Our last book of the year was Mitch Albom’s The Next Person You Meet in Heaven.
Most of us had read Albom’s first book The Five People You Meet in Heaven, and we thought it would be a great book to finish the year on. The sequel picks up with Annie, the young girl who Eddie saved with his own life at the amusement park where he worked.
Annie’s life story isn’t pretty. And her hardships and her desire to find love and acceptance are sad. She’s bullied about her mangled hand, and at every corner she faces another challenge that she steadfastly deals with. But she does find love and is very happy until…
Ron Charles, Critic for Book World wrote in his critique for The Washington Post, “That this sportswriter should become our national correspondent on the afterlife is perhaps the best proof we have that God works in mysterious ways. But America has always been thirsty for sugary elixirs of spirituality diluted in platitudes. We are truly people touched by an angel — or at least by its dust.” Charles isn’t a fan.
Our book club saw the sentimentality in the book, but the book gave us a chance to talk about religion. One of the three no’s for polite conversation. After our book club appeared on CNN on their voter panels before the midterm election, religion didn’t scare us so much anymore.
Politics was definitely a strained conversation in comparison to religion. We talked about our beliefs. Whether we believe in heaven, hell and the afterlife. The majority of book club is Christian with one Atheist and one Agnostic thrown in to make it a little more interesting. You would think that everyone’s viewpoint would be similar, but that wasn’t the case. Some of the ladies read bibles daily, go to church a few times a week, and even go to religious retreats. Some only attend church on the holidays, but they do believe in a higher power. There were a few raised eyes and a few “are you kidding,” but for the most part we have it enlightening.
Albom believes every life matters and so do we. The book will create some good discussions in book club, as long as you listen without judging another’s belief because you may learn something new or a different take on something. I’d say it open my eyes a bit in a surprising and wonderful way.
Enjoy!
Rating: 7.0
