Mitch Albom’s visits to Morrie Schwartz, his former sociology professor, gave rise to Tuesdays with Morrie. Albom got back in touch with him when Schwartz was living with ALS and began visiting him at home every Tuesday. They talked about life and death; the book presents these meetings as a final class and centers on the relationship between teacher and student.

From sports journalism to writing books

Albom moved to Detroit in 1985 and worked for the Detroit Free Press, where he became known for his sports columns. Earlier, he had written for publications such as Sports Illustrated and The Philadelphia Inquirer. His first books also dealt with sports: Bo: Life, Laughs, and the Lessons of a College Football Legend, co-written with coach Bo Schembechler, and Fab Five, about the University of Michigan basketball team. This career in sports journalism preceded the book that made him widely known as an author.

Personal memory and fiction

After Tuesdays with Morrie, Albom published The Five People You Meet in Heaven, his first novel. Its protagonist, Eddie, is a veteran who repairs rides at an amusement park; after dying while trying to save a little girl, he meets five people who help him understand the effect his life has had on others. Albom has explained that his uncle Eddie inspired the book. Later, For One More Day imagines a reunion between a son and his deceased mother; the author has also said that his own relationship with his mother informed the story.

Other ways of telling stories

Albom’s work includes fiction and nonfiction, as well as adaptations for stage and television. According to the publisher’s description of Have a Little Faith, the book recounts Albom’s search for the right words to eulogize a religious man. The stage adaptation of Tuesdays with Morrie was co-written by Albom and Jeffrey Hatcher, a collaboration distinct from authorship of the book. His other novels include The Time Keeper and The First Phone Call from Heaven.