Have a Little Faith

Author: Mitch Albom
Goodreads Rating: 4.09
My Rating: 4 Stars
Pages: 249


I found that I really enjoyed Mitch Albom's books after I read The Five People You Meet In Heaven, After that I just kept reading his books. I added this book to my Nook requests from the library, and I read it in a few days. I've been told that most of his books are tear-jerkers, and while I didn't find either of the books I previously read to make me want to cry (I haven't gotten to Tuesdays with Morrie), this one did make me tear up even though I was expecting the ending.


Goodreads synopses:


What if our beliefs were not what divided us, but what pulled us together? In "Have a Little Faith," Albom ("Tuesdays with Morrie") offers a beautifully written story of a remarkable eight-year journey between two worlds--two men, two faiths, two communities--that will inspire readers everywhere.


Click to check out my review.

As someone who also lost sight of their religion, I really enjoyed this book. It reminded me that I'm not the only one and that you can always go back. I also think that this book had a lot of important lessons that people never learn or always forget. Such as respecting other people's religions- we live in a world with so much hate an animosity between races and religious groups that to see Albom visiting both a synagogue and a church, and also pointing out the similarities between the Pastor he is hesitant to trust, and the Rabbi he grew up with.


Albom skillfully tells the story of both of these men, starting near the end for his Rabbi when "The Rab" as he is called asks Albom to be the one to write his eulogy, and starting at the beginning of the Pastor's, Henry's, life. The similarities are obvious the whole way through, and they come together nicely when Albom is told that Henry is also called "The Rab".


Henry's story was one that was truly moving. The way that he worked his way out of a lower class neighborhood into drugs and prison and again into drugs then back to prison and finally into a church as a pastor. I think Henry proved that with the right amount of inspiration, dedication and divine intervention, you could do anything. It was amazing how he would go from having thousands of dollars to not even being able to pay the electric bill for the church.


I think one of my favorite anecdote was about The Rab and the priest. After the priest made a comment (many years ago, no time period provided just long ago) to one of the Jewish worshipers (please correct me if there is a better term) saying "The Nazi's didn't get enough of you if you ask me." How crass, and of a priest no less! A Catholic priest. So to ease tensions between the two religions the men walked arm in arm in front of the Catholic school as the children were released for the day.


The Rab's acceptance of other religions was inspiring and I wish all the other ignorant people could have just a tenth of the tolerance that he showed in this book. Although I was expecting it, I still cried when he died and Albom included the eulogy that he wrote. This book was very moving and a nice short book for someone who doesn't have a lot of time.