The Five People
You Meet in
Heaven
By Mitch Albom
Journal #1
“It’s as if he knew he was going to die…”
Last
words: If you were about
to die, what would your last
words be? Write a paragraph+
of your “last words.” This
sounds easy, but you really
need to think about it…
Story Journal #2 Homework…
What
is the story of YOUR
birth? Find out tonight!
 One of your parents
should
write it in your journal after
your first entry (“Last words”).
You get credit for their work! 
Journal #3: Predict
Question: How do you think Eddie will die?
Write a paragraph that could be “lifted” out of the book
that explains Eddie’s death.
 Example: Suddenly
Eddie’s radio chirped. The startling sound
caused him to stumble and fall, landing on the hard surface
of the boardwalk. It was then that…
Journal #4: The Blue Man
 Think about those
“freaks” in our world. All of us
can think of someone who is “different,” whether
it is appearance, actions, clothing, etc. How do we
view those different than us? Do we try to
understand them, or do we unite in our sameness
against them?
 Answer
these questions, and make sure to include
an example to clarify your opinion.
Journal #5
 Considering
the Blue Man’s death and
Eddie’s role in it, think of an event in your
own life that had at least two very different
perspectives. What was your perspective?
 Then,
write about it from someone else’s
perspective. How would it completely
change if it was from that person’s pointof-view?
Journal #6
Think about
your chosen war image.
What stands
out to you? What are
you thinking? What are some things
Eddie must have experienced? What
wounds does he carry as a result?
Journal #7
 Ask someone
older than you (parent,
grandparent, etc.) about a momentous
event in history.
 What do they remember?
Why did it
happen? What were the after-effects?
 [Ex: Vietnam War, Kennedy’s
assassination, Gulf War, 9/11, etc.)
Journal #8
Does Eddie actually see
something in the flames, or is
he imagining it? Explain your
perspective.
Journal #9
 Discuss the
idea of sacrifice. How can this
be a good thing, as the Captain says, or a
bad thing, like Eddie sees?
 Then,
what does this mean to you? What
personal examples can you draw
on/relate to? Explain how you can
personally relate to this idea of sacrifice,
either in your own life, by what someone
has done for you, or what you have seen
someone do for another person.
Journal #10
Who will you be as a parent (parental
characteristics, parenting style, etc.)?
What has influenced you in the way
that you think you will parent
someday?
 What
will be your
“handprint on glass”?
Literary Term
Metaphor -
Journal #11
 Write
a letter to Eddie’s father. What
would you say to him, if you had the
chance?
 Be
descriptive and explanatory, listing
examples from the novel to clarify your
points.
 This
should be at least ½ page in length.
Put some thought into it!
Journal #12
Story Journal:
Ask one of your parents
about their parents. What is their
opinion of one or both of their
parents?
Then,
you should comment: Does this
agree with what you know of your
grandparents? Why/why not? What
are your interpretations after hearing
their story?
Journal #13
Write a prediction for
Eddie's thirty-seventh
birthday. What is going to
happen??
Journal #14
 “Holding anger is poison. It eats
you from inside.
We think that hating is a weapon that attacks the
person who harmed us. But hatred is a curved
blade. And the harm we do, we do to ourselves.”
(141)
Journal: How
can you relate to
this idea? Explain in detail, listing
examples to clarify.
Journal #15
 People
say they “find” love, as if it were an object
hidden by a rock. But love takes many forms, and
it is never the same for any man and woman.
What people find then is a certain love. And Eddie
found a certain love with Marguerite, a grateful
love, a deep but quiet love, one that he knew,
above all else was irreplaceable. Once she’d gone,
he’d let the days go stale. He put his heart to
sleep. (155-156)
 Journal: Brainstorm
a list of the five most
important qualities in the person you hope to
love someday, and then write a few sentences
elaborating on what your expectations are for
love.
Journal #16
 “Love, like rain, can nourish from above,
drenching couples with a soaking joy. But
sometimes, under the angry heat of life, love
dries on the surface and must nourish from
below, tending to its roots, keeping itself alive.”
 Journal: Reflect back on what you said in your
partner discussion for #6 regarding love and how
to make it last. Pretend you are on your deathbed and you have been asked for advice. What
will you say about love?
 Write a paragraph that
shares your opinion
about what you learned in your life about love.
Journal #
 Story Journal:
Either write about yourself, or ask
someone older than you…
What is one small event that
now, looking back, had a huge
effect on the way the rest of your
life turned out, or who you
ultimately became as a person?
Journal #17
Consider what the attorney thinks
to himself as this section ends.
Did Eddie live a “successful life”?
Why/why not?
What marks “success”?
What, to
you, will make a successful life?
Explain.
Top 10 List: My Legacy
What I hope people will remember about me/what qualities are important:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
Journal #18

In the last pages of the novel, we find out that Eddie did, in
fact, save the little girl at Ruby Pier and that the hands he felt
were actually Tala’s hands “keeping him safe” and taking him
to heaven.

Pretend you are the little girl who was saved. You’ve grown up,
had a successful life, and have now passed away. YOU are in
heaven, and one of the people you meet is Eddie, who tells
you the story of that fateful day. Write the story from his
perspective, narrating what happened, why that day occurred,
and what the LESSON is in Eddie’s death (and life)… You may
wish to write it as a conversation, just like the other chapters in
the book, or you may wish to just tell the story from Eddie’s
point-of-view.
 Annie opened
her eyes, and she was standing in
the Stardust Band Shell at Ruby Pier. Standing in
front of her was an old man she didn’t recognize,
but when she got closer, he opened his mouth and
said…