I’ll be honest – this is not the type of book I usually read. But my aunt had the book and lent it to me, and it was so small that I thought, “Why not?” Besides, it gave me an excuse to take part in a short books readathon organised by my good bookstagram friends.
I’m glad I read the book.
Tuesdays with Morrie is a non-fiction – a memoir-style book about how Mitch Albom, the author, meets his favourite college professor, Morrie, during the old man’s dying days. It’s several years after Mitch’s college years, and he has a very different life from what he had pictured all those years ago. Obsessed with his career and always overworking, Mitch had forgotten his old professor from college until he saw Morrie on TV.
Morrie, a great teacher and a wonderful man, wants to impart the lessons he’s learnt about life to his student. Mitch and Morrie meet every Tuesday over several weeks, and every meeting, Morrie teaches his student something about life. Something very simple, yet profound.
The book describes all the meetings that Mitch had with Morrie, right up till Morrie’s death.
It has a tinge of sadness, this book.
Every chapter begins and ends with a little bit about how Morrie is faring that Tuesday. And with a terminal illness, Morrie dies right before our eyes.
But somehow, it’s not as sad as it could be, you know?
When we read about death and disease, it’s something to cry about. It breaks our heart. Rips our soul to pieces. At least, it does that for me.
But this one? It somehow doesn’t.
That’s probably because of Morrie, the wonderful, wonderful man. Such an amazing teacher and such a free spirit! He’s not afraid of death; cheerful and living to the hilt with his loved ones around him till the end…
Anyway…
Mitch is very lucid and to-the-point in his writing – no beating around the bush.
He talks about the lessons he learns from Morrie on those last Tuesdays…lessons about everything from money to relationships to death.
Morrie doesn’t beat around the bush either. He gives all his lessons in a short, concise (you could even say “punchy”) manner.
I really liked the book. It wasn’t difficult to read or boring.
However, to be honest, I didn’t particularly learn anything from it either.
After everyone’s positive reviews about this book, I had thought it would have more of an effect on me. When it didn’t, I felt for a while that maybe there was something wrong with me.
But…I think I’m more the kind of person to learn those from my own experiences or from a real, live person than from a book.
So, just because Tuesdays with Morrie didn’t resonate with me or move me as much as I expected it to, doesn’t mean I won’t learn those life lessons. It just means I haven’t found my Morrie yet!
Almost every grown-up I know talks about a teacher who was so good that they were the reason my grown-ups are where they are today. And I want such a teacher in my life. I would love to have met Morrie or be taught by him, but of course I can’t!
However, I can dream of being taught by someone who makes as much of a difference in my life as Morrie made in Mitch’s life.
One more thing. While I want to meet a Morrie, more than that, I want to be a Morrie. I want to help someone grow like Morrie helped so many of his students. He was an admirable man, and his character, his sweetness, his beautiful ideas about life…they’re what kept me reading this book.
I recommend this book to absolutely everyone. It might not make a profound difference in your life, but at least some parts will really resonate with you and your views. Besides, it’s a short, easy read.
And that’s enough, isn’t it?
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