Middle School
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Mitch Albom
Award-winning American author Mitchell "Mitch" David Albom was born on May 23, 1958, in Passaic, New Jersey. He is a novelist, sportswriter, syndicated radio and television broadcaster, screenwriter, playwright, TV commentator, newspaper columnist for the Detroit Free Press, and musician. Albom first achieved national recognition for his sports writing at the beginning of his career, but he is best known for his stories of inspiration. Albom has written several best-selling novels, and his books have sold over twenty-eight million copies worldwide in forty-two languages and forty-one territories.
Albom was the middle of three children to parents Rhoda and Ira Albom. Although he was born in Passaic, New Jersey, the family later moved to Buffalo, New York, where they stayed briefly before settling in Oaklyn, New Jersey. When Albom was young he wanted to be a cartoonist, but he later showed an interest in music. Teaching himself to play piano, Albom played in bands throughout his adolescence. After completing high school, he left for college at Brandeis University in Massachusetts where he majored in sociology. Upon graduation in 1979, Albom stayed with his dream of being a musician and spent several years performing in the United States and Europe.
When Albom was in his early twenties and living in New York, he became interested in journalism, so he volunteered to work for the Queens Tribune. This experience encouraged Albom to return to graduate school where he eventually earned a Master's degree from Columbia University's Graduate School of Journalism and an M.B.A. from the Graduate School of Business.
