1. The Five People You Meet in Heaven

2. The Five People The Blue Man The Captain Ruby Marguerite Tala

3. The Blue Man Side-show character – Skin turned blue from the effects of Silver Nitrate poisoning. How did the Blue Man die? Why was Ruby’s Pier the Blue Man’s heaven?

4. The Blue Man Lesson #1 – Everyone is connected, all lives are intertwined. “You can no more separate one life from another than you can separate a breeze from the wind.” – There are no random acts. “Death doesn’t just take someone, it misses someone else.” – No life is a waste

5. The Captain Eddie, the other soldiers and The Captain were all prisoners of war in the Philippines together. Why did The Captain shoot Eddie in the leg?

6. The Captain Lesson #2 – Sacrifice is a part of life. Sacrifice should not be something we regret, but something we aspire to. “Sometimes when you sacrifice something precious, you’re not really losing it. You’re just passing it on to someone else.”

7. Ruby Namesake of Ruby’s Pier When Eddie meets Ruby they are in the mountains and there is a diner, what is Ruby’s explanation of the diner and who are the people who have joined her there?

8. Ruby Lesson #3 – Forgiveness (helps Eddie gain an understanding of his father) “Holding anger is a poison. It eats you from inside. We think that hating is a weapon that attacks the person who harmed us. But hatred is a curved blade. And the harm we do, we do to ourselves.” – Ruby’s presence makes Eddie aware of the fact that those who live before us can have a profound affect on one’s life.

9. Marguerite Eddie’s wife – Marguerite died of cancer leaving Eddie widowed. The love of Eddie’s life.

10. Marguerite Lesson #4 – Love transcends life, continues on after death. “Memory becomes your partner. You nurture it. You hold it. You dance with it. Life has to end, love doesn’t.” – The death of a loved one does not end the love shared, only changes the form of the love. A loved one will live on in your memory.

11. Tala Who was Tala? In the beginning of the book when Eddie is in the accident the last thing he remembers are tiny hands in his. What revelation does Tala make regarding these hands?

12. Tala Lesson #5 – All life is connected, Eddie’s life was not ordinary. His work at Ruby Pier allowed for him to keep children safe by preventing accidents that may have occurred otherwise. “Children … You keep them safe. You make good for me.” Tala tells Eddie that Ruby Pier is where he was meant to be, that his life was what it was supposed to be.

13. “Each affects the other and the other effects the next, and the world is full of stories, but the stories are all one.”