Have a Little Faith by Mitch Albom Published by Hachette Publishing on June 14, 2011
Length: 272 pages
Reviewing Hardcover from Barnes & Noble
Rating:
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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 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.
What an amazing, heart-wrenching, inspirational story! I read this book when it was first published in one sitting, then I had to go back and read it a second time. And now it’s a book that I read at least once a year (and it never fails, I will use half a box of tissue reading it)!Have a Little Faith by Mitch Albom is a true story that begins with an unusual request from the author’s rabbi. His request is that Mitch delivers his eulogy. How do you say no to that? But this story is not just about the rabbi, but also about another man, a pastor who was a former drug addict. Each man has a story to tell and he shares it with Mitch.
“In the beginning, there was a question.
It became a last request.
“Will you do my eulogy?”
And, as is often the case with faith, I thought I was being asked a favor, when in fact I was being given one.”
All I can truly say is that the way that this author intertwines these two stories: one about the rabbi Albert Lewis, a man from his past who is “the most pious man” he knows and the other a Detroit pastor Henry Covington who preaches to the homeless in a decaying church is truly impressive! You get to know both men in under 300 pages as well as the author did over an eight year time span.
But this story is more than just telling the life and faith of these two men. It is a story about a man who has wandered away from his faith and how knowing these two men brought him back. One of my favorite quotes from the book (and I have many) is this one:
“Have you ever known a man of faith? Did you run the other way? If so, stop running. Maybe sit for a minute. For a glass of ice water. For a plate of corn bread. You may find there is something beautiful to learn, and it doesn’t bite you and it doesn’t weaken you, it only proves a divine spark lies inside each of us, and that spark may one day save the world.”
I’ve learned in life that having a little faith goes a long way and this book shows that in its purest form: love and hope. So if you are looking for an inspirational story, pick this one up. You won’t be disappointed!
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