Mitch Albom on Love, Loss, and the Magic of Second Chances

PROLIFIC WRITER

Mitch Albom is an internationally acclaimed author with eleven New York Times bestselling books. He’s also a journalist, screenwriter, playwright, radio and television broadcaster, musician, and philanthropist. 

He is most known for Tuesdays with Morrie, the best-selling memoir of all time, which tells the story of his college professor, Morrie Schwartz. This book, along with several others, were made into award-winning TV films. 

SECOND CHANCES

His latest book, Twice, is a love story that explores how our unchecked desires might mean losing what we’ve had all along.

When he is eight years old, Alfie Logan discovers the magical ability to get a second chance at everything. He can undo it at any moment and live it again. The one catch: he must accept the consequences of his second try—for better or worse.

He grows up correcting his mistakes and saving himself from adolescent embarrassments. He even takes foolishly dangerous risks just to see what it’s like to come close to death before tapping back to safety.

Eventually, Alfie turns his gift to his love life, studying his crushes and going back to make himself more appealing. In time, he falls deeply in love with Gianna, the woman he believes is the one. He seems to find contentment.

But as the years pass, Alfie’s eye begins to wander. Which is when he learns a lone caveat to his power: once he undoes a love, that person can never fall in love with him again. Knowing that he might give in to temptation, Alfie makes a choice that changes his life forever, as he risks losing what he has with Gianna.

HOPE FOR HAITI

Following the devastating earthquake in January of 2010, an elderly pastor came to Mitch concerned about his orphanage in Haiti. Mitch couldn’t get the kids out of his mind and decided to fly there with the pastor and a group of others to check on them. When they arrived in Haiti, they found the orphanage overrun with displaced people clamoring for food and shelter. The Mission had no bathrooms, only holes in the ground to use as commodes. 

Additionally, there was no kitchen, showers, or school facilities. The pastor confessed that he could no longer run the orphanage, so Mitch and Janine took over. Their humanitarian organization, A Hole in the Roof Foundation, launched a campaign to raise funds for the orphanage. $82,000 was raised in just 19 days. A Hole in the Roof Foundation assumed operation, changing the name of the orphanage to Have Faith Haiti. 

Bathrooms and showers were installed, a kitchen was built, tile floors were laid, and other repairs were made. More importantly, the kids have begun eating three meals a day, dorms are built with beds, and each child receives a quality education in the school that was built. 

Having run Have Faith Haiti for over 14 years, Mitch visits monthly, making sure the kids get all the love and care they need to thrive.  
However, the country is in turmoil. Since the assassination of the Haitian President in 2021, violent gangs have overtaken 80% of Port-au-Prince. 

In March of 2024, Mitch, along with a group of volunteers, were evacuated by helicopter because of the danger. While some volunteers were rescued, Mitch says that his heart aches for those left behind at the orphanage. 

The transitional government still struggles to control the crisis today. With ongoing political instability and a stalled electoral process, large swathes of the population continue to suffer from a lack of basic services, food insecurity, and the impacts of gang violence, prompting the declaration of states of emergency. International efforts and limited security missions have had little success in reducing violence or restoring stable governance. 

HOPE SPRINGS ANEW

In 2022, a small child named Nadie, who resembled a premature baby, was brought to the orphanage. At six months old, weighing a shocking seven pounds, Nadie was near death. She was suffering from severe malnutrition from surviving on sugar water alone. When Mitch and Janine saw how critical her condition was, they knew they needed to act quickly to save her life. They flew her to the U.S. for immediate care, and she has been living with them ever since. Today, Nadie is thriving, and they are in the process of adopting her. 
 

To order the book or find out more about Mitch Albom, click the LINK!

CREDITS

Author of 10 best-selling books; Latest book, Twice: A Novel (Harper, 2025); Sold over 42 million 
copies; Several of his books have been made into award-winning TV films; Journalist for the Detroit Free Press (30 yrs.);  Former Journalist for Sports Illustrated, GEO, Philadelphia Inquirer, Fort Lauderdale News, Sun Sentinel; Won the Associated Press Sports Editors (APSE) sports writing contest 13 times, a record for best sports columnist in the nation; Received best feature writing honors from the AP seven times, another record; Albom won over 200 other writing awards in his journalism career;  In 2010, received the prestigious Red Smith Award from the APSE for lifetime achievement in sports journalism, one of the highest honors in the field; BA, Sociology, Brandeis Univ.; Masters in both Journalism & Business, Columbia Univ; Married to Janine since 1995.