Have a Little Faith, by Mitch Albom

Several years ago, I persuaded a young lady to investigate the pharmaceutical business then proceeded to help her get a job with my company. As a gesture of gratitude for my assistance, she presented me a copy of a new book called Tuesdays with Morrie, by Mitch Albom. The personal inscription said: Christmas 1998, Thank you for your guidance. This young lady is still with our company and has risen through the ranks to a position of prominence at our corporate headquarters. I, on the other hand, have barely managed to keep afloat and face the daily prospect of being compelled to retire. (The last sentence is not entirely true and anyway, I digress.)

I had neither heard of Tuesdays with Morrie nor its author when given the book, and began reading more out of courtesy than interest. It didn’t take long to discover that this book was a treasure. By the time I finished Tuesdays with Morrie, I felt I had been given an exceptional gift and resolved to read it at least once a year to revisit the great wisdom within its pages.

When Mitch Albom’s next book, The Five People You Meet in Heaven, came out 5 years later, I immediately bought a copy—no doubt motivated at least in part by the fact that I hadn’t read Tuesdays once since the first time. Five People was also a life-changing read—at least for a week or two. Later, when the book was made into a movie for TV, I watched it and then bought the DVD. I was certain I could at least watch the movie once a year … Oh well.

Albom’s latest book was just released at the end of last month and it’s a good thing because his work contains the type of inspirational material that everyone should reflect upon at least every 5 years—and having a new title is a great reminder. Have a Little Faith is similar to Tuesdays with Morrie in that it’s the true story of Albom’s relationship with an aging and respected mentor; in this case, Albert Lewis, the Rabbi of his temple congregation while growing up in New Jersey. But different from Tuesdays, Have a Little Faith recounts the author’s spiritual journey as well. His is a story that is sure to resonate with those who have lost their own way on the road trip of life.

Have a Little Faith features another central character, Henry Covington. Young Henry is a downright nasty ghetto hoodlum that grows up to be an even nastier adult hoodlum. While in fear of being hunted down and shot by the drug dealers he has just ripped off, Henry pleads with God to save him and promises to devote his life to Jesus if he is spared. Henry keeps his promise and is currently the pastor of an inner city church in Detroit. It could easily be called The Church of Abject Poverty for both Henry and his congregants, but that’s the beauty of it. What the Reverend Covington does, he does for the right reasons and not for the pride of the world or money. At the time of publication, Henry’s congregation was meeting in a dilapidated church that required a tarp on the roof to keep the rain from pouring through a hole. Inspired by Henry’s situation, Albom has dedicated ten percent of the profits from the sales of Have a Little Faith to support charitable organizations—including the Hole in the Roof Foundation—which help rebuild places of worship to aid the homeless.

Like all of Mitch Albom’s books, Have a Little Faith is compact, shall we say. It can easily be read in one sitting and is well worth the investment of time. I highly recommend this book and fully intend to add it to my list of books to read again sometime before I die. I might even pay it forward and give a copy to a deserving friend as a gesture of gratitude. In the meantime I’ll keep an eye out for Mitch Albom’s next faith based book which if the pattern holds, should come out in about 2014.