"Have A Little Faith" is the second non-fiction book written by Mitch Albom, whose first memoir, "Tuesdays With Morrie", was among the the best-selling memoirs of all time. "Have A Little Faith" is the story of an eight year journey undertaken by Albom who is seeking life's purpose and is also trying to find his spiritual north again. Albom is asked to write and deliver a eulogy by a eighty-two year old rabbi from his old hometown. Albom does not know the man particularly well and not only does he feel unworthy of the task from a personal perspective but also from a spiritual one. He wants to know more about the rabbi, to understand him and understand the essence of his beliefs and the path he has trodden through life. This journey of discovery takes him back to the faith-based world that he has left a few years previously. Coincidentally it is around the same time that Albom meets a pastor in his current home, Detroit. The pastor is a reformed drug dealer and preaches in his former neighborhood where his church is falling down and its roof has holes in it; the condition of his church mirrors the condition of his congregation who are downtrodden, poor and predominantly homeless.
Albom navigates both of these worlds on his journey; Christian and Jewish, well-off and dirt poor, black and white. Yet despite the glaring differences in their circumstances, the pastor and the rabbi have much in common and both rely on their faith to survive and navigate the challenges around them.
Albom and both men get down to the fundamental questions that have both turned people away from their beliefs and shown them why their faith is more important than ever in such tumultuous and difficult times. The history of their faiths is very different yet they find common ground. Their prayers and texts are also different yet strikingly similar in their purpose and application in our lives. As the journey nears its end, Albom realizes that their is a similarity between the majority of beliefs and what at first might seem to separate us ultimately binds us together. As the rabbi bears his death Albom does indeed prepare his eulogy and in doing so realizes that both men were right in their conviction that there is much comfort in one's beliefs.
Albom was not only inspired to write a eulogy after his journey of faith; inspired by the pastor, he donates ten per cent of the book's profits the The Hole in the Roof Foundation which refurbishes places of worship whose congregation includes and helps the homeless. Albom lives in Detroit with his wife, and works as a journalist and screenwriter, also co-hosting the popular ESPN sports show "The Sports Reporters."
The book was adapted into a television movie and aired on November 27, 2011. It starred Laurence Fishburne, Anika Noni Rose, and Bradley Whitford. This adaptation received an audience rating on 42% on popular movie review site “Rotten Tomatoes”.
