Mitch Albom

This week, we're reading The Time Keeper by Mitch Albom.  If you haven't heard of The Time Keeper, chances are you've heard/read one if his other books.  The Five People You Meet In Heaven and Tuesdays With Morrie are probably his two most well-known.


But there are some surprising things you may not have known about Mr. Albom.  For instance, his background isn't in inspirational and moving writing (shocking, I know.)  He has a background in sports writing and, in fact, did that for many years.  He wrote for magazines such as Sports Illustrated and covered the Olympics more than once.

Albom also has a very diverse background.  He has written plays and is heavily involved in music, being able to play the piano and still to this day is in a band that plays for charities.  While he was going to school, he worked in the music industry to support his bills.  He is a very accomplished songwriter.

He also worked hard for the position he's in.  He worked as a babysitter and wrote for supermarket circulars to pay his way through college.  He also wrote part-time with Sports magazine, all while still working with the music industry.

Tuesdays With Morrie was his first book, written in 1997.  It's based upon Albom's visits to his old professor, who was dying of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or Lou Gehrig's disease   Albom wanted to help his professor pay for his vast medical bills, so he wrote a book about their visits and submitted it to a publisher.  Six months after publication, it became number one on the NYT Best Seller list, and remained on that list for 205 weeks.

Albom supports several charaties in Detroit and you can find more information about him on his website.