Mitch Albom is an American journalist, author, and philanthropist. His best-known work is Tuesdays with Morrie, a 1997 memoir that recalls a series of conversations Albom shared with his former professor, Morrie Schwartz, as the latter was dying of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Other notable works include The Five People You Meet in Heaven, a 2003 novel following the life—and afterlife—of an amusement park mechanic, and For One More Day, a 2006 novel telling the story of a discouraged man who receives a visit from his deceased mother. In 2019, Albom returned to writing nonfiction with the publication of Finding Chika, which relays the story of a young Haitian orphan diagnosed with a brain tumor. Taken together, these books reveal several hallmarks of Albom’s work, including his interest in questions related to mortality and morality, both of which feature prominently in Have a Little Faith.

In addition to his efforts as a writer, Albom is involved in various charitable causes, including scholarship programs, a program that funds shelters for people without homes in the Detroit metro area, and an orphanage in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. Particularly relevant to this text is his A Hole in the Roof Foundation, which helps faith groups that offer services to people without homes repair their buildings; Albom was inspired to establish the foundation as a direct result of the experiences he describes in Have a Little Faith.