For One More Day, by Mitch Albom

For One More Day
Mitch Albom

Perhaps it is the cloying way in which Albom so blatantly tugs at one's heartstrings. Perhaps it's the overly sentimental, soul-searching, uplifting "cumbaya" feel to his books. But whatever it is, there's something about this guy that I just can't like. Thankfully, I have some nice students, including one who lent me her copy of For One More Day; otherwise, I'd never actually pay to read it.

Charley "Chick" Benetto has a crappy life. He's a divorced alcoholic who is estranged from his daughter and hates his life. Feeling life isn't worth living, he decides to end it all, which, of course, leads to some life-affirming sentimentality from Mitch Albom. Chick, because of his actions, is able to spend "one more day" with his deceased mother. During this day, we learn about this mother-son relationship, and in the process are reminded to cherish our own important relationships and, of course, our very lives. Crazy! That's unlike any Mitch Albom book I've ever heard of! Hey--if it ain't broke, don't fix it, right?

And yet, there is something that I liked about it. Well, more specifically, I didn't hate it. That's not to say it wasn't overly sentimental, utterly predictable, and not even that well written. But I was able to read it in a couple hours, and it was touching, and it reminded me to be nice to and spend time with the people who matter. It's nice to have such a reminder every once in awhile.

In a nutshell: If you've read one Albom book, you've pretty much read them all. Enjoy your life. Make time for those you love. Cherish every moment. Yadda yadda yadda. And yet, there's something enjoyable about it.

Bibliolatry Scale: 3 out of 6 stars