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
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