Books › Have a little faith
Have a little faith
First published 2009 · 467 pages
A gentle, soul-stirring meditation on the unexpected places we find grace, connection, and the courage to believe.
What it feels like
Reading this book feels like sitting in a quiet, sunlit room with a wise friend who is gently guiding you back to your own heart. The pace is steady and conversational, allowing the profound lessons of two very different spiritual leaders to unfold naturally. It carries an earnest, deeply compassionate tone, wrapping the reader in a mood of hopeful contemplation. The prose is characteristically simple and emotionally direct, stripping away theological complexity to focus on the raw, human experience of belief, redemption, and mortality. It is a deeply comforting read, perfect for anyone feeling spiritually adrift or seeking a reminder of the shared humanity that bridges our deepest divides.
- Mood
- heartwarming
- contemplative
- hopeful
- gentle
- Tone
- earnest
- reflective
- reverent
- compassionate
- uplifting
- Pace
- steady
- Themes
- the search for meaning · bridging divides · redemption and forgiveness · mortality and legacy · spiritual connection
- The writing
- Simple, conversational, and emotionally direct, relying on poignant dialogue and accessible metaphors.
- The arc
- Moves from a place of spiritual hesitation and doubt to a profound, comforting sense of universal connection and renewed faith.
- Who it's for
- Readers seeking comfort, spiritual reassurance, and gentle wisdom about human connection across differences.
Content notes
- terminal illness
- grief and loss
- past drug addiction
- poverty
About the book
What if our beliefs were not what divided us, but what pulled us together? In Have a Little Faith, Mitch Albom 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.Albom's first nonfiction book since Tuesdays with Morrie, Have a Little Faith begins with an unusual request: an eighty-two-year-old rabbi from Albom's old hometown asks him to deliver his eulogy. Feeling unworthy, Albom insists on understanding the man better, which throws him back into a world of faith he'd left years ago. Meanwhile, closer to his current home, Albom becomes involved with a Detroit pastor-a reformed drug dealer and convict-who preaches to the poor and homeless in a decaying church with a hole in its roof. Moving between their worlds, Christian and Jewish, African-American and white, impoverished and well-to-do, Albom observes how these very different men employ faith similarly in fighting for survival: the older, suburban rabbi embracing it as death approaches; the younger, inner-city pastor relying on it to keep himself and his church afloat.As America struggles with hard times and people turn more to their beliefs, Albom and the two men of God explore issues that perplex modern man: how to endure when difficult things happen; what heaven is; intermarriage; forgiveness; doubting God; and the importance of faith in trying times. Although the texts, prayers, and histories are different, Albom begins to recognize a striking unity between the two worlds-and indeed, between beliefs everywhere.In the end, as the rabbi nears death and a harsh winter threatens the pastor's wobbly church, Albom sadly fulfills the rabbi's last request and writes the eulogy. And he finally understands what both men had been teaching all along: the profound comfort of believing in something bigger than yourself.Have a Little Faith is a book about a life's purpose; about losing belief and finding it again; about the divine spark inside us all. It is one man's journey, but it is everyone's story. Ten percent of the profits from this book will go to charity, including The Hole In The Roof Foundation, which helps refurbish places of worship that aid the homeless. To contribute, visit Aholeintheroof.com.
Description from Open Library.
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