Book 20 - Have a little faith - Mitch Albom

Well, I got a reply from Mitch - it was short and sweet:

Hi Anton,



Thanks so much for your kind words.

I am glad they were able to acknowledge the email. I have responded to say thank you for replying.

Book 20 - Have a Little Faith - Mitch Albom

Well, another book from Mitch out of the way. I think I have read them all, now. This one also did not fail to disappoint. It was a great read, and one that has caused me to think deeply about my life, my faith and my legacy.

There were so many great features of this book, though the one that stands out for me was when he asks his Rabi about happiness, and what really does it mean to be truly happy. The reply that he got was simply "to be grateful, when you are grateful, you are happy". Love it. How simple, but how true.

Now, again, as with my last blog, I am going to use the blurb from Mitch's web site, to tell the story of the book, but before I do that, here is a message that I sent Mitch, to say hi, and to say thank you ...

Hi Mitch,

I am an Aussie who picked up one of your books in a second hand shop in Perth (Tuesdays with Morrie). I read it in a day, as I have all of your other books, which I purchased as soon as I had read the first one. I have loved all your books, and I just wanted to say thank you for all of the stories, for the challenges, for the stimulation and for the tears.

You are an amazing author, and you have some great stories to tell. Keep up the great work, and I wish you all the best.

PS, I just finished reading Have a Little Faith, and like the others, it was a great read. It has prompted me to spend more time with my parish priest and to discuss the finer points of the teachings of my faith.
Thanks again. Love your work.

I hope to receive a reply.

Here is the blurb about the book:

Albom’s first nonfiction book since Tuesdays with Morrie, Have A Little Faith begins with an unusual request: an 82-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, Mitch 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, Mitch 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 realize 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 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.  

4.75 out of 5 again, just go and read it.

I will let you know if Mitch replies.

See you soon.

Jimmy A

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.

Book 17 - The Five People You Meet in Heaven - Mitch Albom

Look, do not go another day without reading this book. It is just fantastic. I loved it. It was amazing, and now it is the best book that I have read. I loved it. Mitch Albom is my favourite author, by far, and I think I might have a slight man crush on him (in a platonic way, of course).

This book is about his uncle, who dies, and meets five people as he enters into Heaven. I am not going to spoil the story for you, by telling you about it, suffice to say that the five people are special people from his life, and each one is there to give his uncle a key message about the life that he lead on earth.

See, Mitch's uncle was a maintenance man at a theme park, and he worked there well past his retirement years. He died doing a great deed, though he never ever really accepted the value that he added to the world during the course of his life - that was until he met five people on his way to heaven.

Look, I asked my wife to read this book, and she was not as taken by it as I was, but I just loved it. I read it in a day, and I cried on the plane, as I was reading it. Loved it.

I have since read another Mitch book, and have got another on the list, too.

Watch this space, or go to www.antonguinea.com.au for motivational products.

5 out of 5 for this book.

Book 14 - Tuesdays with Morrie - an old man, a young man and life's greatest lessons

Finally, after 14 books, I have found one that I just could not put down. It contains 189 pages of great reading, and I got through it in one day. Not only could I not put it down, but I thought it is potentially the best book that I have ever read (now, I tend to say that a lot, if you know me), but this one is just a pearler, and I would encourage you to get out and get yourself a copy. Then, take on board Morrie's thoughts and implement them into your own life. In short, Morrie rocks. He was a fantastic individual, and he had some great messages for the world. Here is a summary of the book.

Mitch Albom was a university student and under the tutor of a career professor, Morrie Schwartz. Morrie was a Sociology professor, and was well versed in all things to do with interpersonal relationships. Morrie used to take the time to speak with his students, to make sure they were wall coping and to ensure that they had all understood the messages that he wanted to impart on them. Mitch, on graduating, had developed a close relationship with Morrie, and e gave Morrie an embossed brief case as a thank you gift, when he graduated from college. He also said that he would keep in touch - which unfortunately, he never did.

It was not until about 20 years later, when Mitch was about 37 (my current age), that he again made contact with Morrie. Mitch saw an interview on Television with Morrie, and the interview was about how Morrie had contracted ALS (a degenerative disease), and how the disease would, over a period of about 5 year, take Morrie's life in a slow, very painful and very inhumane way. The disease kills muscles and nerves, so it slowly stops the body from functioning. It starts in the lower limbs and works its way up, until it gets to the lungs and stops them from functioning. Death then comes quickly.

So, in the ensuing 20 years, Mitch had become very successful, as a journalist, and when he saw the interview, he contacted Morrie to request an interview. From that first interview, Mitch travelled the 700 miles (one way) to chat with his old mentor on Tuesdays for the coming months, up until Morrie finally passed away. Mitch spent the last few months with Morrie, who was always extremely positive about life, and felt himself lucky to have had such a great life and a great family (a loving wife of nearly 50 years and two sons who adored him). He needed constant care, though was always smiling.

Mitch used to meet Morrie on Tuesdays during college, when he was working on his thesis, and again they were meeting on Tuesdays. Morrie said that they were 'Tuesday people', as they functioned better on Tuesdays. Morrie loved the idea of writing a book from the Tuesday discussions and even allowed a tape recorder to be used, so that Mitch would not forget anything.

Every Tuesday, they covered a different topic, from family, to emotions, to fear of aging, to forgiveness, and a range of other important life issues.

Over the course of 14 visits, Morrie slowly passed away, and Mitch slowly got life messages that he could not have got elsewhere. Now, I won't try to give you all of Morrie's messages here, as I won't do them justice, but one that jumped out at me was how Morrie "mourned his dwindling time, but cherished the chance it gave him to make things right".

Finally, Morrie passed away, although he had his funeral while he was still alive (very unique). Morrie wanted to be buried in a nice spot, under a tree, and he asked Mitch to come and visit him. He said that Mitch would be able to do all the talking then, and Morrie would listen. On his first visit to Morrie resting place, Mitch spoke to Morrie ... "I tried doing that in my head and, to my happiness, found the imagined conversation felt almost natural. I looked down at my hands, saw my watch and realized why. It was Tuesday."

Look, this was an amazing book - if you only read one book in your life, make it this one. It was amazing.

5 out of 5 from Jimmy for Tuesdays with Morrie. Loved it.

Until next time, keep reading.

Jimmy A