Have a Little Faith (2009) (edit title/settings)

Ridiculously Simplified Synopsis edit see section history

show spoilers

Characters/People edit see section history

• Henry Covington: Henry's story is told in parallel to that of the Rabbi. He starts of as a troubled boy that gets into a lot if mischief and grows up to 1st become a drug dealer and addict and then a preacher in "I am my brother's keeper" church.
• Mann Gottes: Add a description of this character.
• Reb: The rabbi who had great faith in people. His real name is Albert Lewis
• Anthony Castelow: Cass is a one-legged elder at Pastor Henry Covington's church whose story tells a lot about Henry's loving heart.
• Kopf
• Frau
• Geld
• Gemeinde
• Sie
• Annette: Henry's wife
• Der Herr
• Mister Mitch: Mitch, the author, embarks on a personal journey when the "Reb," the rabbi of his hometown synagogue asks him to write his eulogy, years before his death. He is a sports journalist who has strayed from his Jewish faith.
• Blick
• Sohn
• Ende
• Dann
• Cass
• Wasser
• Sarah: The Reb's wife.
• Tage
• Familie
• Der Mann
• Herzen
• Bruder
• Albert Lewis: The Reb, who asks Mitch to write his eulogy.
• Hals
• Weise
• Geschichte
• Zimmer
• Tod
• Priester
• Stelle
• Lehrer
• Freund
• Stirn
• Gunther
• Bauer
• Erde
• Lage
• Der Rebbe
• Streit
• Adam: First man
• Gilah: Gilah is Reb's youngest daughter. She had a twin sister, Rinah, who died at the age of four.
• Gunther Dreyfus
• Rinah: The Reb's daughter.
• Marlene: Marlene is a congregant at Henry Covington's church.
• Teela: Reb's care taker in his later years.
• Willie Covington
• Annette Covington
• Esther
• Bishop Brown: Henry Covingston's first mentor in the church
• Paul
• Dan
• Gandhi
• Wilma Covington
• Shalom: Albert Lewis's son
• David
• Max Kadushin
• Cain

Quotes edit see section history

• “It is far more comforting to think God listened and said no, than to think that nobody's out there.”

  Reb

• “...faith is about doing. You are how you act, not just how you believe”

  Reb

• “Lemme put it this way. I’m not as good as I was yesterday, buuuut…I’m better than I’m gonna betom-orrrrr-ow…”

  Reb

• “War never stops; it only pauses”

• “...if we tend to the things that are important in life, if we are right with those we love and behave in line with our faith, our lives will not be cursed with the aching throb of unfulfilled business. Our words will always be sincere, our embraces will be tight. We will never wallow in the agony of ‘I could have, I should have'... we can sleep in a storm”

• “So, have we solved the secret of happiness?Yes... Be satisfied... Be grateful... For what you have. For the love you receive. And for what God has given you...”

• “Getting old, we can deal with. Being old is the problem”

  Reb

• “What do people fear most about death? ...Well, for one thing, what happens next? Where do we go? Is it what we imagined? ...That’s big ...Yes, but there’s something else ...What else? ...Being forgotten”

• “Youknew me. You knew that person, but you don’t know the person that I’m trying to become.”

  Henry

• “We who are born, are born to die”

• “Human nature is a question we’ve grappled with for centuries. If a child were raised alone, separate from society, media, social dynamics, would that child grow up kind and open-hearted? Or would it be feral and bloodthirsty, looking out solely for its own survival? We’ll never know <...> We wrestle with conflicting urges (197)”

• “Napoleon once dismissed religion as ‘what keeps the poor from murdering the rich.’ Meaning, without the fear of God - or literally the hell we might have to pay - the rest of us would just take what we wanted (196)”

• “the word “commitment” has lost its meaning. I’m old enough to remember when it used to be a positive. A commited person was someone to be admired. He was loyal and steady. Now a commitment it something you avoid. You don’t want to tie yourself down (145)”

  The Reb in reference to marriage

• “But so many people wage wars in God’s name. <...> the Reb said, ‘God does not want such killing to go on.’ Then why hasn’t it stopped? <...> ‘Because man does'" (91)”

• “i knew depression was real and in many cases required medical attention. i also knew we overused the word. Much of what we called "depression" was really dissatisfaction, a result of setting a bar impossibly high or expecting treasures that we weren't willing to work for. I knew people whose unbearable source of misery was their weight, their baldness, their lack of advancement in a work place, or their inability to find the perfect mate, even if they themselves did not behave like one. To these people, unhappiness was a condition, an intolerable state of affairs. if pills could help pills were taken.But pills were not going to change the fundamental problem in the construction. Wanting what you cant have. Looking for self-worth in mirror. Layering work on top of work and still wondering why you weren't satisfied- before working some more.”

• “Having more does not keep you from wanting more. And if you always want more- to be richer, to be more beautiful, more well known- you are missing the bigger picture, and i can tell you from experience happiness will never come.”

• “So, have we solved the secret of happiness?"I believe so," he said.Are you going to tell me?"yes. Ready?""Be Satisfied.""That's it?""Be Grateful."That's it?"For what you have. For love you receive. And for what God has given you.""That's it?"he looked me in the eye. then he sighed deeply."That's it."”

Setting & Locations edit see section history

• Detroit
• New York
• Essen
• New Jersey
• Israel

Organizations edit see section history

• I Am My Brother's Keeper: Add a description of this organization.

First Sentence edit see section history

Table of Contents edit see section history

Glossary edit see section history

• Enemy schmenemy: Describe this term.

Themes & Symbolism edit see section history

• Spirituality: Describe this theme.
• Faith
• Death
• Doubt
• Finding yourself

Authors & Contributors edit see section history

1. Mitch Albom (Author)

First Edition edit see section history

Classification edit see section history

• Library of Congress: Add the Library of Congress Classification.
• Dewey: 296.7

Notes for Parents edit see section history

Suitable for Young Adults also

Subjects edit see section history

• Books › Religion & Spirituality › Spirituality › Personal Transformation
• Books › Health, Mind & Body › Self-Help › Personal Transformation
• Books › Religion & Spirituality › New Age
• Books › Nonfiction › Education
• Books › Religion & Spirituality › Judaism