The First Phone Call from Heaven (Extra book)

As you can tell, this is not one of the RA Favorite books (yet – as it could be down the line), but for now it is an “extra read” recommended by others.  I have always enjoyed reading Mitch Albom books, a number of my favorites are actually his non-fiction stories (Tuesdays with Morrie and Have a Little Faith) – which are both RA Favorite books.  So I picked up The First Phone Call from Heaven and started to listen and hear about what happens when two worlds collide, this one and the life after.  The story occurs in a little town in Michigan (Coldwater) where apparently deceased relatives start calling a few of the local residents.  The phone calls are intended to let those on earth learn that life in the “here-after” is wonderful and should not be a source of fear.  When one of the first residents lets it be known at a local Sunday service, a few others note they too have received calls on Friday mornings each week.  As the word gets out, Coldwater turns into a new sanctuary for believers and non-believers to get closer to the higher being!  And the national media is not far behind once they gain wind of the story.  But not everyone is believing the calls are real, Sully Harding who lost his son in the war in Afghanistan doesn’t completely believe the messages his dead son provide in the short lived phone calls.  He decides to seek out whether this is really true or not.  The story climaxes with a rather far-fetched conclusion that brings Sully’s world full-circle to the real death of his son in the helicopter accident at an air strip.  I won’t give up the answer as to whether the calls are real or fake, as the story is really about faith and believing, more so than who really made the calls.  In the end I thought the story was a bit far-fetched and didn’t get the normal “emotional feeling” that is evoked from an Albom book.  Clearly not my favorite of his books.  Did like the fact it was a quick read, otherwise I might really rail on the book.  Not the kind of impact I hoped for, but engaging nonetheless.  Back-burner on your list of books to read for sure.