The Next Person You Meet in Heaven (The Five People You Meet in Heaven) by Mitch Albom #thenextpersonyoumeetinheaven @MitchAlbom #harper #hope #love #loss @absltmom

     “Joy is the serious business of heaven.”  (C.S. Lewis)

I have managed to finish another book on this Friday. It was a short one but as many know it is not always the long books that carry a message, but those that make every word count. So, here is my review of the book,

I was once told in a college Philosophy course that we, as humans are made of energy. The professor then went on to say that energy can never be destroyed and asked us to form our own conclusions about what he had just said. As I read The Next Person You Meet in Heaven, I could not help but recall that professor and his words.

Perhaps we would all like to believe, well probably more to know, the existence of an afterlife, one where are joys would be unending and our sorrows and mistakes left behind. This is the place that Mitch Albom created for a girl named Annie and as he takes us through her life with its sadness and misunderstandings, its hurts and recriminations. In Annie, we might possibly see our own life. We have all made mistakes, sins we would rather not remember, but they are there and at times we beat ourselves up as they flash through our minds and we think how awful we were.

As Annie learns, we can be forgiven. There are reasons why we are here that perhaps we never really thought about. There are people we have come across perhaps for only a minute of time that we have affected in a most positive manner and just like Annie we need to forgive ourselves. While we might have done bad things, we also might have done really wonderful things as well.

I do appreciate this most uplifting book. Sometimes a book can just be what you need and in this case with all the hatred and cruelty that seem to surround us today, this book offered me, along with a few tears, a port in a storm. There is never anything wrong with a book that gives you hope. Thank you Mr Albom for making me realize that.

   Mitchell David Albom (born May 23, 1958) is an American author, journalist, screenwriter, dramatist, radio and television broadcaster, and musician. His books have sold over 39 million copies worldwide. Having achieved national recognition for sports writing in the earlier part of his career, he is perhaps best known for the inspirational stories and themes that weave through his books, plays, and films. Albom lives with his wife Janine Sabino in Detroit, Michigan.