The First Phone Call from Heaven by Mitch Albom – Audiobook Review

Just over 7.5 hours of listening, narrated by the author, Mitch Albom.

The First Phone Call from Heaven is a story that takes place in a small town in Michigan. Several people receive telephone calls from deceased loved ones, all told from the perspective of a widower. The story follows the expected disbelief and belief, skepticism, news media, pilgrimages to the small community. The resulting fervor of activity is initially a boom to the small town. The story is fundamentally a mystery in search of the source. Are these telephone calls really from Heaven or are they a hoax? Thus is the foundation.

If you’ve read other material by Mitch Albom, such as The Five People You Meet in Heaven, Tuesdays with Maury, etc., you’ll understand when I suggest that he’s a believer. Albom’s stories are inspirational and uplifting, The First Phone Call from Heaven is no different. Album throws in just enough analytical skepticism to make the story readable, but ultimately a fundamental belief comes across. It’s not overbearingly preachy.

Mitch Albom reads the story himself, which is always a pleasure. Hearing the written word as the author intended leaves little to discuss. The narration is fine.

The First Phone Call from Heaven is spiritual, ethereal, mystical, in no particular religious denomination. But, it is a typical “miracles can happen” stories.