There would hardly be any bookworm, or for that matter even an occasional reader who hasn’t read or heard at least one of these Mitch Albom books. It’s like to never have heard about The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari or The Alchemist.
I remember reading Tuesdays With Morrie more than a decade ago. And although I remember only parts of it now, it is still lodged very much in the good books to read category in the recesses of my mind.
Mitch Albom has had a very eclectic career and has worked as a piano player, a columnist, and worked other odd jobs during his college years. But his storytelling abilities have no doubt been phenomenal. Pick any of these Mitch Albom books, and I am sure you will enjoy the story as well as the hidden meaning in the fable.
Tuesday’s with Morrie
After a fairly long career, Mitch Albom’s big breakthrough came with Tuesday’s With Morrie. However, Albom’s motive for writing this book was purely altruistic. The book came out of an interview telecast of his former sociology professor – Morrie Schwartz. On knowing that the professor is battling a terminal illness, Albom reconnected with the professor and saw the book as means to pay off his teacher’s medical bills.
Tuesday’s with Morrie
Paperback: 192 pages
Publisher: Broadway Books; 10 Anv Rep edition (October 8, 2002)
ISBN: 076790592X, 978-0767905923
The book chronicles the time Albom spent with his professor every Tuesday discussing the matters of life and death. The author talks about many different things from one’s childhood to aging and death. The book received good reviews and was featured on the Oprah Winfrey Show, which also nudged it up the New York Time Bestseller’s list. However, readers found it equally good and too simplified.
The Five People You Meet in Heaven
This was another hit by Mitch Albom, released in 20013. The Five People You Meet in Heaven is a story of a maintenance man who dies in an accident and goes to heaven. We all meet many people. With some, we spend a lot of time, while others, we meet fleetingly for hours or days. However, big or small some have a profound influence on our life, while we influence some others in the same way.
The Five People You Meet in Heaven
Paperback: 196 pages
Publisher: Hachette Books; Reprint edition (April 7, 2003)
ISBN: 1401308589, 978-1401308582
The story is of such people who have influenced Eddie’s lie. As Eddie progresses through the five levels of heaven, he meets these different people that have influenced his life and him their’s in more ways than he knows. He realizes that there is a lesson to be learned from each of these encounters and people.
The First Phone Call from Heaven
Although Mitch Albom has had critics who call his writing too simplistic, there is no doubt that his simple storytelling skills have earned him more fans than critics. The First Phone Call from heaven departs from his other books which were close to memoir style of writing and cloaks the lessons under shroud of mystery.
The First Phone Call From Heaven
Paperback: 336 pages
Publisher: Harper Paperbacks; Reprint edition (October 21, 2014)
ISBN: 0062294407, 978-0062294401
The residents of a small town on Lake Michigan start receiving calls from people who have long departed. Sully Harding, a grieving father has decided to find out the truth about these calls and expose the pranksters. The author combines mystery, faith, and science all together in this engaging tale of the town and its people. And while doing this explores human nature and belief in the Almighty.
For One More Day
The grief of losing a loved one can only be fully understood after the fact. You know no one lives forever and the day can be any day. But unexpected and untimely loss can often surface feelings of being unhinged from the person, with no chance for that last communication. What would you do if you had one more day?
For One More Day
Paperback: 208 pages
Publisher: Hachette Books; Reprint edition (April 1, 2008)
ISBN: 1401309577, 978-1401309572
That is the story Mith Albom tells in For One More Day. A story of a son and his mother. A son who chooses not to be a momma’s boy. A son who is deserted by his father. A son who fails at his marriage and is shunned by his daughter. At the end of the road, the son fails to even take his own life. But in this limbo he sees his mother for one more day, who tells him things he never know, of her sacrifices that he never saw, and in this tale he gets the answers to his current predicament and the courage to live.
The Magic Strings of Frankie Presto
The storyteller returns to his first love – music. Mitch Albom was once a Piano player and performed to make ends meet. With The Magic Strings of Frankie Presto, the author reconnects with the musician within.
The Magic Strings of Frankie Presto
Paperback: 512 pages
Publisher: Harper Paperbacks; Reprint edition (November 1, 2016)
ISBN: 0062294431, 978-0062294432
The book is the story of Frankie Presto, an orphan saved from a burning church in Spanish town, and brought up by a music teacher. Destined to become a popstar, Frankie scales new heights in the music world. But he soon realizes that his gift of music has the power to affect people. Frankie crosses paths with many other musical greats of the time and talks about their experiences. The book can be a very interesting read for people who learn and play music, while or an average reader who has no background in music, the musical references can be a bit intimidating.