Book 19 - For One More Day - Mitch Albom

Another book from my favourite author of all time, and a man that is continuing to have a profound impact on my life. He is the man, and I have a platonic man crush on him. He rocks.

This really is a great read, and the key message from the book is that "every adult male should love and cherish their mother more" (me included).

Now, when I started these blogs, I said I would never use the blurb from the web to describe the book, and I would do it in my own words, but on this occasion, I have decided to do that, as when I was doing a search for more information on Mitch Albom, I found the attached blurb at http://mitchalbom.com/books/node/3873:

For One More Day is the story of a mother and a son, and a relationship that covers a lifetime and beyond. It explores the question: What would you do if you could spend one more day with a lost loved one?

 

As a child, Charley “Chick” Benetto was told by his father, “You can be a mama’s boy or a daddy’s boy, but you can’t be both.” So he chooses his father, only to see the man disappear when Charley is on the verge of adolescence.

 

Decades later, Charley is a broken man. His life has been crumbled by alcohol and regret. He loses his job. He leaves his family. He hits bottom after discovering his only daughter has shut him out of her wedding. And he decides to take his own life.

 

He makes a midnight ride to his small hometown, with plans to do himself in. But upon failing even to do that, he staggers back to his old house, only to make an astonishing discovery. His mother -- who died eight years earlier -- is still living there, and welcomes him home as if nothing ever happened.

 

Albom has said his relationship with his own mother was largely behind the story of the book, and that several incidents in “For One More Day” are actual events from his childhood. 

 

I think the real reason that I am taking the easy way out on this blog, is that I found the official Mitch Albom web site, and instead of doing more work on this blog, in my words, I am going to spend that time contacting Mitch and let him know that his books are just amazing, and that he has had a major impact on my life. I can safely say that I am a changed man from reading his books, and if doing this blog has done nothing else, it has introduced me to his works, which I am thankful for.

 

4.75 out of 5 for this one, not as good as several of his other books, but way better than most on the book shelves.

 

Life is a funny thing. I actually bought Tuesdays with Morrie (his first best seller) at a second hand book store in Perth. I went in there one day to buy a book, I was in a hurry, I picked that book up and started reading. I could not put it down. I read it in a day, as I have his other books. The last one that I just read, Have a Little Faith actually took me two days, so I was a little slow on that one. Watch this space for a blog about that one.