he is an award-winning journalist and
author of six consecutive number one New
York Times bestsellers his book Tuesdays
with Maurey is now the best-selling
memoir of all time and now mitch albom
is ready to celebrate the release of his
latest novel the next person you meet in
heaven that's right and he is having a
charity book launch and guess what you
are invited joining us in studio is
Mitch Albom thanks so much for being
back thank you good to have you so let's
get right into the book follow up you
haven't done a sequel before never done
a sequel before it's a sequel to my most
popular novel five people you meet in
heaven which was about an old man who
died trying to save a little girl and
this is what happened to the little girl
many years later when she dies and goes
to heaven and meets the guy who saved
her so it was fun to write and it comes
out in a couple weeks I don't want
people to think it's out there yet it
comes out in a couple of weeks you can
see it's like this almost looks the same
as the original I guess that's why that
what they do with sequels but the big
thing is I wanted to invite people to
this charity book launch because the
tradition for me here in Detroit is that
rather than have cocktail parties or
things that celebrate an author I try to
use the launch of the book to to make
some money for charity and that's what
we're gonna do on October 14th Opera
House at the Detroit Opera House yeah
all right so tell us what people that
can expect well I try to hit on all the
celebrities not hit on in the way of it
but call them up and so for this one
let's see Anderson Cooper from CNN is
coming Bob Costas from NBC Joe Dumars of
course we all know Jane Pauley from CBS
Jim Harbaugh is gonna join us the guys
from the Detroiters are gonna join us
actress Sophia Bush Kim is gonna be
performing singing so it's a big night
of a lot of people on stage talking and
sharing stories about who influenced
them because that's kind of what the
book is about and all the proceeds go to
help literacy here in Detroit or the
kids in Haiti through the have faith
Haiti orphanage that we have and tickets
are just $50 and you get a free copy of
the book autograph with it which is $25
you try to buy it somewhere so we're
hoping that that seems to be a good kill
okay what about your philanthropic
causes your charity in Haiti for
instance yeah well you know what
happened you know some people know I
have my
little girl chica who came with us who
was suffering from a brain tumor room we
realized we have 47 kids there when they
have medical issues there's no insurance
there's no things like that so I created
a fund to help pay for that and we're
trying to raise money for that fund here
today and of course we run the safe play
center at Lipke and literacy is a big
issue here in Detroit so we're gonna put
the money towards that cause as well
some speaking of literacy do you have a
favorite book that you've written like
picking your favorite kid Tuesdays with
Maurey is always going to be because it
changed my life in so many ways and that
experience itself what was so special
and the five people you meet in heaven
was probably my favorite novel cause it
was my first one but like you say you
never pick your favorite children's take
us back maybe 30 35 years earlier in
your career and what do you miss most
about the ink-stained wretches with the
yellow mustard stain on the tie the
Charlie Vincent's the Joe Falls what do
you miss most about that era uh analog
era of print I miss being able to tell a
sports story that hasn't already been
tweeted and shown and all the rest of it
there was a time when newspapers were
how you got the account of what took
place and not you were the we weren't
the follow-up or the analysis of it and
those days were good because he always
felt like you you were the person
bringing the people the story right
after you had a time to reflect on it
too and really be able to give it proper
context I just wrote a whole article
about that I'm still writing for the
paper I still enjoy I still think
newspapers play an integral part in
society well doing what you do 2018 is
like the gift that just keeps on giving
there's always something to write about
or tell me yes today there is if you
want to go to the book release it is
October 14th at the Detroit Opera House
tickets are available at Ticketmaster
just search Mitch Albom and this is open
to the public
absolutely absolutely want as many
people to come as possible and again
they get a free autographed copy of the
book which they can keep give to
somebody whatever it starts at 7:00 p.m.
and it is a Sunday evening and there is
no Lions game that day we deliberately
pick that day very smart so everyone
will be in a good mood there you go
thanks Mitch thank you