But the world did not stop, it took no notice at all, and as Morrie pulled weakly on the car door, he felt as if he were dropping into a hole.

Now what? He thought.

ABOUT

Morrie did to Mitch what life could not—he got Mitch to cry.

Tuesday’s with Morrie is a potpourri of a dying man’s aphorisms; an archive of his days before the deadly ALS finally gets him. As Morrie awaits death with the finish line in sight, he reflects on what’s important in life.

Fresh out of college, Mitch is terrified of being left behind, of losing out to others. He indulges in a relentless pursuit of money and fame, not understanding what he wants from life…until he’s reunited with his dear professor Morrie, sixteen years after he left college. Mitch and his dying professor take up one final project before the curtain draws in on Morrie’s life—this book—which not only gives Morrie a mission to fulfil in his final days, but also pays his medical bills.

UPSIDE

Version 2
Morrie, dear Morrie

It’s a naive, but delectable view of human experiences. Tuesday’s With Morrie is very, very touching and it made me cry. It’s now my go-to book when life gets hard.

The way Mitch intersperses the main line of story with snippets from his college life and random thoughts make the narrative dreamy. It also provides the reader with a more wholistic view of Mitch’s relationship with Morrie. In my view, one couldn’t have asked for a better layout.

The tone of the book is emotional and the writing extremely simplistic. While reading the book, I lived through Morrie’s gradual, inevitable decay. And when he died, I cried as I would’ve had for any other loved one. Like Mitch, I wasn’t ready to say goodbye. At times, I felt like a fly on the wall, tuning in to one of the usual Tuesday conversations between student and professor, astonished by the latter’s courage in face of a disease as debilitating as ALS.

Morrie’s courage and resilience and his love for life shine right through Mitch’s words. As my eyes soaked up the book one line at a time, I became aware of Mitch’s love and admiration for his dying professor.

I thought about all the people I knew who spent many of their waking hours feeling sorry for themselves. How useful it would be to put a daily limit on self pity. Just a few tearful minutes, then on with the day. And if Morrie could do it, with such a horrible disease…

“It’s only horrible if you see it that way.” Morrie said. “It’s horrible to watch my body slowly wilt away to nothing. But it’s also wonderful because of all the time I get to say goodbye.

He smiled. “Not everyone is so lucky.”

I studied him in his chair, unable to stand, to wash, to pull on his pants. Lucky? Did he really say lucky?

Someday, I wish to find my Morrie.

DOWNSIDE

Tuesday’s with Morrie perhaps lacks the WOW factor because it brings nothing new to the table. There’s nothing in here that you do not already realise or know.

To some readers, Morrie’s ideas may sound excessively utopian and his way of life may seem impractical and unattainable. That is okay, because Tuesday’s with Morrie is not a self-help book, but a tribute to Morrie Schwartz. You may not agree with all that Morrie preaches, but you will surely recognise that he’s a courageous man with a heart of gold.

I would say…

If you plan on reading this one, do so with an open mind. Do not expect Tuesday’s with Morrie to solve life’s greatest mysteries, because it won’t. It will, however, inspire you to create the life that you will truly love. And perhaps as a reward, you’ll be reminded of someone who helped change your own life.

Morrie, wherever you are, may you find happiness and peace.

©All Rights Reserved

Book lover and dreamer

14 thoughts on “Tuesday’s with Morrie”

    1. Ah yes, it is very sentimental. I found myself crying after every third page… perhaps it’s also true that most of what is preached in the book is not entirely possible for us to understand while we are lost in the rushes of life.
      I can only imagine how beautiful life could be if we could!

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  3. I always tell folk when either introducing them to a old book or film, “This will seem familiar, and it is due to that that you might find it boring, meaning, it has spawned a whole bunch of ideas.” Material gets stolen from especially old stuff. I’m come across this a lot. This is a old book. Glad you are writing about it, reviewing it. This is so important to share old books with the new generation.

    Hope you don’t mind, but here is the movie. The movie is never as good as the book. But thought one night perhaps when you don’t want to think, you might watch the movie.

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  5. Very Nice! I was given this worn little book to read on a plane ride back from Dublin to the USA and in the middle of the trip I was weeping openly on a plane with strangers. I have never had that reaction to a book before and I will remember it for my whole life. I think the message is “Connection”.

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    1. You’re on point about the message- Connection describes it very well.

      I found the book to be very emotional; by the end of it I’d fallen in love with Morrie. To read about a person who displayed such courage in the face of such a crippling disease was truly inspiring!

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  6. Pingback: Blogger Recognition Award – Nourishing my Soul

  8. “When you are getting on in years (but not ill, of course), you get very sleepy at times, and the hours seem to pass like lazy cattle moving across a landscape. It was like that for Chips as the autumn term progressed and the days shortened till it was actually dark enough to light the gas before call-over…”

    I absolutely love Mr. Chips! I read that story as a child, still haven’t forgotten it! 💕

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