teenagers would be excited about pocket watches for their reward. Kids today don't even wear watches. They check the time on their cell phones.
The three teenagers' personalities and family life were very predictable and non imaginative.
It made no sense to me how Jade and the police were blaming Travis for the fire, even when he was confessing it. How would a person who is in a wheelchair, and who doesn't even drive get to the book store to set a fire? And how does it get to court so fast - the judge refused to throw out the confession the Monday morning. Instead, he sentenced Travis to two years' probation, and ordered 240 hours' community service." Really? Wouldn't the judge asks questions? I've watched Judge Judy (hahaha).
As in his other book I read, his writing skills are really poor. There's only 30 pages left, and Wright is still describing Kendra's car, as if we haven't read it every single other time he's mentioned it in the story, "when Kendra arrived in her mother's silver Audi...." (which by the way is a beautiful car!!!!). Seven pages left and he had to tell us again, the brand of Cole's car, "We drove the BMW...." Agh!
And of course, the story all wraps up and everyone and everything works out and happy, happy, joy, joy. Gag me please!
Wright's writing is really sappy. He should be writing for the Hallmark Channel. First part of the story was really slow and boring. It finally picked up, and then I got to the anti climax and I couldn't believe it. It left me very disappointed and thinking, "Is this it? And so what?" Thanks goodness, it's a fast read, a no brainer, that is, if you can get though it.
There's a good message for the theme of the story, but I think it's really unrealistic to do acts of kindness every. single. day. of. your. life. I feel most people do, and it could be as simple as holding the door open for the person behind us, or letting the person at the four way stop sign who got there at the same time you did, go ahead of you. But I certainly don't agree with putting strangers ahead of our loved ones, and I don't necessarily feel we shouldn't have to look for it like Rex and Cole did in the story. I feel it should come naturally. This might seem harsh, but I'm too realistic to think that after someone reads this novel, that they will be fulfilling this message for the rest of their lives. Possibly for the first few days, or a couple of weeks after, but life will get in the way, and like everything else that doesn't come naturally to our human nature and routines, it will be long forgotten, and on the back burner before long. When Rex puts a perfect stranger ahead of his son, I feel that situation could had been handled better. Cole ended up missing a Halloween costume party, and being in middle school that is very important to a teenager, even if Rex didn't feel so. I feel Rex and Cole put others ahead of their family. We shouldn't be sacrificing our time with our family ahead of strangers. Another perfect example of my point is when Jade tells Cole on their honeymoon that he needs to put her first over strangers. Cole's thoughts, "The words cut me then; in fact, they still cut me now. Just as the dispute was ridiculous then and is certainly ridiculous now." Really Cole? I mean Wright? Wifey should always be first over strangers.
Things that bothered me with Wright's fluffy writing. Early on in the book, Rex is thinking back to Flick's birthday party, "Rex remembered Flick wanting to save the gifts until the end. Not because it was the most exciting thing about the party or the best part of the day, but because it was the least important. What mattered most was having friends there, having family around." Gag me please! This is a 8 year old child, of course, it's about the presents! This is an adult's point of view, not a child's!
Kinda hard for me to believe that teenagers would be excited about pocket watches for their reward. Kids today don't even wear watches. They check the time on their cell phones.
The three teenagers' personalities and family life were very predictable and non imaginative.
It made no sense to me how Jade and the police were blaming Travis for the fire, even when he was confessing it. How would a person who is in a wheelchair, and who doesn't even drive get to the book store to set a fire? And how does it get to court so fast - the judge refused to throw out the confession the Monday morning. Instead, he sentenced Travis to two years' probation, and ordered 240 hours' community service." Really? Wouldn't the judge asks questions? I've watched Judge Judy (hahaha).
As in his other book I read, his writing skills are really poor. There's only 30 pages left, and Wright is still describing Kendra's car, as if we haven't read it every single other time he's mentioned it in the story, "when Kendra arrived in her mother's silver Audi...." (which by the way is a beautiful car!!!!). Seven pages left and he had to tell us again, the brand of Cole's car, "We drove the BMW...." Agh!
And of course, the story all wraps up and everyone and everything works out and happy, happy, joy, joy. Gag me please!
October 25, 2023
Okay 🥹🥹🥹
This one deserves to permanently become a part of my collection and to be shared with the world!! Wow!
This one deserves to permanently become a part of my collection and to be shared with the world!! Wow!
November 20, 2010
Rex Conner was a teenager when he met and fell in love with "spark" on the lake where he was a life guard. Spark was a nicknames he gave her and "flick" was the name for her younger sister. The 3 spent all summer together. Then "flick' had her 8th birthday party at the beach and ended up drowning. Flick and Spark's mom blamed Rex because he was flirting with Spark for "seventeen seconds" and not watching out for Flick. Rex blamed himself for Flick's life being cut short and even tried to take his own life. Through it all Spark stayed his friend and together they got through it. Rex started writing the seventeen second miracle in his life that others did for him and Spark, who later became his wife wrote down all the miracles he did for others. After Rex got early onset Alzheimer's disease and was placed in a home, his son Cole, who didn't always appreciate his father's taking time to do seventeen second miracles in his childhood, started "discussion." These gatherings at his wife's bookstore happened when the high school principal suggested names of students to attend the 6 week class where Cole told his dad's story and some of his own and encouraged the kids to find their purpose for coming to the class. Travis, a boy in a wheelchair because he tried to help his younger sister after his father ran over her with a truck learns that he's not a lost cause and that he can stop feeling sorry for himself and serve others. Miles, a basketball star, learns that he can stand up for himself and make his own plans for his future and not just follow someone else's script. Kendra, the basketball coach's overstretched daughter learns that she can have a voice in what she wants to do and stand up to her father and not just go along with his plan for her future. The little group comes together as friends when at first they were all just strangers going to the same school. Jade, Cole's wife learns to forgive and love another child even when she wants to raise her own. Cole taking the advise of his father to use love as a verb helps him to save his marriage and help others through 17 second that took a life one time can change a life too.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 27, 2011
Agree whole-heartedly with the message: we could all use a discourse in the art of helping others for the sake of spreading a little love throughout the world on a daily basis. I get it, the very nature of altruism. These selfless acts are, in fact, "miracles", but only because we live in a world that rears its ugly head more often than it shows its sunny side. Otherwise, these deliberate, and not random, acts of kindness would be the norm, ergo, not miracles. But the book, as it stands, reads little more than a long Dear Abby letter with a sprinkling of tragedy thrown in. Cole, the main character, is determined to continue his father's (Rex) legacy of explaining the idea that a miracle, a helping hand, a forthright attempt to be proactive in helping others and thus, changing their lives, takes on average, seventeen seconds. And his father has postulated this theory from a dark, traumatic experience many years ago when his heart was torn from the guilt of a preventable death. Cole uses his wife's bookstore as a forum for discussions about the meaning of the miracles and holds them annually for a selected group of high school students furnished by the local principal who happens to be a childhood acquaintance of Cole's father. Along the way, we find out details surrounding the lives of the three teens involved in this year's discussions: Miles, Kendra, and Travis. Yet, the scenes revolving around their meetings and discussions were oftentimes shallow considering the real purpose behind the seventeen second miracle: the true meaning of love. On the other hand, they are teens, and shallow is often an apropos adjective when describing them. I simply wanted more, not from the message, but from the delivery. It was also reminiscent of a Mitch Albom book, respectfully, because I enjoyed some of Albom's work despite their unsuccessful attempts at being overly profound.
September 28, 2011
I really enjoyed this book. Another one with shorter chapters and not real long (less than 300 pp.). Some are probably going to say (and probably have said already) how cheesy it is, and it is a bit, but I still liked it. Christmas Jars was super cheesy, and this one was much better written, along the lines of The Wednesday Letters. It really is probably 4.5 stars for me.
Some of it was predictable for me, some not. I didn't think the tragedy was at all Rex's fault and it bothered me a lot that he was blamed for it by others, especially people who didn't know him, weren't there, etc. - quite a stretch for me, but I did appreciate that it was the stepping point for the premise of the entire book and the point that anything can happen in so little time - whether good or bad.
The field trip with Travis going into the store and Cole trying to set up a miracle that backfired broke my heart - how hard would that be?
The very, very ending threw me for a loop - I did not see that coming until we were in the midst of it, and I cried. However, the part of the ending before that had been built up and dealt with some, so it wasn't so unexpected, although wrapping up who set the fire and other issues surrounding Travis I hadn't totally figured out until that second tragedy in Travis's life occurred.
I really enjoyed the characters and their interactions - healing, learning, growing, etc. Although the whole Miles-Kendra-Coach Max thing seemed a bit forced to me.
I really think there aren't enough feel-good books to remind us of the good things we should be doing for others, our families, ourselves. Not that I don't enjoy reading mysteries, romances, and all the other stuff, but books like this one are rare and a great reminder of what life should be about.
Some of it was predictable for me, some not. I didn't think the tragedy was at all Rex's fault and it bothered me a lot that he was blamed for it by others, especially people who didn't know him, weren't there, etc. - quite a stretch for me, but I did appreciate that it was the stepping point for the premise of the entire book and the point that anything can happen in so little time - whether good or bad.
The field trip with Travis going into the store and Cole trying to set up a miracle that backfired broke my heart - how hard would that be?
The very, very ending threw me for a loop - I did not see that coming until we were in the midst of it, and I cried. However, the part of the ending before that had been built up and dealt with some, so it wasn't so unexpected, although wrapping up who set the fire and other issues surrounding Travis I hadn't totally figured out until that second tragedy in Travis's life occurred.
I really enjoyed the characters and their interactions - healing, learning, growing, etc. Although the whole Miles-Kendra-Coach Max thing seemed a bit forced to me.
I really think there aren't enough feel-good books to remind us of the good things we should be doing for others, our families, ourselves. Not that I don't enjoy reading mysteries, romances, and all the other stuff, but books like this one are rare and a great reminder of what life should be about.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 5, 2010
It is because of Jason Wright's bestseller, "Christmas Jars" that I will be giving away my first jar this Christmas season. And now after reading Wright's latest, "The Seventeen Second Miracle",(SSM) I purchased a journal to record daily SSMs -- ones that I make happen and the ones that happen to me. The SSM is a book that causes self-reflection that leads to action. It is about the capacity of humanity to make positive differences (small and large "miracles") in the lives of fellow human beings. What I like most about this book is that it delivers its message without being "preachy". In fact, it simply speaks to the heart of the individual. So, give yourself a SSM (a gift), by taking seventeen seconds to purchase a copy of the "Seventeen Second Miracle" today. I promise it will be the gift that keeps on giving!
August 12, 2017
Saw this book on the library shelf...it was worn and inviting...I read the first few pages before leaving the library...truth be told, I first was interested because it is set in Charlottesville, VA...close enough to me that I know many of the places described within...it captured me before I finished the prologue. I have to admit I had to keep reminding myself this is a work of fiction...it felt so real...I believed Rex and Sparks and Connor and jade and the kids were all really living this story. I LOVED IT!
It only takes 17 seconds to change a life...make it a good 17 seconds...love is a verb...open a door for someone...smile at someone...you never know who's life you may change...you never know what that person is going through...they may need that hug more than you know...and by these random acts of kindness your life will become fuller...and more blessed.
It only takes 17 seconds to change a life...make it a good 17 seconds...love is a verb...open a door for someone...smile at someone...you never know who's life you may change...you never know what that person is going through...they may need that hug more than you know...and by these random acts of kindness your life will become fuller...and more blessed.
August 11, 2011
I really enjoyed this story (just as I enjoyed his other two books). It was a very sweet, heartwarming story that really makes you think about how quickly life can change, just how easy it is to do service for others and how the world would be a much better place if everyone did what small miracles they could. This book has inspired me to be more aware of the "seventeen second miracles" in my own life. I especially love the idea of "love" being a verb.<3
August 31, 2010
Being a devoted Jason Wright fan, I was so excited to read this book! Through all his books, "Christmas Jars" has remained my favorite...until now. This one jumped to the top in one reading! Life changing!!
September 29, 2010
An exceptional story clearly showing what it means to "Love one another". I was in tears at the end (happy tears). What a wonderful world this would be if we all had our daily Seventeen Second Miracle.
January 24, 2013
I think everyone should read this book. It's a happy ending type of book, but the message it teaches and the way it makes you want to improve yourself is something everyone could benefit from. The background stories were well developed to all come together to tell the current story. Loved it!
March 10, 2013
I loved this book. Stories of redemption and second chances always touch my soul. I encourage everyone to read this book.
February 28, 2020
This story was sweet, even if heavy handed with the message. Even though it was cheesy, it was an engaging read.
December 27, 2020
Sappy, predictable, but it's a "feel good" book, and I guess I felt good, or at least a bit better after I read it.
August 24, 2023
This was good. Definitely not a must-read, but really liked the ending!
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December 5, 2023What is the cost of being fearless? Is it true that those who live their lives without fear are the only ones willing to embrace change? Change can be scary for anyone. But it is important to remember that it can also be the most important and hopeful thing in a person’s life. From the birth of a baby to the loss of a loved one, change teaches us the importance of letting our guard down every once in a while. And although it can be often fleeting and can occur at any moment, change is only scary because it’s unpredictable. By human nature, we detest the feeling of losing control and tend to shy away from being vulnerable. Understandably, it only takes a few seconds for a life to change forever.
In Jason F. Wright’s magnificent novel, The Seventeen Second Miracle, the importance of vulnerability is vigorously explored throughout the lifelong journey of the protagonist, Cole Conner. Cole’s father, Rex Connor experienced the traumatic and life-changing aspects of change on a gorgeous summer afternoon in 1970 when he averted his gaze for seventeen seconds from a scene and a tragedy occurred. Forty years later, the story of that day still weighed heavily on the minds of countless people, including Rex’s son, Cole.
In light of the Conner family trauma, Wright’s novel positively inspires young readers to not be afraid, but instead acknowledge and learn from their past experiences. I’ll admit, I always get a subtle case of cold feet when trying a new vegetable or even traveling to a new city but I’m sure most of you can relate to the fact that even after these nervous feelings subside, the experience itself of exploring outside of your comfort zone can be surprisingly enlightening. When Cole Conner is called to share the story of the “17 - second miracle” among teens who were struggling to find purpose in their lives, he noticed a common trait of close-mindedness. A lack of will to explore. A fear of learning the truth even if that truth is not exactly what one wants to hear. I enjoyed that as the teens expressed to Conner why they are content with their current ways and lives the way they are, Conner tells them that they must always prepare for the unexpected. Wright does a memorable job of driving the importance of facing hardship and overcoming it.
On the other hand, Wright tends to struggle to acknowledge the backgrounds of which the teens have come from. Throughout the novel, Cole Conner tells his father’s traumatic stories from a secondhand perspective, further taking away from their personal impact they were intended to have on the struggling teens. They explain that they feel like they can’t relate to him on the level he wishes. I don’t blame the kids as I always enjoy a good story, but hate being told an opinion on something I’ve gone through by someone who’s never really experienced it themself.
These points aside, Wright’s style and writing technique really spoke to me in the sense that his characters truly did feel emotions like love, passion, and even sadness. There was especially a certain uniqueness about the personality of Cole Conner’s stories that made me want to be his friend (if he weren’t a made-up character, of course). And near the end of the novel, Wright used Cole’s outstanding passion for his wife to make the reader, in this case, myself, crave a love like theirs, even at my ripe age of 16. Wright’s use of emotional story-telling really helped me as a reader, understand and appreciate Cole’s experiences and advice, even if I was a little hesitant earlier about his take on “trauma-dumping.”
The 17-second Miracle was a great read and gave me a much better idea of why change isn’t always such a bad thing, why fitting in may not always be the right way to live. Or why the fear of being different should never stop a person from trying. You love what you love and who you love for a reason and that feeling is the most important thing in the world. Never take your time here on Earth for granted, you never know how much of it you have left. And as Cole Conner, and many others, once said, “you only live once, so live!”
In Jason F. Wright’s magnificent novel, The Seventeen Second Miracle, the importance of vulnerability is vigorously explored throughout the lifelong journey of the protagonist, Cole Conner. Cole’s father, Rex Connor experienced the traumatic and life-changing aspects of change on a gorgeous summer afternoon in 1970 when he averted his gaze for seventeen seconds from a scene and a tragedy occurred. Forty years later, the story of that day still weighed heavily on the minds of countless people, including Rex’s son, Cole.
In light of the Conner family trauma, Wright’s novel positively inspires young readers to not be afraid, but instead acknowledge and learn from their past experiences. I’ll admit, I always get a subtle case of cold feet when trying a new vegetable or even traveling to a new city but I’m sure most of you can relate to the fact that even after these nervous feelings subside, the experience itself of exploring outside of your comfort zone can be surprisingly enlightening. When Cole Conner is called to share the story of the “17 - second miracle” among teens who were struggling to find purpose in their lives, he noticed a common trait of close-mindedness. A lack of will to explore. A fear of learning the truth even if that truth is not exactly what one wants to hear. I enjoyed that as the teens expressed to Conner why they are content with their current ways and lives the way they are, Conner tells them that they must always prepare for the unexpected. Wright does a memorable job of driving the importance of facing hardship and overcoming it.
On the other hand, Wright tends to struggle to acknowledge the backgrounds of which the teens have come from. Throughout the novel, Cole Conner tells his father’s traumatic stories from a secondhand perspective, further taking away from their personal impact they were intended to have on the struggling teens. They explain that they feel like they can’t relate to him on the level he wishes. I don’t blame the kids as I always enjoy a good story, but hate being told an opinion on something I’ve gone through by someone who’s never really experienced it themself.
These points aside, Wright’s style and writing technique really spoke to me in the sense that his characters truly did feel emotions like love, passion, and even sadness. There was especially a certain uniqueness about the personality of Cole Conner’s stories that made me want to be his friend (if he weren’t a made-up character, of course). And near the end of the novel, Wright used Cole’s outstanding passion for his wife to make the reader, in this case, myself, crave a love like theirs, even at my ripe age of 16. Wright’s use of emotional story-telling really helped me as a reader, understand and appreciate Cole’s experiences and advice, even if I was a little hesitant earlier about his take on “trauma-dumping.”
The 17-second Miracle was a great read and gave me a much better idea of why change isn’t always such a bad thing, why fitting in may not always be the right way to live. Or why the fear of being different should never stop a person from trying. You love what you love and who you love for a reason and that feeling is the most important thing in the world. Never take your time here on Earth for granted, you never know how much of it you have left. And as Cole Conner, and many others, once said, “you only live once, so live!”
January 14, 2022
I enjoyed the message of this book but could have done without the side moralizing (why do we need to know whether a female character was “modestly dressed?”). The story is heartwarming but simultaneously ridiculous (Travis talks back to his dad so his dad burns down a store he likes to visit? Flick’s mother blames a teenage boy who just happens to be a lifeguard but wasn’t on duty for her death when there were on-duty lifeguards present? Social Services doesn’t need a home visit or anything, they’re just gonna fill out some paperwork and send them home with a kid… not even gonna check for a wheelchair ramp?)
Honestly, I love the message at the heart of the book. We can be small miracles for other people, as they can for us. A+ there. The writing is just sub-par. I put this book on my list in 2014, and maybe I would have liked it better then. 2022 me just didn’t feel it.
Honestly, I love the message at the heart of the book. We can be small miracles for other people, as they can for us. A+ there. The writing is just sub-par. I put this book on my list in 2014, and maybe I would have liked it better then. 2022 me just didn’t feel it.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 13, 2017
A young man vows to carry on his father's legacy by teaching three troubled teenagers the power they have to change the world, seventeen seconds at a time.
This story was tender and inspiring, with a few tear jerker moments. Unfortunately, I felt it also moved at a very slow pace and was almost too sappy for me. I like books with a good message, and this had one, but it was a very simple message for how long the book was. I would have enjoyed learning the lesson more if it had been taught through a true story.
This story was tender and inspiring, with a few tear jerker moments. Unfortunately, I felt it also moved at a very slow pace and was almost too sappy for me. I like books with a good message, and this had one, but it was a very simple message for how long the book was. I would have enjoyed learning the lesson more if it had been taught through a true story.
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