The Five People You Meet in Heaven

Just coming off a recent read of "A Forgotten Man" by J. Pepper Bryars - which touched me deeply - and left me grieving for the 'middle class' in America - at the hands of an out-of-control Government Leviathan - in a very sad sort of way. I found this wonderful story, this simple, touching and inventive view by Mitch Albom - an author - with a vivid imagination - of a fictional heaven - where ones life, their purpose and their interconnection with the world and their fellow human beings is explained to them - through a series of story telling by those (selected by someone else - unexplained - God Maybe) who (known or unknown) were affected by one's life or that affected the main character's life throughout his or her life experiences quite refreshing. Where decisions, actions and/or inaction in various ways along their path made a big difference in that persons adventure, successes and failures. It was like medication for the previous books negative implications. In fact it was restorative, invigorating and solemnly calming for my inner soul. FIVE People You Meet in Heaven touches you at a level that causes one to think "Hmm, so that could have been me on this or that day." Or "wow who would the 5 individuals be in my life?". And about Mid Book you begin pondering, contemplating, questioning yourself and remembering people, events, dates, important occasions, career choices/changes, survival situations and narrow escapes and the like - wondering - whom your list would include. Was it this guy or that guy or this family member or that - or was it that coworker and on and on to infinity about the countless people you have brushed up against in your life. It is delightfully fun to try to go back and come up with a worthy list of names that would make you the person you are today, or find that special event which put you in the situations you were in or are in now, or the position or career you are holding now and on and on. And as this only happens when you die - you being wondering also "How That Might Now Happen To You! And for what reason or purpose?". As I said it is delightfully fun to ponder all these and just 'go with it'. And the negateers and naysayers or those condemning souls who simply trashed this and every book like it have to be those anti-religious bigots or upset by 'everything morally based' or the 'hate the concept of heaven' list or the 'only government is my God' list or some other such nonsense. They have a sort of ingrained Neanderthal-like anti-intellectual problem of negtiavism in the wrong enviornment syndrome sort of thing. This is not a political book or a social engeneering book, it is fiction, fun and challenging your imagination stuff. It is sad that they simply cannot enjoy a fun thought provoking book when they see one. Sad, just sad. This book is pure and simply fun, thought provoking and challenging throughout - I was halfway through the book when asked - what it was about. In attempting to explain it up to that point and only having read about the first three entities and encounters - I found it was easier thought about - than explained and trying to tie it all together without reading it all - made it difficult. I explained my deductions one way. But by the time I finished reading this exceptional book/story and read the last page. I realized I had been snookered by the brilliance of the authors tapestry weaving. And I was caught completely off guard and found the truth at the end was something completely different than what I imagined at the middle of my reading. Which caused me to instantly review mentally the entire story over again - to find where my error was made - at guessing the outcome incorrectly. I found it - and I wonder if others will as well. I loved it. I applaud the author for giving me a great read, an easy read and a spellbinding read and a mental puzzle to ponder that made me keep the book close by - to pick it up whenever I could. Surprisingly I began on a Saturday about noon on a road trip and finished it at my Granddaughters Birthday Party the very next day - so I could pass it on to a friend of the family - who had expressed an interest in it when he saw it on the table next to me. If you look to condemn - I am sure someone can - but I found it intriguing, fascinating and meaningful at a number of levels. Of course the most significant contemplation I had while enjoying this literary ride - was in real life if this were true - there could actually be a dozen or two dozen or scores of people or even more - in every person's life - who significantly affected in some way each of our lives similarly to the characters in this meaningful work. Something think about - no doubt. My congrats to Mr. Albom. JPL

Such a beautiful book. Captures the many emotions we feel around life, death and the in between. We all have value despite our own feelings of insignificance. I love how quick this book reads and is so difficult to put down. Honestly, a top five book of mine now I plan to share.

Answers our hopes for clearances, and truths. When it all makes some sense. When we finally find solace. The book serves as a transit help to our next chapter.

In many ways, The Five People You Meet in Heaven is a simple little book; as is so often the case, the most profound of answers are revealed most clearly in the simplest of explanations. This is not a book about heaven in a religious sense; the truths it establishes are to be found right here in our own lives: every life has a purpose, every person and every action is related, and while you may not be able to discern it now, it all makes sense in the end. Eddie represents all of us to some degree. Looking back on his life with regret over all the things he should have done or not done, he is almost a ghost of himself. Since the death of his wife, he has basically gone through the motions, working at the same job his father worked before him, dealing with the bad dreams brought on by his wartime experience, watching his body deteriorate to the point that he can barely get around, waiting for nothing, feeling nothing but regret. He always wanted to get away from his father and live an entirely different sort of life, yet he wound up taking over his father's job, living in the same building, failing to achieve any of the hopes and dreams he embraced so tightly as a young man. His wife was his only anchor, and she has been dead a long time now. When we first meet Eddie, he is about to die. The end is just another beginning, however, and we learn the story of Eddie's life as the novel progresses. Heaven is not what he expected; he finds no peace here at all. Happiness cannot come without understanding, however, and five people are waiting to explain Eddie's life to him. They include people he barely knew or did not know at all, yet he soon learns what a huge influence he had in their earthly lives. Each one imparts to Eddie a lesson he must learn in order to find peace. I won't describe who the five people are or what they tell him; but I will say that the overall message is a really touching and significant one. Understanding is not a pain-free process, but it leads to the complete unburdening of Eddie's soul. The ending was nothing short of beautiful. It would have been easy to sit back and let an overly sappy conclusion ruin the whole story, but Albom does not let that happen. While this is a great and rewarding read, some readers will never give themselves fully to the story and will thus wonder what the big deal about this book is. For many, though, The Five People You Meet in Heaven will provide an important level of comfort and inspiration for those who see only a past of regrets and no future. We all sometimes wonder why we are here and whether it's even worth going on day after meaningless, monotonous day. This book does not provide the definitive answer to such profound questions, but it does provide an answer - and it is a comforting one.

It’s a wonderful read and answers questions as to why things happened on earth to the people entering heaven.

I’ve read many of Mitch Album’s books and loved most and have named him my favorite author for a very long time! However, this book just wore me out & I found myself falling asleep and forgetting what I had read!! I did finely love the ending as always and could see how each of the 5 people had to tell their stories to make his book what it was, but it was just a way too long time getting there for me, so I could only give this one 3 stars! However, I will still continue to read more of his books and will continue to love his work and love his endings!!

This book was just the right length. It was interesting and thought provoking. I loved the thought that so many of us are interconnected.

I heard about this book from an English teacher who said it was good. so I gave it a shot and was very happy at what I found. Here are some key aspects of the book: -Readability- there are only 200 pages which I was able to read in a day and a half. this was both due to interest level and ease of reading. There are flashbacks, however they are easily separated through the use of italicized text to avoid confusion. Chapters focus on a single topic therefore they allow the reader to focus on only one element. Overall not a difficult read and it was certainly an enjoyable one. -Plot- As you can probably conclude from the title the main plot line is the main character (Eddie) making his way through 5 people from his life, However the way these people were chosen and why he meets them is amazing to read about and creates some deep thoughts about life for myself. All but one of the characters are completely unexpected and add another dimension to Eddie. In addition to this plotline there is also one about Eddie's life on earth and some other sub plots including life after his death. in conclusion it is a great plot that is unexpected and entertaining. -cons- the only bad thing I can say is that I wish there was more. I wanted to know more about many aspects of the book. I feel like another 20-50 pages would have been nice. but it leaves a little room for imagination in the reader. conclusion: I would recommend this book to many people of all walks of life. contrary to what you might believe it is very minimally about anything Biblical. It was fun to read and hard to put down.

Really nice story

I've never written a book review before, but this one kept me utterly hooked until the very last page. One moment I was sobbing uncontrollably, the next smiling through tears, then shocked into silence sometimes all at once. I never imagined a single book could unleash such a whirlwind of emotions, but this masterpiece did just that. What a ride I absolutely loved it! If you're craving a story that grips your heart and refuses to let go, pick this up now. 5/5 stars.

Very easy to read and enjoyable book

Loved the book!

I have only ever cried at two books and this is one of them. Don't get me wrong the content is amazing and that is why I was brought to tears; not through sadness, but almost a love and empathy for/with the main character and his struggle through heaven. I read it in three hours and will definitely read it again before the year is out. There's something lovely about a book that broaches the subject of death with an intelligent and throught-provoking manner, that allows you to alter your own thoughts and pre-occupations with the things a lot of us fear; dying alone and without accomplishment. I have already recommended this to many friends and strangers. It doesn't take long to read as it's so easy to engage with each and every word. Not once was I confused or bored with the story or the way it was written. A beautiful book, give it a go if you'd like to hear a lovely story of how an old man finds his worth, why his life did make it's imprint on the world and how the world made it's imprint on him. P.S. The other book I cried at was Flowers For Algernon, another thought provoking read that completely takes over your emotions, during and after reading the book. Very similar reads in the way they leave you with a "happy-sadness".