Mitch Albom's The Five People You Meet in Heaven is a New York Times Bestseller. It follows the story of Eddie, a war veteran spending a seemingly meaningless life fixing broken-down amusement park rides at the beautiful and famous Ruby Pier. While celebrating his 83rd birthday at work, something tragic happens, an accident involving a falling ride while trying to save the life of a little girl. When he opens his eyes next, he stands in heaven. While heaven is not the Garden of Eden-like place he dreamt it to be, but rather a place of meeting where one meets five people who changed your life in unimaginable ways. He does not know whether or not it ended with success or tragedy, but his journey to discovering the truth will lead us to question - what is the meaning of life.

As students read this novel, we will participate in a series of activities designed to get students thinking about and questioning their own purpose in life. We will strive to think deeply and critically about the life we live, the influence that we have on others, and the relationships we develop around us. Our discussion will center around reading comprehension and analysis of the novel while asking ourselves the same questions posed to Eddie in the novel. In the end, we will focus on the five lessons taught to Eddie as seen in our weekly schedule posted below!