Website design By BotEap.comFor anyone who has read Mitch Albom’s book Tuesdays with Morrie, it was axiomatic to read The Five People You Will Meet in Heaven.

Website design By BotEap.comWhen Albom was asked why it took so long between his first two books, he said, “To be honest, I was a little overwhelmed by the success of Tuesdays. At first, no one wanted to put that book out or talk about it much.”

Website design By BotEap.com“Then all of a sudden all everyone wanted me to do was write a sequel. I knew I didn’t want to do that. I said everything I had to say in that book about the last class between me and Morrie. So I waited until something It inspired me the way that book did. It just happened that it took six years.”

Website design By BotEap.comWhen asked if anything Morrie had said led to the “Five People” plot, he revealed the fact that “Morrie often told a story about waves, and how when they reached the shore they ceased to exist, unless you realized that, in truth, they were not really waves, they were part of the ocean.

Website design By BotEap.com“Morrie saw himself that way, as part of something connected to a larger humanity. In Five People, I explore that idea, that we’re all connected to each other in ways we don’t even realize, and that maybe, when your life is over, you may discover all the other ‘waves’ in this great ocean that you affected without even knowing it.”

Website design By BotEap.comThese insights show the integrity and sensitivity of Mitch Albom, who works for the Detroit Free Press and is arguably one of the best sportswriters in the United States. His work on “Five People” shows glimpses of his sheer talent for writing.

Website design By BotEap.comThe Five People You Will Meet in Heaven is the story of Eddie, a simple man living a simple life as a handyman with a sorrow and pain in his heart.

Website design By BotEap.comHe spends his whole life beating himself up because he never left the amusement park to pursue his dream of becoming an engineer. He blames everyone but himself for not progressing in the world. This is his sorrow, and he feels that his life has been wasted.

Website design By BotEap.comEddie dies on his 83rd birthday while trying to save a girl from a falling roller coaster car gone wrong, and his heart aches. With his last breath from him, he feels two small hands in his as he tries to push the girl away, and then nothing.

Website design By BotEap.comHe dies without knowing if he saved the girl’s life or not.

Website design By BotEap.comHe wakes up in Heaven and is destined to meet five people, loved ones (his wife Marguerite) and distant strangers who form a thread in his life that when woven into a fabric explains the meaning of his life.

Website design By BotEap.comThe strangers, Blue Man, the Captain, Ruby, and Tala, all played an important role in Eddie’s life without him realizing their importance at the time.

Website design By BotEap.comEach person shares with Eddie a life lesson he couldn’t learn on Earth.

Website design By BotEap.comAlbom’s writing skills shine in these memorable quotes from all five characters:

Website design By BotEap.comRuby: “Withholding anger is poison. It eats you up inside. We think that by hating someone we hurt them. But hate is a curved blade. And the damage we do to others, we also do to ourselves” .

Website design By BotEap.comBlue Man: “There are no random acts. We are all connected. You can’t separate one life from another any more than you can separate a breeze from the wind.”

Website design By BotEap.comBlue Man: “Strangers are a family you haven’t gotten to know yet.”

Website design By BotEap.comMarguerite (Eddie’s wife who precedes him in death): “Love lost is still love, Eddie. It just takes a different form, that’s all. You can’t hold his hand, you can’t hold all his hair. But when those senses grows weak, another comes to life. The memory. The memory becomes your mate. You hold it. You dance with it. Life has to end, Eddie. Love doesn’t.”

Website design By BotEap.comBe warned that The Five People You Will Meet in Heaven can and probably will bring tears to your eyes, and make your throat retract and become sore with tension. This book is not for children, even adults cannot deal with it and try to understand the theme and the meaning of its message.

Website design By BotEap.comThis book has an amazing ending that allows Eddie to finally understand the meaning of his life. I won’t reveal the ending here, you must read the ending to earn the blessing of it.

Website design By BotEap.comThis is an extremely complicated story. It forces us to examine our existence here on earth; however, the story is worth it if you have any spiritual development.

Website design By BotEap.comAlbom’s Tuesdays with Morrie was on the New York Times bestseller list for 4 years. While The Five People You Meet in Heaven reached No. 1 on the same chart, it’s a much harder read to wrap your head around. That’s why I write reviews. Unless his praises are sung by many, the voice of understanding may be silenced. Silence is an emptiness that would be unbearable.

Website design By BotEap.comPerhaps Albom’s effort could reach even more readers if he were a philosopher as well as a writer. A writer like Albom can write a beautiful sentence that a reader like me can appreciate. A philosopher can craft another sentence that immediately strikes a chord with just about everyone.

Website design By BotEap.comGreat poets often achieve this heartfelt feeling, perhaps they are also philosophers.

Website design By BotEap.comI would read this book again, and I was a better person for having read it the first time.

Website design By BotEap.comCopyright © 2007 Ed Bagley