The “Five People You Meet in Heaven” is a book by Mitch Albom that was published in 2003. This novel features Eddie, a guy who works at an amusement park named Ruby Pier for most of his life just like his dad did. Eddie dies after saving a little girl from being crushed. Eddie later awakens in heaven and meets five people who have a connection with Eddie. These people he meets are there to teach Eddie valuable life lessons about how Eddie impacted their lives.
In the story some of the people Eddie meets in heaven are strangers to him. The first person Eddie meets in heaven is the Blue Man. The Blue Man was someone who had turned blue from accidentally poisoning himself with his medication. The Blue Man got laughed at so much he had joined the freak show to be surrounded with people like him at Ruby Pier.
The second person Eddie meets is his former army captain. The captain died from stepping on a landmine while looking for a path to safety. His captain then later teaches him the important lesson to sacrifice. Sacrificing one thing can open the door for many opportunities.
The third person is Ruby. Ruby is the lady who the Ruby Pier is named after. Ruby teaches Eddie that holding onto anger is poisonous and he must let go of the rage he felt toward his father in order to move on. This lesson is arguably the most important lesson that is taught in the book. The lesson is important because anger can affect multiple aspects of life. This can also alter the way the person views the world and other people, which can affect how they treat others, the environment, and themselves.
The fourth person he meets is his wife Marguerite who has died from a brain tumor at the age of 47. Eddie never remarried again and spends the rest of his life longing for her. The two spend many days together helping Eddie come over his grief and missed time together. She teaches him that while life has to end, love does not. Up until this point in the book the reader wonders who Marguerite Eddie keeps referring to. When Eddie finally sees her again he is the most happy, which was refreshing to see. This gives encouragement to Eddie to continue learning lessons and his way through heaven.
The fifth and final person Eddie meets in heaven is Tala. Tala is a young Filipino girl who died in a fire during the war. She teaches him that his lifelong purpose was to meet the children at Ruby Pier safe. This validates not traveling and doing the things he did not get the chance to do.
Mitch Albom wrote this novel in tribute to his real life uncle who was named Eddie. He did this to explore the idea that no life is ordinary and everyone is connected and that even daily actions have long lasting impacts. This is great for all kinds of people. Each lesson taught in this novel is relatable in many aspects of daily life.