“We Are More Alike Than Different”
Mitch Albom, the author of Tuesdays with Morrie and eight other books, joined the advisory council (see next page) to help decide this year’s Nicest Places in America honorees. The proud Detroit resident spoke to senior editor Jeremy Greenfield about how his writing brought him to RD’S signature project.
RD: You published a serialized book this year called Human Touch that’s set in the COVID-19 pandemic. That’s not the kind of thing you usually write.
MA: When I announced it, I got an extraordinary number of messages from people saying, “Please write something hopeful.” I wanted to write about how a small community changes, maybe suffers, but ultimately endures. If you read it, you know one of the main characters dies from the virus, but the community still goes on. I wanted something that looked up at the end, not down.
RD: There’s a line near the end that says, “They were more than neighbors now. The crisis had made them a community.” It sounds like the theme of many of our Nicest Places entries this year. Did you see that connection too?
MA: Yes. Nicest Places emphasizes the positive. Sometimes in America we focus on the negative, despite all the positivity that’s around us. I don’t know why that is. As someone who travels around the world a lot, I see how America is held in such high regard. It doesn’t matter who is in the
White House at any given time. It’s about the advanced level at which we live, the technology, the beauty of our country. I like the idea of what you’re doing, and I like the fact that you’re talking about how united we could be.
RD: And you must have loved that a town in Michigan won!
MA: The people of Buchanan personify the ability to love your country and also love all different members of the country. The whole town came together, including police, and kneeled to honor George Floyd. When the Memorial Day parade was canceled because of COVID-19, they came up with a great solution to basically turn their lampposts into a parade—if the lampposts could march, they would be marching down the street. I’m so glad you showcased a midwestern town that loves its country, loves its history.
RD: What would Morrie say if he were alive today?
MA: Morrie was always interested in making the best peace. I think he would reiterate the lesson he said to me many times: We are all more alike than different. When we recognize that, we realize we have much more in common than our differences suggest. Morrie’s favorite line from poetry was, “Love each other or perish.” I’m sure he would say the same thing right now.