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Every book Mitch Albom recommended on podcasts
Mitch Albom appears on How I Write as an experienced author sharing storytelling secrets and reflecting on his creative process. Throughout the podcast, Albom discusses several prominent titles from his own bibliography, including his very first novel, The Five People You Meet in Heaven, and the massive, unexpected success of Tuesdays with Morrie, which he initially wrote simply to help pay the medical bills of his old college professor. He details the intense editing, structural challenges, and the search for an emotional tone that went into crafting Tuesdays with Morrie, noting how its modest physical size ultimately influenced the format of his later works dealing with loss and dying. In addition to discussing his own books, Albom recommends Marilynne Robinson's Gilead, praising it as a masterclass in humility and beauty when writing about faith. He also references William Goldman's Adventures in the Screen Trade to analyze pacing, structure, and action within narrative storytelling.
Books recommended by Mitch Albom
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Tuesdays with Morrie
Tuesdays with Morrie by Mitch Albom is a bestselling memoir chronicling the author's weekly visits with his former sociology professor who is dying of ALS.
Discussed“to write a book called Tuesdays with my not supposed to be any kind of big book and it wasn't supposed to do anything other than pay medical bills for my old college professor.”
Where to get it
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Gilead
Marilynne Robinson's Pulitzer Prize-winning epistolary novel, Gilead, is a profound meditation on faith, family history, and grace, told through the extended letter of an aging Congregationalist minister to his young son.
Recommended“One of my favorite books is Gilead by Marilyn Robinson.”
Where to get it
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Adventures in the screen trade
Adventures in the Screen Trade by William Goldman is a widely celebrated memoir and instructional guide detailing the author's experiences as a prominent Hollywood screenwriter.
Discussed“Bill Goldman's book about adventures in the screen trade, he explains that the more action happens in the last seven minutes of a movie than than often happens in the first hour and a half of it.”
Where to get it
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The Five People You Meet in Heaven
Discussed“like The Five People You Meet in Heaven is a perfect example as my first novel.”
Where to get it
Books Mitch Albom wrote
Appearances
| Episode | Podcast | Date | Books |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mitch Albom: Storytelling Master Shares His Secrets | How I Write | How I Write | 2025-10-08 | 8 |