Mitch Albom visits book stores around the Oakland County area
By Monica Drake
I met Mitch Albom on Sunday, November 29 in Royal Oak at a book signing for his latest book “Have a Little Faith.”
“We need more young journalists,” Albom said.
The Barnes and Noble in Royal Oak is one of 13 stops Albom will be making this Christmas season in Michigan alone.
Albom is a journalist and best-selling author who moved to Detroit in 1985. He is a sports journalist for the Detroit Free Press and is known for his witty editorials on Sundays. But what really made Albom famous and a household name was his book “Tuesdays with Morrie,” which is the bestselling memoir of all time.
When Albom arrived to the book signing, he thanked everyone for coming out and announced that any elderly and disabled people were welcome to come to the front of the line. Before others in line could start groaning, Albom reminded the younger and healthier fans that this is what the holiday season is about – letting those less fortunate go ahead of us.
Coincidently, he also teaches this lesson in his latest novel “Have a Little Faith,” which was released in September. “Have a Little Faith” combines the stories of Albert Lewis, Albom’s childhood Jewish rabbi also known as the “Reb,” and Henry Covington, a Christian pastor who changed his life around after his previous drug addiction.
In this book, Albom delves head first into topics that many of us find too uncomfortable to talk about – charity, faith, death and the afterlife.
The book starts out with the question: “Will you do my eulogy?” Albom’s reverend from his youth was suffering from cancer and wanted Albom, who had long since moved away from his hometown, to do his eulogy.
“Picture the man who sends people off to heaven, asking you for his send-off to heaven,” Albom wrote.
As a child, Albom was always afraid of the Reb, who reminded him of a giant. Since his childhood, Albom stopped going to church, but he still revered and mostly feared the Reb. “Have a Little Faith” is about how Albom learned about the Reb as a person instead of an imposing force. He was a man who wore mismatched clothes and sandles with socks, a man who made time for every congregation member, and a man who would rather spend money on others than on himself. In his book, Albom recalls the questions he asked the Reb during his last years. I think these are questions that many of us have pondered within our lives. At least I know I have. Albom asked him questions like: How does love last? How do you prevent being forgotten after death? What makes a person happy? Why do bad things happen to good people? And why do you believe in God when so many people stop believing?
The other half of the book is about Covington. Detroit is Albom’s home, and he wanted to help someone within his own community. Covington’s church, Trumbull Avenue Presbyterian Church, had a hole in the ceiling and no heat. Many homeless Detroiters depended on the church as a place to sleep at night. Albom wanted to help, but it took him a long time to trust Covington instead of concentrating on his past.
“You are not your past,” Covington said in one of his sermons.
One of my favorite quotes in his book is, “[Reb] never, even in private, even in old age, tried to bully another belief, or bad-mouth someone else’s devotion. And I realized I had been a bit of a coward on this whole faith thing. I should have been more proud, less intimidated. I shouldn’t have bitten my tongue. If the only think wrong with Moses is that he’s not yours; if the only thing wrong with Jesus is that he’s not yours; if the only thing wrong with mosques, Lent, chanting, Mecca, Buddha, confession, or reincarnation is that they’re not yours – well, maybe the problem is you.”
It seems that many people in this world today have either been criticized for what they believe in or have criticized others for their beliefs. Albom, instead, researches other religions instead of judging them. He writes about the melting pot of beliefs in the world as a blessing instead of a curse. And this was a very refreshing idea, and something we all should think about. What gives people the right to judge and ridicule other’s beliefs?
Albom still has 11 more stops in his Michigan book tour, so if you missed him in Royal Oak, you still have more chances to meet him and receive his autograph. For more information on Albom, visit www.mitchalbom.com.
Mitch Albom’s Tour Dates
• Saturday, December 5 at 1 p.m. – Costco in Bloomfield
• Tuesday, December 8 at 7:30 p.m. – Borders in Farmington Hills
• Wednesday, December 9 at 7:30 p.m. – Barnes & Noble in Allen Park
• Thursday, December 10 at 7:30 p.m. – Borders in Brighton
• Saturday, December 12 at 11 a.m. – Sam’s Club in Canton
• Saturday, December 12 at 2 p.m. – Barnes & Noble in Rochester Hills
• Tuesday, December 15 at 7:30 p.m. – Borders in Gross Pointe
• Saturday, December 19 at 2 p.m. – Borders Express in Auburn Hills
• Monday, December 21 at 7:30 p.m. – Borders in Birmingham
• Tuesday, December 22 at 7:30 p.m. – Borders in Utica
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