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Have a Little Faith: a True Story

Mitch Albom (Goodreads Author)

4.18 · Rating details · 72,669 ratings · 4,877 reviews

In Have a Little Faith, Mitch Albom offers a beautifully written story of a remarkable eight-year journey between two worlds--two men, two faiths, two communities--that will inspire readers everywhere.

Albom's first nonfiction book since Tuesdays with Morrie, Have a Little Faith begins with an unusual request: an eighty-two-year-old rabbi from Albom's old hometown asks him

Albom's first nonfiction book since Tuesdays with Morrie, Have a Little Faith begins with an unusual request: an eighty-two-year-old rabbi from Albom's old hometown asks him to deliver his eulogy.

Feeling unworthy, Albom insists on understanding the man better, which throws him back into a world of faith he'd left years ago. Meanwhile, closer to his current home, Albom becomes involved with a Detroit pastor--a reformed drug dealer and convict--who preaches to the poor and homeless in a decaying church with a hole in its roof.

Moving between their worlds, Christian and Jewish, African-American and white, impoverished and well-to-do, Albom observes how these very different men employ faith similarly in fighting for survival: the older, suburban rabbi embracing it as death approaches; the younger, inner-city pastor relying on it to keep himself and his church afloat.

As America struggles with hard times and people turn more to their beliefs, Albom and the two men of God explore issues that perplex modern man: how to endure when difficult things happen; what heaven is; intermarriage; forgiveness; doubting God; and the importance of faith in trying times. Although the texts, prayers, and histories are different, Albom begins to recognize a striking unity between the two worlds--and indeed, between beliefs everywhere.

In the end, as the rabbi nears death and a harsh winter threatens the pastor's wobbly church, Albom sadly fulfills the rabbi's last request and writes the eulogy. And he finally understands what both men had been teaching all along: the profound comfort of believing in something bigger than yourself.

Have a Little Faith is a book about a life's purpose; about losing belief and finding it again; about the divine spark inside us all. It is one man's journey, but it is everyone's story.

Ten percent of the profits from this book will go to charity, including The Hole In The Roof Foundation, which helps refurbish places of worship that aid the homeless.

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Hardcover, 249 pages

Published September 29th 2009 by Hachette Books

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Jul 14, 2011 Shani rated it it was amazing

"In the beginning, there was a question.
"In the end, the question gets answered." - Mitch Albom

I just finished reading Have a Little Faith by Mitch Albom. I'm not sure why I picked up this novel to read. Perhaps I was bored and needed something to do, perhaps I was looking for something to feel a void; or perhaps, just perhaps, I needed a little bit of faith.

Have a Little Faith is an amazing story about a Rabbi, a Christian Minister, and a man with very little faith. This book will take you ...more

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Jul 18, 2011 Lyn rated it really liked it

The thing about Mitch is that he is ever so much too syrupy, almost but not quite dripping from the page.

Not overly melodramatic, or too nostalgic or sentimental, not even really distasteful, I like his writing, but just a little too much. Like a glass of sweet tea that is just too full of sugar, needs a good squirt of lemon to knock it down a bit.

Having said that, I like Albom and his writing. I like that he's a baseball fan. He's worldly, observant and funny - he's a sportswriter after all, ...more

flag 55 likes · Like · see review

Oct 10, 2019 Ahmad Sharabiani rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: non-fiction, 21th-century

Have a Little Faith: The Story of a Last Request, Mitch Albom
In Have a Little Faith, Mitch Albom offers a beautifully written story of a remarkable eight-year journey between two worlds--two men, two faiths, two communities--that will inspire readers everywhere. Moving between their worlds, Christian and Jewish, African-American and white, impoverished and well-to-do, Albom observes how these very different men employ faith similarly in fighting for survival: the older, suburban rabbi embracing Have a Little Faith: The Story of a Last Request, Mitch Albom
In Have a Little Faith, Mitch Albom offers a beautifully written story of a remarkable eight-year journey between two worlds--two men, two faiths, two communities--that will inspire readers everywhere. Moving between their worlds, Christian and Jewish, African-American and white, impoverished and well-to-do, Albom observes how these very different men employ faith similarly in fighting for survival: the older, suburban rabbi embracing it as death approaches; the younger, inner-city pastor relying on it to keep himself and his church afloat. ...

تاریخ نخستین خوانش: روز یازدهم ماه اکتبر سال 2010 میلادی
عنوان: یک ذره ایمان داشته باش؛ نویسنده: میچ آلبوم؛ مترجم: نازنین میرصادقی؛ تهران: ایران‌بان‏‫، 1388؛ در 300 ص؛ شابک: 9789642980901؛ موضوع: ‏‫آلبرت ال. لوئیس؛ هنری پی.‬ کاوینگتن - ‏‫ایمان (یهودیت)‬ - داستانهای نویسندگان امریکایی - سده 21 م‮‬
عنوان: ذره‌ ای ایمان داشته باش؛ نویسنده: میچ آلبوم ؛ مترجم: مهرداد وثوقی؛ تهران: افراز، ‏‫‬‏1389؛ در 250 ص؛ شابک: 9789642432745؛
عنوان: ذره‌ای ایمان داشته باش؛ نویسنده: میچ البوم ؛ مترجم: فریده همتی؛ تهران : درسا، 1389؛ در 304 ص؛ شابک: 9789648759600؛
عنوان: ایمان داشته باشیم؛ نویسنده: میچ آلبوم؛ مترجم: صدیقه ابراهیمی(فخار)؛ تهران: دایره‏‫، 1389؛ در 293 ص؛ شابک: 9786005722031؛ چاپ دوم 1394؛
عنوان: کمی ایمان داشته باش؛ نویسنده: میچ البوم؛ مترجم: احمد نیازاده؛ تهران: نشر قطره‏‫، 1393، در 302 ص؛ چاپ دوم 1394؛ چاپ ششم 1397؛ در 278 ص؛ شابک: 9786001197857؛‬
عنوان: کمی ایمان داشته باش: یک داستان واقعی؛ نویسنده: میچ آلبوم؛ مترجم: مریم فتاحی؛ تهران: نشر نیماژ‏‫، 1393؛ در 195 ص؛ شابک: 9786003670099؛
عنوان: ذره‌ای ایمان داشته باش؛ نویسنده: میچ آلبوم؛ مترجم: حجت‌‌اله سرلک؛ تهران: نشر هونار‏‫، ‏‫1395؛ در 216 ص؛ شابک: 9786008183006؛
عنوان: کمی ایمان داشته باش بر اساس یک داستان واقعی؛ نویسنده: میچ آلبوم؛ مترجم: هومن عباسی‌نتاج‌عمرانی؛ ویراستار: ناکتا رودگری؛ تهران: نوای مکتوب‏‫، ‏‫1398؛ در 208 ص؛ شابک: 9786008958178؛‬‬

کتاب «کمی ایمان داشته باش» نوشته میچ آلبوم، نویسنده، موسیقی‌دان و برنامه‌ ساز تلویزیونی است. آلبوم، نویسنده‌ ای کم‌کار اما از نظر منتقدان، موفق است. مشهورترین کتاب ایشان «سه‌ شنبه‌ ها با موری» نام دارد، که مدت‌ها، در صدر کتاب‌های پرفروش قرار داشت. آلبوم در اکثر آثارش سویه‌ ای مذهبی عرفانی دارند، و به منشا عالم هستی و روابط بین اجزای جهان میپردازند. نقل از متن: «کسی را که اهل ایمان باشد میشناسی؟ وقتی او را میبینی، فرار میکنی؟ اگر این‌طور است، بدان دیگر نیازی به گریز نیست. چند لحظه‌ای بنشین. یک لیوان آب یخ بنوش. یک بشقاب نان ذرت بخور. شاید متوجه شوی چیز زیبایی هست که میتوان یاد گرفت و نه تو را میگزد و نه ضعیفت میکند، فقط ثابت میکند در وجود تک‌تک ما جرقه‌ای الهی هست که شاید یک روز بتواند جهان را نجات دهد. در آغاز یک پرسش بود. در پایان، آن پرسش پاسخش را گرفت. خداوند میخواند و ما با او زمزمه میکنیم و ترانه‌ های بسیاری هست، اما فقط یک آهنگ را میخوانیم، فقط یکی؛ ترانه‌ ی شگفت‌انگیز انسان». پایان نقل. نقل نمونه متن از کتاب کمی ایمان داشته باش؛ مترجم: احمد نیازاده؛ در آغاز...؛ در آغاز یک پرسش بود. «میتوانی سخنرانی مراسم خاکسپاریم را تو بگویی؟» گفتم: متوجه نمیشوم. پیرمرد دوباره پرسید: «سخنرانی مراسم خاکسپاری؟ وقتی از دنیا میروم.»؛ پلکهایش باز و بسته میشد. ریشهای سفیدش را تمیز و مرتب اصلاح کرده بود، و کمی خمیده ایستاده بود. پرسیدم: مرگت نزدیک است؟ با خنده گفت: «نه هنوز.» پس چرا...؟ «چون به نظرم گزینه ی مناسبی برای اینکار هستی و فکر میکنم وقتی زمانش فرا برسد، میدانی چه بگویی.»؛ در ذهنتان مجسم کنید پرهیزگارترین مردی را که میشناسید. کشیش، روحانی، خاخام، امام جماعتتان را. حالا تصور کنید او آهسته روی شانه ی شما بزند، و بخواهد شما از طرف او با این دنیا وداع کنید. در ذهنتان مجسم کنید مردی که دیگران را تا بهشت بدرقه میکند، از شما بخواهد، او را تا بهشت بدرقه کنید. گفت: «خوب؟ مشکلی با این قضیه نداری؟»؛ در آغاز پرسش دیگری هم بود. «یا مسیح، مرا رستگار میکنی؟»؛ مردی تفنگ در دست، پشت سطلهای زباله ی جلو یک ردیف خانه ی همشکل در بروکلین، پنهان شده بود. نیمه های شب بود. همسر و دختربچه اش گریه میکردند. با دقت به ماشینهایی که به سمت خانه اش میآمد، نگاه میکرد. بی تردید ماشین بعدی ماشین کسانی است که میخواهند او را از پا دربیاورند. لرزان پرسید: «مرا رستگار میکنی یا مسیح. اگر قول بدهم زندگیم را وقف تو کنم، امشب مرا نجات میدهی؟»؛ تصور کنید پرهیزگارترین مردی را که میشناسید. کشیش، روحانی، خاخام، امام جماعتتان را. حالا او را با لباسهای کثیف مجسم کنید، که تفنگی در دست، پشت چند سطل زباله طلب رستگاری میکند. مجسم کنید مردی که دیگران را تا بهشت بدرقه میکند، ملتمسانه میخواهد به جهنم نرود. زمزمه میکرد: «پروردگار من، اگر قول بدهم...» این داستانِ باور داشتن است، و دو مرد کاملاً متفاوت، که به من آموختند چگونه میتوانم ایمان داشته باشم. زمان زیادی طول کشید تا آنرا بنویسم. به مکانهای مذهبی زیادی رفتم، به شهرها و حومه های آنها، به «ما» مقابل «آنها» فکر کردم، به چیزی که باعث جدایی اهل ایمان در همه جای دنیا میشود. و سرانجام، این داستان من را به خانه ام برد، به عبادتگاهی پر از مردم، به تابوتی از چوب کاج و به منبری خالی. در آغاز یک پرسش بود. اما مبدل به آخرین درخواست شد. «میتوانی سخنرانی مراسم خاکسپاریم را تو بگویی؟» و از آنجایی که اغلب در مورد اعتقادات اینگونه است، گمان میکردم میخواهند در حق کسی لطفی کنم، در حالیکه در واقع لطفی شامل حال من شده بود. بهار سال 1965 میلادی است...؛ و پدرم من را برای مراسم دعای صبح شنبه از اتومبیل پیاده میکند. به من میگوید: «باید بروی.» هفت ساله هستم، خیلی کم سن و سالتر از آنکه یک سئوال بدیهی را بپرسم: چرا من باید بروم و او نه. در عوض کاری را میکنم که او گفت. وارد عبادتگاه میشوم و از راهرویی طولانی میگذرم و به سمت یک محراب کوچک میروم، همان جاییکه مراسم دعای کودکان برگزار میشود. پیراهن سفید آستین کوتاهی پوشیده ام و به کراواتم سنجاق زده ام. درِ چوبی را میکشم و باز میکنم. کودکان نوپا روی زمین هستند. پسرهای کلاس سوم خمیازه میکشند. دختران پایه ی ششم لباس کشباف نخی تیره به تن دارند و قوز کرده اند و با هم پچ پچ میکنند. کتاب دعایی برمیدارم. صندلیهای انتهای اتاق پر است، برای همین همان جلو مینشینم. یک دفعه در باز میشود و سکوت اتاق را فرا میگیرد. مرد خدا وارد میشود. همچون غولها راه میرود. موهایش مشکی است و پرپشت. وقتی حرف میزند، تکانهای بازوهایش ردای بلندش را همچون پارچه ای مقابل باد بالا و پایین میکند. داستانی را از کتاب مقدس میگوید. از ما سئوال میکند. روی صحنه بلند بلند قدم برمیدارد. به جاییکه نشسته ام نزدیک میشود. احساس میکنم بدنم یک دفعه گُر میگیرد. از خدا میخواهم من را ناپیدا کند. لطفاً، خدایا، لطفاً. پرحرارتترین دعای آن روزهای من است. مارس: سُنت بزرگ دوری: حضرت آدم در باغ عدن پنهان شد. حضرت موسی تلاش کرد برادرش را جانشین خود کند. حضرت یونس سوار بر قایقی شد و نهنگی او را بلعید. آدمی میخواهد از خداوند دوری کند. گویی یک رسم است. بنابراین شاید دوری من از آلبرت لوییس از همان دوران کودکی ام تبعیت از این سنت بود. البته او خدا نبود، اما در نظر من نزدیکترین فرد به خداوند بود، مردی مقدس، یک روحانی، رئیس بزرگ. وقتی کودک بودم، والدینم به جماعت عبادت کنندگان عبادتگاه او پیوستند. در هنگام موعظه هایش روی پای مادرم مینشستم. و با وجود این وقتی فهمیدم او کیست، مرد خدا، دویدم. اگر او را در راهرو میدیدم، میدویدم و فرار میکردم. حتی در دوران نوجوانی هم اگر میدیدم به من نزدیک میشود، داخل یکی از راهروها پنهان میشدم. بلندقد بود، نزدیک 190 سانتی متر. در حضورش احساس کوچکی میکردم. وقتی از عینک قاب مشکیش نگاه میکرد، مطمئن بودم میتواند تمام گناهان و ضعفهای من را ببیند. برای همین از او فرار میکردم. فرار میکردم تا دیگر چشمش به من نیفتد. وقتی به سمت خانه اش رانندگی میکردم، اتفاقات گذشته در ذهنم تداعی میشد. یکروز بهاری در سال 2000 میلادی بود، پس از باد و باران. چند هفته قبل بود که آلبرت لوییس هشتاد و دو ساله آن تقاضای عجیب را از من کرد، در یک راهرو و پس از سخنرانیم. «میتوانی سخنرانی مراسم خاکسپاریم را تو بگویی؟» پاهایم خشک شده بود. تا آن زمان چنین چیزی از من نخواسته بودند، هیچ کس، چه برسد به یک پیشوای مذهبی. همه سرگرم سلام و احوالپرسی بودند، اما او مدام لبخند میزد و انگار معمولیترین سئوال دنیا را پرسیده بود. تا اینکه یک دفعه گفتم باید وقت داشته باشم و درباره ی آن موضوع فکر کنم. پس از چند روز به او زنگ زدم. گفتم خیلی خوب، درخواستش را میپذیرم. در مراسم خاکسپاریش صحبت میکنم، اما تنها در صورتیکه بگذارد او را به عنوان یک فرد معمولی بشناسم، تا بتوانم همانگونه در موردش حرف بزنم. گمان میکردم آنکار مستلزم چند ملاقات شخصی با او باشد. گفت: «قبول.» داخل خیابان پیچیدم. تا آن موقع، هرچه از آلبرت لوییس میدانستم چیزهایی بود که یک مخاطب از یک مجری میداند: نوع بیانش، حضورش روی صحنه، شیوه ای که عبادت کنندگان را با صدای محکم و بلند و حرکات دستانش مات و مبهوت میکرد. البته، زمانی با هم نزدیکتر بودیم. در دوران کودکی معلم من بود، و چندین مراسم خانوادگیمان را هم انجام داده بود؛ مثلاً ازدواج خواهرم و خاکسپاری مادربزرگم را. اما در واقع بیست و پنج سالی میشد، دور و برش نبودم. از اینها گذشته، شما چقدر درباره ی روحانی خود میدانید؟ به حرفهایش گوش میدهید و به او احترام میگذارید، اما به عنوان یک فرد معمولی؟ روحانی من، همچون یک پادشاه از من دور بود. هرگز در خانه اش غذا نخورده بودم. هیچگاه به عنوان یک دوست با او به گردش نرفته بودم. اگر همچون دیگر انسانها نقاط ضعفی داشت، آنها را نمیدیدم. عادتهای شخصی؟ از هیچکدام خبر نداشتم. خوب، این حرفم خیلی هم درست نیست. از یکی از عادتهایش مطلع بودم. میدانستم به آواز خواندن علاقه دارد. همه این را میدانستند. در موعظه هایش هر جمله ای میتوانست به یک تکخوانی مبدل شود. حین صحبتهایش فعلها یا اسامی را آوازگونه میگفت. انگار در برادوی نمایش اجرا میکرد. در سالهای آخر عمرش اگر میپرسیدید حالش چطور است، چشمهایش را جمع میکرد و همچون یک رهبر ارکستر انگشتش را بالا میآورد و زیر لب میخواند: «این روحانی پیر، دیگر همچون گذشته ها نیست، ...» پایم را روی پدال ترمز فشار دادم. باید چه میکردم؟ آدم مناسبی برای آنکار نبودم. ایمانم همچون گذشته ها نبود. در آن حال و هوا نبودم. او بود که در مراسم خاکسپاری صحبت میکرد نه من. چه کسی در مراسم خاکسپاری فردی سخنرانی میکند که خود در مراسم تدفین دیگران سخنرانی کرده و میکند؟ میخواستم طفره بروم، بهانه ای بیاورم. انسان میخواهد از خداوند دوری کند. اما من در مسیر دیگری پیش میرفتم. ملاقات با استاد: از ورودی خانه بالا رفتم و روی پادری که دورتادورش را علف و چمن خشک گرفته بود پا گذاشتم. زنگ زدم. این هم به نظرم عجیب میآمد. به گمانم فکرش را هم نمیکردم خانه ی یک مرد مقدس زنگ داشته باشد. وقتی به گذشته نگاه میکنم، حتی نمیدانم انتظار چه چیزی را داشتم. آنجا یک خانه بود. کجا باید زندگی میکرد؟ در غار؟ حتی اگر انتظار زنگ را هم داشتم، آمادگی دیدن کسی که در را باز کرد اصلاً نداشتم. صندل پایش بود با جوراب و پیراهنِ دکمه دارِ آستین کوتاهش را روی شلوارکش انداخته بود. همیشه استاد را با کت و شلوار و یک ردای بلند دیده بودم. وقتی نوجوان بودیم، او را با آن اسم صدا میزدیم. «استاد.» یک جورهایی شبیه ابرقهرمان. راک. هالک. استاد. همانطور که گفتم در آن زمان با ابهت و با صلابت بود و بلندقد و جدی با گونه هایی پهن و ابروها و موهایی پرپشت و مشکی. با گشاده رویی گفت: «سسسسلللام مرد جوان.» گفتم، اوه، سلام. سعی میکردم به او خیره نشوم. از نزدیک لاغرتر و ضعیفتر به نظر میآمد. بازوهای لخت و عریانش نحیف بود و آویزان و لکه لکه های کهولت سن را میشد در آنها دید. عینک قاب بزرگش روی بینی اش بود و پشت سر هم پلک میزد، انگار میخواست تمرکز کند اما نمیتوانست، همچون عالمی سالخورده که در هنگام پوشیدن لباس مزاحمش بشوند. با آواز گفت: «وااااارررد شو. و حالا وااااارررد میشود.» موهای جوگندمی اش را از کنار باز کرده بود و ریشهای پروفسوری سفید و مشکی اش یک دست اصلاح شده بود، گرچه چند نقطه هم به چشمم خورد که ظاهراً فراموش کرده بود خوب بتراشد. آرام آرام در راهرو به راه افتاد، من هم دنبالش رفتم. به پاهای استخوانیش نگاه میکردم و آرام آرام قدم برمیداشتم تا به او نخورم. چطور میتوانم احساسم را در آن روز توصیف کنم؟ در کتاب اشعیاء نبی به متنی برخوردم که در آن خداوند میفرماید: «آنچه من میپندارم با افکار تو یکسان نیست و طریق تو طریق من نیست و از آنجایی که آسمانها از زمین بلند مرتبه تر است طریق من از طریق شما عالی مرتبه تر است و آن چه من میپندارم عالی مرتبه تر از اندیشه های شماست.» انتظار چنین احساسی را داشتم؛ پستتر و بی ارزشتر. اشعیاء نبی یکی از پیام آوران خدا بود. باید سرم را بلند میکردم، درست است؟ در عوض همچون کودکان پشت سر پیرمردی جوراب و صندل به پا قدم برمیداشتم و فقط به این فکر میکردم که چقدر مضحک به نظر میآید.»؛ پایان نقل. ا. شربیانی ...more

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Jan 19, 2012 Nancy rated it really liked it · review of another edition

I assumed this would be a typical Mitch Albom book, sentimental with "profound" life advice. I feel like it's un-American not to read these short best selling books about finding what ever it is he is selling. I was correct. But I had forgotten how his simple story telling can get to your soul; the real reason these books are so successful. This one doesnt disappoint. To me it was much less about the two men he learns from and more about his insight into himself. Maybe its because we are so ...more

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May 16, 2014 Aj the Ravenous Reader rated it liked it

Shelves: non-fiction, physically-owned-books

I didn't love it as much as I did the other books by Mitch Albom but this one is still worth reading.

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Nov 23, 2014 ☮Karen rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: audio, overdrive, nonfiction

Several years after Mitch Albom spent his Tuesdays with the famous Morrie, he began spending time with Albert Lewis. Albert was his childhood rabbi, and sometime after Albom stopped going to temple, Albert surprised him with a request that Albert's eulogy be delivered by Albom. Albom didn't feel qualified but obligingly accepted the challenge, provided they became better acquainted. The eight years they spent visiting and talking, along with each of their separate histories, are recounted.

Their ...more

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Feb 20, 2011 Sheryl rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: favorites

One word - Amazing!

I'm really glad I chose to get the book. It was a very insightful and thought provoking read for me. Many parts of the book moved me to tears, and I loved the sermons. I could relate them with everyday life! I don't believe in any religion, so I started reading with a little trepidation, afraid it would start talking about converting etc. But boy was I wrong! This book is about faith, not just any specific religion.. but believing in something bigger than yourself. It'll make ...more

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Mar 06, 2018 Amy rated it it was amazing

Shelves: goodreads-favorites, biography-memoir, jewish, non-fiction, autobiography, spirituality

I knew this book was on my TBR for a reason. What a gem it was. What a beautiful moving book. Im so glad the autobiography challenge gave me the opportunity to read it. As they say, timing is everything.

Premise: A young man, writer, journalist, and documenter of life journeys, is asked by his childhood rabbi to write his eulogy. Thus begins an 8 year journey where he tries to learn about the man behind the pulpit, and to ask questions about how faith is developed and sustained. During these ...more

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Jul 07, 2017 K.D. Absolutely rated it it was ok

Shelves: religion, drama, based-on-true-story, advices

My fourth Mitch Albom and he is still to disappoint. Quick read but I found myself still pausing every now and then as I had to digest his words. The writing is Hallmark-card perfect but who hated receiving and reading Hallmark cards? I definitely recall with fondness those years when I used to receive greeting cards on special occasions.

Albom is the guy in the current mainstream writers. His works are all bestsellers and have been translated in many languages, sold in many countries and made My fourth Mitch Albom and he is still to disappoint. Quick read but I found myself still pausing every now and then as I had to digest his words. The writing is Hallmark-card perfect but who hated receiving and reading Hallmark cards? I definitely recall with fondness those years when I used to receive greeting cards on special occasions.

Albom is the guy in the current mainstream writers. His works are all bestsellers and have been translated in many languages, sold in many countries and made into award-winning TV series. They are short, physical books are small and handy with big prints, and full of food thoughts for the soul. It took me awhile to pick this fourth book up though. Why? After the third book, his style seemed to be predictable: some stories about ordinary folks (The Five People You Meet in Heaven, For One More Day) and inject the subject of death or dying (The Five People You Meet in Heaven, For One More Day, Tuesdays with Morrie) and then throw in lots of heart-tugging emotional lines about love and family (The Five People You Meet in Heaven, For One More Day) or pepper it with some religious questions about how God works in our lives or the meaning of life (Tuesdays with Morrie).

This book has all those ingredients. It is about a Jewish man, apathetic about religion, asked by his childhood pastor to write the latter's eulogy. The man, the congregate is Mitch Albom himself as this is has "Based on True Story" or so the title of the book says. Albom had to spend 8 years, on-off, spending time with the pastor to prepare his eulogy. There is another pastor, this time a Catholic who used to be an ex-drug addict, that is supposed to provide a bit of a contrast to the Jewish pastor's character but it somehow confused me rather than heightened my interest on this supposedly true story.

Still, one will marvel about the Hallmark-perfect lines that you no longer hear very often in this chaotic, busy world of ours. They have the power to warm your heart and even make you cry if you love those dramatic lines in the movies or telenovelas.

Overall, this is still on okay book. Just like Paolo Coelho and Nicholas Sparks, Mitch Albom is an institution in mainstream writing. Many people love them and I know why.

So, I am still glad to have read another Mitch Albom. ...more

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Nov 09, 2017 Friar Stabin John Capuchin rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: 2017-read

It is with grace of Jesus we all are saved.
A book that gifted me lot of amazing moments. Wonderfully written about lives. The Jewish Rabbi, Christian Pastor and many more lives. It is a book which can provide you lot of stunning moments. The two rebs of this novel made me think about my own life. To think about past and crying always is the worse thing in our life but this book gives a positive energy to go ahead and do the best in present. Do your best with the present so you may be happy in ...more

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Dec 28, 2012 Mark John rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: books-i-own, non-fiction

One of my favorite lines from this book is No matter which road you decide to take on your life's journey, just make sure God is an intimate part of it. God gave us the will to choose whether to be good or to be bad, he proved how good He is. Becoming good or bad is always a choice but what we need to remember is God is always there to accept who we are, even though we made sins and troubles from our past, were not perfect we all know that and God also know that. Like what is being introduced One of my favorite lines from this book is “No matter which road you decide to take on your life's journey, just make sure God is an intimate part of it”. God gave us the will to choose whether to be good or to be bad, he proved how good He is. Becoming good or bad is always a choice but what we need to remember is God is always there to accept who we are, even though we made sins and troubles from our past, we’re not perfect we all know that and God also know that. Like what is being introduced from the story, Henry Covington a man of God when he was a child, but because of too many circumstances he faced from his childhood, his path went wrong. His mother got jailed when he was 9 years old for shooting his father’s leg, his father died from suffering severe illness, he has too many siblings, he also got jailed when he was 19 for a crime he did not commit, and he saw the worst side of life, because of all those factors he easily learned how to use cigarettes, how to drink alcohol, and the worst thing was he learned how to sell drugs and how to use it. Henry’s past was very stupid to him but after a single night when his life was in danger he requested God to save him and he promised that he will start to change and start a new life. After that night, he started a new chapter of his life, he changed his path and he put God above all, he became a pastor on a church with hole on its roof and he served for his homeless brothers and sisters by giving them home. “God is good all the time” and this book proved that line is true. God accepted Henry despite of all the bad things he made from his past. God don’t judge us based from our past he looks from where we stand now. I hope that people will also do the same thing as what God did, we should not judge others from what they did from their past because God made the word “CHANGE” for us. Remember that there are no permanent things in this world but change; there is always space for us to change for the better. ...more

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Dec 11, 2012 Sue rated it it was amazing

Shelves: spiritual, non-fiction

I purchased "Have a Little Faith" by Mitch Albom, after receiving a recommendation to read this book.This was such an uplifting novel that I couldn't put down.Such an emotional rollercoaster.I felt so good after reading this novel."Have a little Faith" is a true story nonfiction book that can open your eyes and heart, and allow you to realize how precious life is.It is about believing in something and the two men who taught him how.

The novel centers around three people:Mitch, a jewish man who ...more

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Feb 01, 2019 Joy D rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: non-fiction, biography, religion, memoir, reviewed, zck, spirituality

In this non-fiction, a combination of memoir and biography, the author chronicles portions of the lives of two very different men: one is his familys rabbi and the other an African American Christian pastor. Rabbi Albert Lewis has asked Albom to write and deliver his eulogy when the time comes. Pastor Henry Covington, after a former life of drugs, crime, and prison, has given his life to Jesus and runs a dilapidated mission in an inner-city section of Detroit. These two intertwined stories ...more

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Feb 04, 2017 Owlseyes marked it as to-read

Shelves: us-lit, book-made-movie, faith, god, what-s-your-glory, rabbi-asks-sportswriter-to-pray

Just watched the movie. It's about two parallel (real) stories; one on Rabbi Albert L. Lewis; the other on Henry Covington. The sportswriter is the intersecting point. He's been asked an eulogy by the Rabbi; yet, he'll get to know also a former drug-dealer and drug-addict, Henry Covington, now a minister in a Presbyterian, Detroit church, crumbling apart. While collecting data from the Rabbi's life, the sportswriter will witness change in himself.

The church gets rebuilt.
Life takes on a new ...more

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Feb 25, 2015 Soplada rated it liked it

Partially this book holds the same journey as the one with the professor Morrie Schwartz in Tuesdays with Morrie but here it has more a religious message which I found so many resembling spiritual values in my religion like: loving every person, giving, caring and turning to God whatever the situation is. I found Sami Yusuf New Song which celebrates The World Interfaith Harmony Week 2015 is a big match for this faithFULL book:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LHFuy...

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Mar 12, 2013 Elyse Walters rated it it was amazing

This was 'almost' as good as "Tuesdays With Morrie". (both books being true stories)

I read it when it came out. Its a human'gem' of a story!

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Jun 08, 2017 Michelle rated it really liked it

Just what I needed to lift my spirit!

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Oct 30, 2009 Shelah rated it liked it

Originally posted at Feminist Mormon Housewives.

When I was in Young Womens, it seemed that whenever our planned Mutual activities fell apart, the go-to Plan B was to pull some Books of Mormon out of a storage closet and have us write our testimonies in them. At that time in my life, I had zero qualms about standing in front of a congregation on Fast Sunday and bearing my testimony, or talking in a fireside about my conversion to the gospel, but for some reason my mind always blanked when it came Originally posted at Feminist Mormon Housewives.

When I was in Young Women’s, it seemed that whenever our planned Mutual activities fell apart, the go-to Plan B was to pull some Books of Mormon out of a storage closet and have us write our testimonies in them. At that time in my life, I had zero qualms about standing in front of a congregation on Fast Sunday and bearing my testimony, or talking in a fireside about my conversion to the gospel, but for some reason my mind always blanked when it came to writing about my faith. I’d write and it felt stale and unconvincing, like what I was feeling in my heart couldn’t properly be put into words. It was ironic, because one of my most prized possessions at that time was a Book of Mormon that we had gotten from the missionaries at Temple Square, with a neatly-typed, sincere testimony from a beehive-haired little old lady from Northern Utah glued onto the inside cover. I loved reading about her testimony, but I felt like mine lost something in the translation from spoken to written word.

Mitch Albom’s most recent book, Have a Little Faith, is, in a way, the story of his gaining a testimony. He says, “This is a story about believing in something and the two very different men who taught me how.” He starts the story at a point in his life when everything was going well– he had a good relationship with his wife, great kids, and a satisfying and exciting career, but religion had taken a back seat because, well, he didn’t really need it at that point in his life. He went home to New Jersey to visit his parents and ran into the Albert Lewis, known as the Reb, the elderly rabbi of his childhood congregation, who shocked him by asking Albom to give the eulogy at his funeral. Albom was taken aback by the request, saying, “And as is often the case with faith, I thought I was being asked a favor, when in fact I was being given one.” Over the next decade, he came to know the Reb not just as a spiritual leader but as a man, and watched him grow old and eventually die. During the same time, he became close with Henry Covington, a pastor at an inner-city congregation in Detroit whose church ran a homeless shelter that got assistance from Albom’s foundation. Albom intersperses the Reb’s story with his own and with Covington’s, who came to Detroit and found his calling after an early life of crime, drug abuse and incarceration and now works to help change the lives of people who are as he once was, who need someone to have faith in them.

I want to come clean with you: I haven’t been Mitch Albom’s greatest fan. I read Tuesdays with Morrie when it came out years ago, and I cried with the rest of you when Morrie died. But my tears felt forced, like I was crying just because that was what was expected of me when the good professor finally succumbed to ALS. A few years later I read The Five People You Meet in Heaven for a book group and decided it was the worst book I’d ever read– the cheesiest “the circle of our love is more than just a rising sun that sets” kind of speculative spiritualism straight out of Saturday’s Warrior and Star Child combined with the emotional manipulativeness of a Jodi Picoult novel. After that experience, I disparagingly called all small, sentimental, expensive hardcover books (think Richard Paul Evans’s The Christmas Box or Randy Pausch’s The Last Lecture) “Mitch Albom books” and avoided them on principle. A few years ago I ordered Jonah Lehrer’s Proust was a Neuroscientist from Amazon. When it arrived in the “Mitch Albom book” format I readjusted my expectations and was shocked to find a challenging, academic book, just in a fancy “gift book for grandma” presentation. The point is, I had some significant prejudices against Albom’s work going into reading Have a Little Faith.

So I was surprised to find that the book wasn’t that bad. In fact, it was pretty good. Albom was at his best when writing about the Reb, the story that felt closest to his heart and his own spiritual center. I wonder if Albom or his publishers felt that sharing another story about his visits with a dying mentor would be too similar to Tuesdays with Morrie. In fact, I had always considered Tuesdays with Morrie to be the story of Albom’s “secular conversion” from a selfish hotshot to a person who looked out for others and their needs. The chapters with Covington, while they help us see Albom’s initial prejudices and his conversion in action, seem almost out of place in the story, like some editor out there wanted the story to be more than just Albom visiting Lewis, so they threw the Covington chapters in as well. I think that the Covington story could have stood on its own, as either another short memoir or a longer article-length piece, but including them in the story with Lewis felt somewhat forced.

Through his relationship with Lewis and Covington, Albom maintains that he’s gained a spiritual conversion as well. But while he writes eloquently about his visits with the Reb and what they awaken within his own heart, and persuasively about seeing past his own mindset in his visits with Covington and his congregation, I think that Albom, like me, is ultimately uncomfortable writing about the faith he now holds dear to his heart. So he, like many of us up on the stand on Fast Sunday, tells stories to highlight experiences instead. And in this case, at least, I think he succeeds.
...more

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Jan 15, 2011 Nicole rated it it was amazing

Beautiful book. I love the way Albon brought the two stories of different faiths together. It certainly made me appreciate the little things in life a lot more and also, not sweat the small stuff. It drew me closer to my faith and appreciate and respect faiths of friends and family that are different from mine. After all, we all pray to the same God, we just do it a little differently. If you have questions about your own faith or in faith overall, this book is a must read. It touched on so many ...more

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Jun 01, 2011 Beatrice Masaluñga rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Recommended to Beatrice by: Angelique Jader

Shelves: borrowed, adult, nonfiction

In this book, Two people are involved (not including Mitch Albom), Mr. Albert Lewis- or "The Reb" as he called who is a Pastor, and requests Mitch to do his Eulogy when the time he will leave this world, and Henry Covington, who is a criminal and drug addict, he lost his faith that's why he is doing such bad acts until the time that he need God's Help and became a Pastor after realizing his sins. Also a little story from Cass who is homeless.

It's my first time to read a Non-Fiction book, but I ...more

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Dec 25, 2015 Karen Rush rated it it was amazing

I had two books left to read this year to meet my Goodreads reading challenge goal of 80 books. So, i pulled this slim book off the shelf. Wow, it packs a punch and turned out to be one of the best books I have read this year. During a time when I find myself questioning my faith, this book was just what my soul needed.

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Jul 17, 2013 Michelle rated it it was amazing

Shelves: religious, audio

I read Tuesdays with Morrie several years ago, and I found it touching, but I'm not sure I would say I loved it. I'm not sure why. It's been too long for me to recall the specifics. However, I did love this.

Recently, I've decided I want to spend my time on the road listening to things that are perhaps more enlightened than the latest thriller or romance or even the a.m. radio crew. And so I happened across this on the library shelves, and decided it might be uplifting. It was.

It isn't that it I read Tuesdays with Morrie several years ago, and I found it touching, but I'm not sure I would say I loved it. I'm not sure why. It's been too long for me to recall the specifics. However, I did love this.

Recently, I've decided I want to spend my time on the road listening to things that are perhaps more enlightened than the latest thriller or romance or even the a.m. radio crew. And so I happened across this on the library shelves, and decided it might be uplifting. It was.

It isn't that it says anything that is completely groundbreaking. What it offers is a quiet look at a very amazing man's life...one Albert Lewis. Mr. Lewis, who happened to be Albom's rabbi, asked Albom to eulogize him when he died. And so Albom sets out to learn more about the "Reb." Along the way he encounters another religious leader in a dilapidated Christian church in Detroit. Henry Covington was everything a preacher shouldn't be until he found Christ.

The two stories blend well and offer a glimpse into how people of all faiths share a common bond - they create a sacred community where people come to be healed of whatever ails them. And while some of Albom's questions seemed a little childish to me, I thought his depiction of the peace that comes through faith was beautiful.

But most especially, I loved the Reb. I've always admired faithful people of all religions, but in particular, I've admired those of the Jewish faith. Some people may think that is strange because I am a Christian, but I think that is what I found childish in some of Albom's questions. I've always felt a connection to their strong traditions and their sense of community. The truth is, people are people, and we all want to feel connected to each other and to a higher purpose and power. Well...maybe not all of us. But most of us.

Mostly, I wish I could have met Mr. Lewis. I wish I could have sat down with him for an afternoon and picked his brain. He had such a beautiful faith - a trust in God that brought him serenity. I long for that sort of serenity. I suppose listening to Mr. Albom is as close as I will get to having a conversation with the Reb...at least in this life. But I do imagine that talking to him would have given me peace. I really believe that. Some people have a gift of faith, and it is clear that Rabbi Albert Lewis was one of those people. I cried when Albom read his eulogy. It was touching.

And you know, maybe it didn't have to be ground breaking. In fact, I think I like it all the more because it is a simple declaration of a life lived in honest faith. What could be better than that? ...more

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May 24, 2019 Hazem Walid rated it it was amazing

Shelves: english-books, english-novels, e-books

" In the beginning, there was a question.
Will you do my eulogy?"

This novel has stayed with me longer than it should, I always seemed to read a few pages and leave it be then come at it all over again.
But I like to believe that the ideal situation is when everything comes at its own at its perfect timing and my reading of this novel at that time was, indeed, the perfect time for it to be read.
The story of the novel is so simplistic, but again, in my personal opinion, simplicity has always led to ...more

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Feb 26, 2010 Julie rated it it was amazing

Shelves: religion-philosophy-spirituality, want-to-own

I'm in awe of Albom's writing style. He uses simple, easy-to-read words, and manages to convey the nuances of everything from mourning to elation. While I was reading Have a Little Faith, I found myself both emotional and pensive, pondering over the questions that Albom himself struggled with: Why do good things happen to bad people? Is there really a God? Why do people choose to go into the ministry? Can people really, fundamentally change? Heavy stuff, but it doesn't really feel that way as ...more

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Jan 23, 2015 April Lusaya rated it it was amazing

touching, inspiring, enlightening...

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Jun 25, 2012 Brian rated it it was ok

For most of the time I spent reading this book, I hated it. It struck me as a simple, feel-good story about a journey to faith. It felt like Mitch Albom was encouraging people to accept religion because it made these simple people feel good and be happy. To me, he was encouraging people to throw up their arms and place everything on faith rather than taking a moment to come up with their own thoughts for once. I stand by all of those feelings.

However, at the very end, Alboms message became very ...more

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Jan 13, 2012 Shelley rated it it was amazing

I cried.
5 hours ago I felt that this was one of the best books I ever read.
Now.......I question it, because I just had book club and this reaction was not felt by everyone else. But I question everything I feel, and this book did teach me not to do that.
This book taught me a lot about myself and about how to listen to others. That it's worth taking 10 minutes of your day to talk with a stranger, to listen to a friend, to call someone you haven't in a long time.
I wondered why this book touched me ...more

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Sep 03, 2013 Liz rated it liked it

Shelves: non-fiction

I am not a religious person, but for as long as I remember myself I had always wanted to understand religion. The concept itself, as well as the major and some minor religions of the world. Their developments, differences and similarities. What drives the people who stand behind them, how and why. Which still results in me pestering the person who belongs to another religion and is more or less on good terms with it about a variety of things.

This one, while very sentimental at times, provided ...more

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Jul 26, 2018 Iman Danial Hakim rated it really liked it

A heartwarming memoir. An emotional proof that love exists beyond faith.

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Mar 14, 2016 hanna rated it really liked it

Shelves: religion, memoir, 2016

Okay, okay this was AMAZEBALLS.

So I like memoirs, a lot. And this one just gave me feels, the novel mainly is centered around Mitch who lost his faith as he aged, Reb (his childhood Rabbi) and Henry (a pastor who's overcome drug addiction). Reb asks Mitch to do his eulogy and 8 years later, Mitch is still visiting and getting to know the Reb. It sorta felt like every sentence I read whether from Reb (Rabbi) or Henry (Priest) was pure wisdom. And that's what I've learned to love about faith and ...more

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About Mitch Albom

Mitch Albom

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Mitchell David Albom is an author, journalist, screenwriter, playwright, radio and television broadcaster and musician. His books have collectively sold over 35 million copies worldwide; have been published in forty-one territories and in forty-two languages around the world; and have been made into Emmy Award-winning and critically-acclaimed television movies.

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“Faith is about doing. You are how you act, not just how you believe.” — 790 likes

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