46 pages • 1 hour read
Mitch AlbomHave a Little Faith: A True Story
Nonfiction | Biography | Adult | Published in 2009A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
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Mitch Albom
Mitch Albom is the author of and a prominent figure in Have a Little Faith, and also a writer known for Tuesdays With Morrie and other works with religious morality and anecdotal storytelling. As the narrator of applicable sections in the text (those describing scenes where he was present), Albom offers readers an intimate view of his personal qualities, including his intelligence, curiosity, and, at times, cynical view of the world. Along the way, Albom shares the facts of his life to the extent that they are relevant to the subject at hand, focusing mainly on his growth and development in matters of faith. As the narrative opens, Albom has grown somewhat distant from the faith he practiced in his youth, with his busy career as a journalist limiting his time for other pursuits. In agreeing to give the Reb’s eulogy, however, Albom sets himself up to reconnect with his roots, culturally, religiously, and even personally.
As the narrative progresses, and under the Reb’s influence, Albom’s faith both broadens and deepens. It broadens as he begins to explore faith in general as a key component of the human experience, leading him to study other cultures and faith systems, including Henry Covington’s. It deepens as he renews his connections with his ancestral faith, Judaism. Though it is not clear exactly where Albom ends up on the spectrum of faith as the narrative concludes, one thing that has clearly changed is his level of engagement with faith. Instead of avoiding the subject, he now feels ready to continue the search for God in whatever form that may take.
Albert “The Reb” Lewis
Albert “the Reb” Lewis is a rabbi whose request that Albom eulogize him sets in motion most of the events described in the narrative. Within the text, Albom covers much of the Reb’s life story, including his path from humble upbringings to becoming a rabbi, his success at building up a local religious community, as well as his simple lifestyle during the twilight years of his life. Albom primarily characterizes the Reb through his conversational style, as the two of them meet several times over a period of eight years, becoming close friends in the process. Above all else, the Reb emerges as a cheerful, wise, and selfless man. As Albom notes, “In fact, the worse things got for [the Reb], the more intent he seemed on making sure no one around him was saddened by it” (97). Other notable aspects of the Reb’s character include his tendency to burst unexpectedly into song, as well as his sense of humor. As an example, a fake parking sign in his office reads, “You taka my space, I breaka your face” (34). Over time, Albom comes to admire the Reb’s talent for maintaining personal relationships with his congregants through one-on-one interactions.
Fitting the scope of his memoir, Albom does not dwell on the Reb’s professional accomplishments, instead preferring to focus on the Reb’s impact on him personally. In fact, the Reb was a noted scholar and author. He served as the President of the Rabbinical Assembly, an international association of rabbis adhering to Conservative Judaism, from 1988 to 1990; he also served as Vice President of the World Council of Synagogues for a time. Notable students taught by the Reb include filmmaker Steven Spielberg and actor Michael Landon. The Reb’s writings include pieces published as a correspondent for The Catholic Star Herald as well as two books, So It Isn’t Perfect and What’s Your Glory?. Despite his professional success, the Reb remained humble and approachable, as Albom’s text demonstrates. His influence on Albom and, by extension, readers, is a life-affirming one, as he offers wisdom that transcends the particulars of his religious belief.
Henry Covington
Henry Covington is a pastor who presided over the I Am My Brother’s Keeper Ministry in Detroit. Within the narrative, he serves as a contrasting figure to the Reb, highlighting the possibility for faith leaders to take different, but equally meaningful, paths. Born to poor parents in Brooklyn, New York, Henry grew up living in fear of the rats that infested his home. His childhood and adolescence were a turbulent time for him, as his mother spent time in jail and his father died when Henry was 14. Around this time, Henry became involved in various criminal activities, including robbery and substance use; ironically, he then spent several years in jail for a crime he did not commit. After his release, he married his longtime girlfriend, Annette, and the two began to build a life together, though it wasn’t long before financial struggles and other challenges led Henry to begin dealing and consuming drugs.
The trajectory of Henry’s life changed when he vowed to turn his life over to Jesus following a mistake that put his family at risk. Henry had had contact with Christian influences throughout his youth, but this time, he made a serious change. By the time Albom meets Henry, he is a full-fledged pastor particularly devoted to helping people without homes. By including excerpts from Henry’s sermons as well as quotes from their private conversations, Albom presents Henry as an extraordinarily open, caring man, devoted to helping others find relief just as he did. Underneath his loving, diligent front, however, Henry is still haunted by his past and by the harm he caused to others. He sees his efforts to help others not as a way to earn his salvation but rather as an opportunity to give something back to God. Albom is particularly struck by Henry’s pleas not to judge him by who he used to be but rather to see the person he is becoming. Henry thus serves as a prime example of The Possibility of Personal Change in the text.
Henry died in 2010, a year after the publication of Have a Little Faith, and Albom gave his eulogy.
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