Part melodrama and part parable, Mitch Albom's The Five People You Meet in Heaven weaves together three stories, all told about the same man: 83-year-old Eddie, the head maintenance person at Ruby Point Amusement Park. As the novel opens, readers are told that Eddie, unsuspecting, is only minutes away from death as he goes about his typical business at the park. Albom then traces Eddie's world through his tragic final moments, his funeral, and the ensuing days as friends clean out his apartment and adjust to life without him. In alternating sections, Albom flashes back to Eddie's birthdays, telling his life story as a kind of progress report over candles and cake each year. And in the third and last thread of the novel, Albom follows Eddie into heaven where the maintenance man sequentially encounters five pivotal figures from his life (a la A Christmas Carol). Each person has been waiting for him in heaven, and, as Albom reveals, each life (and death) was woven into Eddie's own in ways he never suspected. Each soul has a story to tell, a secret to reveal, and a lesson to share. Through them Eddie understands the meaning of his own life even as his arrival brings closure to theirs.

Albom takes a big risk with the novel; such a story can easily veer into the saccharine and preachy, and this one does in moments. But, for the most part, Albom's telling remains poignant and is occasionally profound. Even with its flaws, The Five People You Meet in Heaven is a small, pure, and simple book that will find good company on a shelf next to It's A Wonderful Life. --Patrick O'Kelley

Plot Eddie is a wounded war veteran, an old man who has lived, in his mind, an uninspired life. His job is fixing rides at a seaside amusement park. On his 83rd birthday, a tragic accident kills him, as he tries to save a little girl from a falling cart. He awakes in the afterlife, where he learns that heaven is not a destination. It's a place where your life is explained to you by five people, some of whom you knew, others who may have been strangers. One by one, from childhood to soldier to old age, Eddie's five people revisit their connections to him on earth, illuminating the mysteries of his "meaningless" life, and revealing the haunting secret behind the eternal question: "Why was I here?" Personal Details Collection Status In Collection Index 10 Read It Yes Links Amazon US Product Details LoC Classification PS3601.L335F59 2003 Dewey 813/.6

I had heard that this book was excellent, but I had no idea what to expect. I had my own ideas, but it was nothing like I predicted. This tale is thoughful and elegant. It made me revel in the connectedness of all humans. Albom did an excellent job of crafting a story that will be touching for generations to come. This book isn't very long, but it is full of sentiment and lessons about how life may not seem fair, but there is always a plan. It's a must read.

The Five People You Meet in Heaven by Mitch Albom is a heartwarming story of an old men Eddie who had a humdrum job and with no outstanding personal characteristics. He dies trying to save a little girls life and awakens in Heaven to find five people waiting to show him the true meaning of his ordinary life. Through these five people we learn what really matters in our life back here on earth.
There is a beautiful new book about God , faith and what you will do after death entitled "The Enlightenment, What God Told Me After One Million Prayers: A Message for Everyone," by John H. Eagan. I just finished it. It's really great and deals with God, the creator, Jesus' teachings, and His Passion. It brought me to tears. I think the readers of Albom's book will really enjoy The Enlightenment.

Well written, readable and thought provoking. I've recommended it to others. What more can I say.

This book may be a bit simplistic, but if you ever think about the legacy that you leave on this earth. Read this book. Good times and bad times all mean something to you and those around even when you don't know it.

I read this shortly after my mom died, and I must say, it was very therapeutic, even if it were just fiction. It really made me consider death differently; that she was okay...in a better place. Later, I offered it to a friend who'd also lost a parent, and she felt the same way. It really helped her through the entire ordeal.

I can't thank Albom enough for that. I've been a fan of his since his early sports writing days. I've read all his books thus far. Considering what I'd just said, you can only imagine how much I enjoyed: For One More Day. My mom died of a massive heart attack, so I never got a chance to say good-bye, let alone make amends. I'd give anything 'for one more day' with her. =/

~Chad Clegg - Author of: The Domino Effect