Tuesdays with Morrie: An Old Man, a Young Man, and Life's Greatest Lesson

Mitch Albom

"Tuesdays With Morrie" is the heartwarming story of Albom's relationship with his college mentor,...more

"Tuesdays With Morrie" is the heartwarming story of Albom's relationship with his college mentor, Morrie Schwartz, with whom Albom has lost touch for 16 years. Upon seeing him on the "Nightline" program - talking to Ted Koppel about what it was like to die from Lou Gehrig's disease - Albom was both horrified and ashamed. He called his old teacher, flew to Boston for a reunion, and began a series of weekly visits, rekindling their loving teacher-student relationship while tackling a larger subject in their final "class": the meaning of life.Tuesdays With Morrie details those Tuesday visits, and the shared reflections on love, work, marriage, envy, children, forgiveness, community and aging, all seen though the eyes of a wise old man who was down to his last days.The book has been embraced by readers around the world. Oprah Winfrey featured Albom on her show and fell so in love with the book , she optioned it for a TV movie, which is scheduled for May of 1999. Albom and the book were also featured in People magazine, the Today Show, The Late Show with Tom Snyder, and two special episodes of "Nightline."Albom is especially proud of "Tuesdays With Morrie" and the warmth it appears to spread amongst its readers. He periodically visits bookstores and groups to talk about the book and sign copies.As of the summer of 1998, there are nearly 800,000 copies of Tuesdays With Morrie in print. It is also being published in 19 countries in 16 languages.   hide

While I seem terminally "unhip" occasionally I do decide to slide back into a 21st Century...more

While I seem terminally "unhip" occasionally I do decide to slide back into a 21st Century experience. As it seems everyone and their grandmother has read Tuesdays With Morrie I thought, "Why not?" The book is terribly hokey and I must express my confusion at everyone who raved about this but accuse The Secret of being nothing more than a book of quotes. After all, Tuesdays is really nothing more than a rather brief biography and... quotes. Morris Schwartz was a soc press diagnosed with Lou Gehrig's disease and Mitch Albom was a studen of his who comes back to spend time with Morrie during his final months. It's a book about dying, coping with death, and a pinch and a dash of everything else: family, relationships, money, work, etc. It certainly has its good point but it really is nothing more than a spoonful of common sense: slow down, smell the roses, be nice to other people. Two cringe worthy parts of the book, for me, involved having children and getting married. I don't want children and I'm undecided about marriage. And I completely agree that having children and getting married create huge changes in a person's life but so does not doing those things. Also, the implication that only family will be there for you in a situation like Morrie's seems a bit daft as Mitch - a friend - is recording all of this. Can't say I would have missed much if I had skipped this.    hide

Very touching and inspiring. Makes one realize how we sadly choose to die and give up even when we...more

Very touching and inspiring. Makes one realize how we sadly choose to die and give up even when we are ensured of a long life.Morrie was one such soul who chooses to live each minute to the fullest even when he knows that his days are numbered as the clock ticks away every deadly second of his. It made me realize that we tend to give up with every minor issue that befalls us. We manage to let it eclipse our very existence. This book has taught me life’s greatest lesson indeed. It has inspired me to live life to the fullest by making it a heavenly paradise instead of cribbing and making it a living hell. At times we don’t realize the preciousness of the present time, taking it for granted. Instead we should learn to accept each minute as a blessing instead of a curse irrespective of life’s uncanny roller coaster rides.    hide

This is, without a doubt, the best book I have ever read. I would implore anyone who can get their...more

This is, without a doubt, the best book I have ever read. I would implore anyone who can get their hands on a copy to do so and set aside some time in the near future to read it. From scarily identifying with the author at the outset of the book, the journey he took along the way resembled one I was amidst, therefore I found the book was a catalyst for my own life and its changes. Even for someone who has what they consider to be a great life, it is a touching story and provokes one to think about the big picture; from the point of view of someone who has no fears in the world whatsoever. For that reason alone, it is enlightening. The clarity and sincerity of what is conveyed from the old professor, through the text, is unsurpassed in truthfulness and relevance to anybody's life. Highly recommended. Read it over a couple of rainy days, or on the train to work in a week.   hide

I picked this book up after dinner, and didn't put it down until I finished it. It enthralled me....more

I picked this book up after dinner, and didn't put it down until I finished it. It enthralled me. Morrie had such a powerful message throughout the book. I wish it was as easy to take his advice as it should be. Unfortunately, like most people I'm bogged down in the values of the culture to a greater extent than I should be. I don't have a great car or a huge house or much of anything material, but those are still vague goals in the back of my consciousness. As Morrie said, I don't *need* material things, but I do want enough of them to be comfortable, perhaps more than I rightly should. And I know that I'm too focused on what others can do for me and not enough on what I can do for them (even though I've spent most of my working life in "helping" professions.) I have a feeling that this book will change my outlook some...not drastically, but in some small ways. And I know that's a good thing.   hide