Tuesdays with Morrie: An Old Man, a Young Man, and Life's Greatest Lesson
by Mitch Albom
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Book Summary Information
Author: Mitch AlbomEdition: Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2002-10-08
ISBN: 076790592X
Number of pages: 192
Publisher: Broadway
Product features:
- ISBN13: 9780767905923
- Condition: New
- Notes: BRAND NEW FROM PUBLISHER! 100% Satisfaction Guarantee. Tracking provided on most orders. Buy with Confidence! Millions of books sold!
Book Reviews of Tuesdays with Morrie: An Old Man, a Young Man, and Life's Greatest Lesson
Book Review: A true treasure...
Summary: 5 Stars
Tuesdays with Morrie is a non-fiction, number one international bestseller written by Mitch Albom. I was recommended a book called The Five People You Meet in Heaven which is also by Mitch Albom by a friend. I enjoyed this book very much, so decided to read Tuesdays with Morrie as well.
The book is written in the first person with Mitch as the main character. It is not an auto biography, as the book is not about Mitch's life; but more a real story about his university professor who played a significant role in his life.
Morrie Schwartz was a doctor in sociology and Mitch was a diligent student of his in the 1990's. He was Mitch's favorite professor, and was fascinated by his wisdom and experience. On the day of his graduation, they promised to keep in touch and the tears that they shed showed that they had more than a teacher-student relationship, but a friendship. But Mitch was overwhelmed by reality when he stepped into the world of business, money, status. Mitch became restrained in his work and less caring about his family, let alone his dear old professor. When he found out that Morrie was gravely ill, he visited him. Morrie had an illness of which he knew would lead to death, so spent every Tuesdays of his last months with Mitch and gave advice and guidance; just like the lessons from when he was in university.
This book is filled with Morrie's philosophies. He is portrayed as someone who was respected, and his honest and sincere personality made me care for him as if he was my own grandfather. Mitch came back every Tuesday to Morrie with more love for him but was heartbroken when he saw the development of the disease and his withering body. This made me more sympathetic towards Morrie, and his genuine kindness and thoughtfulness made his teachings more valuable to me.
This book is similar to the Essais by Montaigne. Mitch thinks up several topics in which he asks Morrie to teach him about every "lesson": Regret, death, family, emotions, aging, money, love, marriage, culture, forgiveness... They brought up stories and advice from Morrie's own experience and thoughts and became a guide for Mitch and myself.
Carpe Diem and the almighty power of love are emphasized all throughout the book. I liked this, because it reminded me not to take everything for granted, but to relish the moment, absorb it, learn from it and be thankful for it. Through reading this book, I asked repeatedly to myself; "am I ready to die?" This question is equivalent to asking "have I done all that I can? Have I lived my life to the full?" or "If this person died tomorrow, have I made this person happy enough that I won't regret?" And every time, my answer was a no. For example, if I was in a fight with my sister and she asked for forgiveness and I stubbornly never forgave her, I would die, leaving guilt for my sister who I cared for very much. If a family member died, I would be smothered with guilt for not showing my appreciation enough. If a friend died, I would be guilty of not spending enough time with her and showing that I cared for her. Everything that came into my head was not "If I died tomorrow, I would have wished that I could have had a few more days to drive my Porsche." Or "If my Prada boots ripped tomorrow, I would have regretted not wearing it enough." As many people say you can't take material with you, love is the only thing eternal, even after death. When you die, people remember the love they received from you, not what they received for Christmas.
I noticed much of Morrie's teachings are from (the familiar topic of) the Renaissance, when man began to discover the individual self. For example, the idea of Carpe Diem (seize the day), can be identified in the book when Morrie commented:
"When you realize that your life isn't forever, is when you realize its importance."
The idea of "love can overcome all" and the celebration of love are clear in Shakespeare's Sonnet 29:
...For thy sweet love remembered such wealth brings
That then I scorn to change my state with kings.
This can be seen between the conversation of Mitch and Morrie:
"Life is a series of pulls back and forth... A tension of opposites, like a pull on a rubber band. Most of us live somewhere in the middle."
Sounds like a wrestling match, I say
"A wrestling match." He laughs. "Yes, you could describe life that way."
So which wins, I ask?
"Which side wins?"
He smiles at me, the crinkled eyes, the crooked teeth.
"Love wins. Love always wins."
The philosophy of "love is everlasting" is evident in Spenser's Sonnet:
...To die in dust, but you shall live by fame:
My verse your virtues rare shall eternize,
And in the heavens write your glorious name.
Where whenas Death shall all the world subdue,
Our love shall live, and later life renew.
This can be referred to once again in the conversation between Mitch and Morrie:
"Do you ever hear my voice sometimes when you're back at home? When you're all alone? Maybe on the plane? Maybe in your car?"
Yes, I admitted.
"Then you will not forget me after I'm gone. Think of my voice and I'll be there."
I found it very interesting to find all of these principals being reinforced through a modern book. I was once again amazed at the universal messages humanists brought, which still applies to us in the present day. In our daily lives, it is usually forgotten because we live in a material world, a world which praises youth, a world in which seems to revolve around profiting and money, a world where more is good. Morrie gave Mitch a second chance, to re-live his life from a different perspective, to brighten the insights. Morrie was the "Coach" and Mitch the "Player".
My favorite character was Morrie. The thought of the fact that he was a real person made me feel like there was a beam of light in the world; someone with sense and deep understanding, despite of the global problems we have today. There are signs in the book revealing that Morrie wasn't perfect, but a normal human being. When a TV program interviewed him and asked what he was dreading when the disease took his body over and he could no-longer move, he answered:
"Well, one day soon, someone's gonna have to wipe my ass."
This made me laugh, as if it was that little bit of comedy in Shakespeare's tragedies. It made him human and real. It made me realize that he also had dignity and worries about psychological traumas like that. I was relieved and convinced, that there are people like Morrie who are wise enough to refrain from adapting to the world of cold money and material. He gave me hope.
I recommend this book to everyone. It is a book overflowing with morals, and it helped me to focus and get my priorities straight. The big, life's greatest questions and answers are compressed into this book. As I was reading through this book the second time, I put pieces of paper as a book mark to remind me where Morrie's lessons applied to me most. By the end of the book, I had bits and pieces sticking out of every page.
I think this is a book I will cherish for the rest of my life; one that I will pick up every now and then, read through my favorite quotes, breathe deeply, recollect my thoughts and have confidence and happiness. I think this book will be my own bible.
More Tuesdays with Morrie: An Old Man, a Young Man, and Life's Greatest Lesson reviews:
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1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
Summary of Tuesdays with Morrie: An Old Man, a Young Man, and Life's Greatest Lesson
Maybe it was a grandparent, or a teacher, or a colleague. Someone older, patient and wise, who understood you when you were young and searching, helped you see the world as a more profound place, gave you sound advice to help you make your way through it.For Mitch Albom, that person was Morrie Schwartz, his college professor from nearly twenty years ago.
Maybe, like Mitch, you lost track of this mentor as you made your way, and the insights faded, and the world seemed colder. Wouldn't you like to see that person again, ask the bigger questions that still haunt you, receive wisdom for your busy life today the way you once did when you were younger?
Mitch Albom had that second chance. He rediscovered Morrie in the last months of the older man's life. Knowing he was dying, Morrie visited with Mitch in his study every Tuesday, just as they used to back in college. Their rekindled relationship turned into one final ?class?: lessons in how to live.
Tuesdays with Morrie is a magical chronicle of their time together, through which Mitch shares Morrie's lasting gift with the world.
It?s been ten years since Mitch Albom first shared the wisdom of Morrie Schwartz with the world. Now?twelve million copies later?in a new afterword, Mitch Albom reflects again on the meaning of Morrie?s life lessons and the gentle, irrevocable impact of their Tuesday sessions all those years ago. . .
No one but Mitch Albom could have read Tuesdays with Morrie so effectively. As the author of this inspirational true story, Albom uses verbal inflection in exactly the right places to evoke humor, empathy, and emotion. It's an honest reading, and the underlying timbre of private memory pushes it past mere recitation to pure storytelling.
The titular Morrie was Morrie Schwartz, Albom's university professor 20 years before the events being narrated. An accidental viewing of an interview with Morrie on Nightline led Albom to become reunited with his old teacher, friend, and "coach" at a time when Albom, a successful sportswriter, was struggling to define dissatisfactions with his own life and career. Morrie, on the other hand, after a rich life filled with friends, family, teaching, and music, was dying from Lou Gehrig's disease, a crippling illness that diminished his activities daily. Albom was one of hundreds of former students and acquaintances who traveled great distances to visit Morrie in the final months of his life.
The 14 Tuesday visits that followed their reunion took Albom--and will take listeners with him--on a journey of reawakening to life's best rewards. The story is told in a journalistic style that never crosses into pathos. That a professional writer can write well is not surprising, but Albom also reads well, with clear enunciation and a talent for mimicry. Another reader might have interpreted the professor's aphorisms as droll humor or wrung a wrong note at an inappropriate moment, making the story a maudlin tearjerker; instead it is read for what it is, a tribute to a remarkable teacher. (Running time: four hours, three cassettes) --Brenda Pittsley
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