Name: Poon Long Ying
Class: 3B
The 28th Annual Book Report Competition for Secondary School Students
Title: The Five People You Meet in Heaven
Author: Mitch Albom
Publisher: Hyperion Books
No.of words: 627 words
The main character of this story, Eddie was the Ruby Pier's playground maintenance staff. He stayed in
his hometown after veterans. He hurt one leg, but he hoped he could continue with his studies and learnt
new skills, but they had not been achieved.
On Eddie's 83-year-old birthday, he helped to save a little girl but he died. When he woke up, he found
he was in the heaven. Eddie met five people there. Some people recognized Eddie but some people had
never met him before.
He met a man dubbed as "The Blue Man" who had worked at Ruby Pier's freak show and whose real
name was Joseph Corvelzchik. Eddie asked why Joseph, whom he did not know, was his first person.
Joseph informed Eddie that he died when Eddie ran across the street as a child and caused Joseph to
wreck his lent car. From this, Eddie learnt his first lesson that there is no random event in life and all
stories of individuals were connected in some way. By reading this event, I believe we should think
about the consequences before doing anything because we will affect other’s fate.
The second person that Eddie met was his former captain from the army, who Eddie found sitting in a
tree in a Philippine rainforest. Eddie remembered that the captain confessed that he was the one who
shot Eddie in the leg to prevent Eddie from chasing the shadow in the fire. This saved Eddie's life while
leaving him with the lifelong injury. The captain later died when a land mine exploded when he was
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scouting ahead during the escape, saving the lives of the group. Eddie learnt his second lesson about the
importance of people's willingness to make sacrifices for others. I learnt that we should not regret when
someone were gone. We should look forward and do our best to offer help.
The scene changed, and Eddie found himself outside a diner where he met a well-dressed woman named
Ruby. Her husband, Emile, named ruby Pier. He built it in tribute to her. Emile was wounded while
fighting a fire that burned much of Ruby Pier and later died from failing health. Ruby confessed that she
picked the diner because that was where she had met Emile and wanted the diner to be a refuge for
anyone who had ever been hurt in any way by Ruby Pier. Eddie's father, who had been a very harsh and
abusive man, was also at the diner. Ruby taught Eddie to release his anger and forgave his father for all
the troubles and hurt he had caused. The author wanted us to apologize and forgive.
Eddie then awoke in a room with several doors and Eddie met his wife, Marguerite, in one of the
weddings. They spent an extended period together, moving from one wedding to the next and catching
up on all the things they had not been able to share since Marguerite's death. They remembered their
own wedding. Marguerite taught Eddie that love is never lost in death. We must seize the chance and
cherish what we have when we are still alive.
At last, Eddie saw a child playing along a riverbed, and a young Asian girl named, Tala. She came up to
him. Tala revealed that she was the little girl from the hut that Eddie set on fire. The girl showed Eddie
the burns that she suffered from the fire. Tala taught Eddie that his life was not for nothing and that her
purpose was to protect the child at Ruby Pier through his care for the safety of the rides. In this way, he
also atoned for causing Tala's death.
In the end, it showed that Eddie's heaven was the Stardust Band Shell, where he met Marguerite. He was
also one of the five people met by the girl whose life he saved. This book is so touching and inspiring. I
highly recommend this book to you.
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