After a productive activity I had with my Psychology friends at NIU, we toured around Evanston and visited a few stores.... We found a small book store that sells books by pound and at a good price. As I was searching for books, I found the book "The Five People You Meet in Heaven". I briefly scanned the book and have found it really interesting....
The Five People You Meet in Heaven is a novel written by Mitch Albom. It secrenates both the life and death of a simple yet dignified old man, Eddie. After dying in a tragic accident, Eddie finds himself in heaven where he encounters five people who have significantly affected his life. Each of which grants a share of wisdom unto him, instilling a deeper comprehension regarding the most intimate facets of life.
Eddie meets the "Blue Man", or Joseph Corvelzchik. He is a member of a carnival freak show at Ruby Pier. Joseph Corvelzchik attained his status by using silver nitrate treatment for his nerves as a child, resulting in argyria. At first, Eddie was afraid that Joseph might seek for revenge against him after causing his death. However, it was not the case. Joseph didn't do anything to harm Eddie, but instilled one valuable lesson that all of us should always put into consideration.... "Everything we do may affect others."
The Second Person Eddie meets in heaven is the Captain, from whom he learns about sacrifice. In this chapter, the Captain tells Eddie how he died. Not only that he had stepped on a land mine while trying to get Eddie back to safety, but also, he did this to save most of his fellow comrades from the explosion. Also, the captain reveals who fired a shot to Eddie's leg during a mission, not to harm him, but to save his life...
The Third Person Eddie Meets in Heaven is Ruby, the wife of a wealthy man who built Ruby Pier many years ago. In the midst of their conversation, she shares her innermost secret.... her wish that the pier was never built... Ruby’s story reflects the idea that events before we are born still affect our lives, as do the people before us. Through sharing the story of her father, Ruby stresses the importance of forgiveness.We cannot remain angry at one other for things in the past. Although we may be under the impression that we can damage someone by upholding hatred for them, the reality is that we are harming ourselves even more than the ones we hate.
After another touching conversation with Ruby, Eddie then meets the fourth person in heaven.... his wife Marguerite. Eddie discloses everything Marguerite missed over the final 40 years of his life. Not long after, it led up to the discussion about her death. From there, Marguerite reveals another lesson to Eddie....
It is never easy to deal with the loss of a loved one, and nearly impossible to cope with the premature death of a spouse. Although life is finite, love is eternal. Marguerite explains to Eddie that even after a loved one dies, the feeling of love lives on. In the absence of a physical connection, another emotion grows stronger than before.. It will forever be stored, filled with emotions, will always be shown in a highly defined projection, sealed with the bond created by every meaningful moments.... memory.
Lastly, Eddie meets a young filipina girl, Tala, where it turns out that she was the shadow he saw in the burning hut. Eddie explains to her that he was sad because he feels as if he didn’t do anything meaningful with his life, and that he feels guilty that he wasn't able to save the girl. To this, Tala responds by sharing with him his purpose on earth. “Children. You keep them safe. You make good for me. Is where you were supposed to be...” (p. 191).
This is the first book of Mitch Albom's that I've read and I thoroughly enjoyed it. It made me think about things in a different way. It was well-written, graceful, and just an all-around good book. Such a wonderful piece of literature!
