Have a Little Faith: A True Story

In this memoir, Mitch Albom explores what happens when beliefs unite rather than divide people. The narrative spans eight years and follows two parallel relationships: with an eighty-two-year-old rabbi from Albom's hometown who asks him to deliver his eulogy, and with a Detroit pastor—a former drug dealer and convict—who ministers to the poor and homeless in a church with a hole in its roof. Feeling unprepared for the rabbi's request, Albom reconnects with a world of faith he had abandoned. As he moves between these two men's lives—one Jewish and suburban, one Christian and inner-city—he observes how they both use faith to confront life's challenges: the older rabbi as he faces death, and the younger pastor as he sustains himself and his struggling congregation. The book examines life's purpose, the loss and recovery of belief, and the spiritual dimension present in all people. While centered on Albom's personal journey, it speaks to universal human experience.