So, I’m having a cup of tea with Mitch Albom…what would you ask him if you were me? *plus* book giveaway!
Mitch wrote Tuesdays with Morrie, the most successful memoir every published in the world. He’s in Australia this week and I’m meeting with him tomorrow to talk about, well, I’m hoping you might be able to help me out with what I ask him because I’m not in the most insightful mood today. Suggestions?
UPDATE: WIN!!!! I’ve secured 3 copies of Mitch’s new book, Have a Little Faith. I’d love to give them away to three readers who help me out with some great, tender questions. Nothing too complicated or fancy. Add your comments below. (thanks to Sassisam for organising the books!).
If you were in my shoes, what would you want to know about faith, forgiveness, death? Or the art of selling 28 million books in one’s lifetime!!!
His new book Have a Little Faith is about belief and religion. In it he looks at why we turn to faith more and more at the moment…Your thoughts?
I pulled this quote from p176. It has a lovely, melancholy, still, true ring to it:
I walked a mile with Pleasure;
She chatted all the way;
But left me none the wiser
For all she had to say.
I walked a mile with Sorrow,
And ne’er a word said she;
But, oh! The things I learned from her,
When Sorrow walked with me.
Most of us have had discussions about the way they’d like to die. One common thought is that it would be best to live a long, healthy life and then die suddenly in one’s sleep.
Given a choice, do you think Morrie would have taken that route instead of the path he traveled?
Hey Sarah,
Am looking forward to hearing how your interview with Mitch goes, my question for Mitch is ‘how do we keep the faith when times are tough?’ By faith I mean whatever ‘faith’ we believe in, whether it’s religious or spiritual or whatever. How do we rise above those challenges and keep believing in ourselves and trusting especially when they have gone on far too long and no end in sight seems to be near?
And as a sport’s writer, did you have any idea that you would lead this ‘double life’? Or something like that, I know you know what I mean
Sam
Hi Sarah,
I would love to hear Mitch’s opinion on: why people still have faith when religion can cause so much heartache through judgment (such as inequality for gays/women etc) and holy wars?
Janine
I loved Have A Little Faith! It was a great, inspiring read. I reviewed it last week, and it will stay with my for a long time.
I loved Tuesdays with Morrie. So sad but so inspiring. I also loved The Five People You Meet in Heaven which was a little darker and more haunting.
My question for Mitch on having faith (the non-religious kind) would be: how does he practice having faith daily himself? What habits or rituals does he employ, if any?
Paul.
Hi Sarah, 2 questions for Mitch:
1. Describe your relationship with God.
2. On a lighter note, what surprised you when you hung out with Springsteen?
Trust the interview goes well & look forward to reading it in a future edition..
Cheers..Ian
Hey Sarz,
Oprah Winfrey seems to really dig his work; she’s been plugging him on her show for years and turning his books into movies. So why not ask him what’s Oprah like in person?
p.s. I’m so tender and insightful – lol
Hello Miss Wilson
“Tuesdays with Morrie” and “For One More Day” really got my heart-strings strumming.
The question I have kind of combines both of these books. I would ask Mitch, after all the Tuesdays he spent with Morrie, was there anything left unsaid?
Thanks,
Marcus
not really tender wuestions but I am interested to know…
what book is he reading at the moment?
what authors/ books inspired him to write?
I am a huge fan of ‘Tuesdays with Morrie’, if I met Mitch Albom I would ask..
“Do you think you would have recovered as well with your loved ones loss without writing Tuesdays with Morrie? Do you have any advice for others who have lost a loved one and are still grieving?”
thank you thank you thank you everyone for these. I’ll be back in touch to send out books xx
Hi Sarah,
I absolutely loved Tuesdays with Morrie and The Five People You Meet in Heaven, especially the former.
I don’t have a question per se, but I would love Mitch to elaborate on Morrie’s adage of creating your own culture, building your own community. Actually a question I do have is:
– What did Mitch do to change his own life after Morrie’s death? Not in terms of his career change, because that is obvious, but more in terms of his lifestyle and everyday routine. I love the part of the book where Morrie describes his perfect(ly normal) day and I wonder if Mitch thinks about that when he goes about his daily routine.
This are two of my favourite passages from Tuesdays with Morrie, which relate to my questions (if posting them breaches copyright, then feel free to delete them!)
“The culture we have does not make people feel good about themselves. We’re teaching the wrong things. And you have to be strong enough to say if the culture doesn’t work, don’t buy it. Create your own.”
“Here’s what I mean about building your own little subculture. I don’t mean you disregard every rule of your community. I don’t go around naked, for example. I don’t run through red lights. The little things, I can obey. But the big things – how we think, what we value – those you must choose yourself. You can’t let anyone – or any society – determine those for you. The biggest defect we human beings have is our shortsightedness. We don’t see what we could be. We should be looking at your potential, stretching ourselves into everything we can become. But if you’re surrounded by people who say “I want mine now”, you end up with a few people with everything and a military to keep the poor ones from rising up and stealing it. The problem is that we don’t believe we are as much alike as we are. Whites and blacks, Catholics and Protestants, men and women. If we saw each other as more alike, we night be very eager to join in one big human family in this world, and to care about that family the way we care about our own. Invest in the human family. Invest in people. Build a little community of those you love and who love you.”
I havent read this man’s work, but from your post and these questions, I definitely intend to now! I am especially interested in the idea above about our society and what we value not necessarily being the best things….
OK, I’m heading off now to meet Mitch. THANK YOU so much for the ideas. Paul, Marcus and Laura, loved your line of thinking…please contact me via the contact submission form with your addresses and I’ll post you your books!!!
Love and light to everyone. x
what a beautiful quote! i hope to find time to read this book one day.
Sarah – thanks for your blog, I like reading yr fellow columnists’ sam de brito & mia freedman’s when I have time, but yours is more than just entertaining, thought-provoking and engaging like theirs – it is also good for me!
Yesterday Mitch Album made a comparision between Car Insurance and Health Insurance. He said the Government states you need Car insurance. This statement is true. But if the person does not have a car, he is not required to get any. The Health Insurance Plan from the White House, requires everyone to get Health Insurance, whether they want it or not or get a fine and some jail time.
So I don’t see the similarity with the two.