"Have a Little Faith" chronicles a series of meetings between Albom and his lifelong rabbi, who asked Albom to do his eulogy. What follows is part biography, part spiritual discourse, as Albom uncovers why Rabbi Albert Lewis - whom he affectionately calls the Reb - became a man of God and what keeps him going.

Albom recounts the time the Reb visited a church in an attempt to reach out to other faiths and a boy asked him where his horns were. "Don't all Jews have horns?" he asks. The Reb responded by inviting the boy to run his hands through his hair. Later, Albom recalls the Reb's steadfast cheerfulness and constant singing, even while lying in a hospital bed after a fall.

The pair ponder deep questions such as the secret to happiness (the Reb's answer: Be satisfied and grateful for what you have) and belief in God (when a prayer isn't answered, the Reb says at one point, "It is far more comforting to think God listened and said no, than to think that nobody's out there").

Interspersed throughout the book are Albom's accounts of his childhood exposure to religion, his adulthood laziness in keeping up with it and his marriage to a Christian. And woven in are his discussions with his rabbi on matters of life and death, good and evil, coexistence, free will and forgiveness.

Although the book is framed as an examination of the lives of two religious men - the Reb and Pastor Henry Covington - the Reb is clearly the heart of the story. Albom describes the pastor's impressive transformation from a high-riding drug dealer and desperate addict to a humble church leader and caretaker to the downtrodden, and while it is a moving example of faith's power to change people, his story is not explored with the same depth or personal touch as the Reb's.

It occas ionally feels like a stretch to connect the two tales, except for the fact that Albom was touched and inspired by both men and their devotion.

Albom's simple and lyrical writing style, infused with rich detail, makes "Have a Little Faith" an easy and enjoyable read, leaving the reader contemplating the profound issues it raises long after the last page is turned.


Copyright 2009 The Associated Press.