Every time I read Mitch Albom, I go in knowing there is a hook, and each time I swallow it, hook, line and sinker. There is something about Albom’s style that is immensely readable and engaging. This book is no exception. It begins with his rabbi from his old temple coming up to him after a speech and asking a favor. “Will you do my eulogy?” Having been away from his hometown and the temple (except for the high holy days once a year), Albom is amazed at the request. Even more amazing is that he has drifted from his religion and married a gentile. He thinks about it and decides that if he is going to do it he needs to get to know the rabbi, Albert Lewis, better. Thus begins 8 years of visits, conversations, phone calls, and friendship.
At the same time, in Detroit, where Albom lives, an African-American minister, Henry Covington, is making waves in an abandoned church. He is preaching about his recovering from every kind of addiction and lawlessness, feeding and clothing the homeless, all with a huge hole in his roof and no heat. As Albom becomes more involved with both men, he comes to understand why they do what they do.
This book is less about faith in God or religion, although there are lots of stories and talk about that, and more about faith in people. Faith in the possibility for good that exists in the world and faith that with a little help the world really can change. And it’s a true story.
