Rating: 
Summary: Life Lessons
Review: Mitch Albom was well known to sports fans for his insightful writing in the Detroit Free Press and for his appearances on ESPN's Sports Reporters. He had written several books on sports (including an excellent book on Michigan's Fab Five) that were not best sellers. So when he published this small book about becoming reacquainted with a former mentor who was dying of Lou Gehrig's disease, no one expected much from it. What has happened is that the book has become a cultural landmark. The book has spent over three years on The New York Times Best Seller list, has been made into an Emmy award winning TV movie starring Jack Lemmon and made Mr. Albom into a star who has his radio show simulcasted on MSNBC and a development deal with CBS. The book details how through his death, Morrie Schwartz taught Mr. Albom how to live. Mr. Albom had seen his old professor on Nightline and decided to visit him. He was wrapped up in his own life and felt ashamed and nervous around the dying Morrie. In course of their initial meeting, they decide they would meet every Tuesday in what would be the last class Mr. Schwartz would teach. Mr. Schwartz explains that dying people don't want pity, but dignity and that death is a natural part of life. The lessons he teaches are somewhat depressing, but they do help one appreciate life. The book is very easy to read and Mr. Albom has an inviting style of writing. He lets us into his life and his relationship with Mr. Schwartz and through the book you can feel the genuine respect and love they had for each other. Mr. Albom wrote the book as a true labor of love and as a testament to his friend.
Rating: 
Summary: Definitely Five Stars!!
Review: The novel, Tuesdays With Morrie, is a very well-written, five-star novel that really makes you think deep inside of your heart. One of the main characters, Morrie Schwartz, is an old and wise man, who was diagnosed of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, (ALS), a brutal, unforgiving illness of the neurological system. There is no cure. It is terminal. Morrie knows he is going to die in about two years. In this book, Mitch Albom has the reader take a walk on that final bridge between life and death, while Morrie narates the trip. Morrie was a college professor and taught a class on The Meaning of Life. One of his most promising students was Mitch Albom, the author of this novel. After Mitch found out about Morrie's diagnosis, they became very close. Mitch started to meet with Morrie every Tuesday. Each Tuesday they would talk about the different aspects of life. The last Tuesday before Morrie died, they talked about death. Not many people take death into consideration and ignore it throughout their lives. Death is a very hard concept to accept and very hard to understand. Children should talk about death to their parents/guardians for them to get a better understanding. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who has a fear of death and would like to get over it quickly. It is a wonderful book because it discusses all the questions you could have about life in general. The author's description of Morrie and how he expresses a person's feelings who is in the middle of life and death is truly remarkable. This novel depicts how a young man and an old man discuss life's greatest lessons.
Rating:
Summary: Tuesdays with Morrie
Review: Morrie Schwartz is Mitch Albom's favorite professor at Brandeis University. The students are taught more than that is in text books or in term papers, they are taught about the meaning of life. As they grow older each year their relationship is no longer teacher to student, they become friends. Morrie is his mentor and like a father to him because he helps Mitch through college and the struggles with everyday life. Although Mitch promises to visit after he graduates, like many such promises, it was not kept. One night, almost fourteen years later, Mitch is flipping through the TV channels and Ted Koppel, from Dateline, says, " Who is Morrie Schwartz? And Why after tonight will you love him?" Mitch went numb. While watching the program Mitch discovers that during the summer of 1994, Morrie recieves a death sentence when he is diagnosed with ALS and only has two years left to live. Mitch resovles to go see the professor that changed his life. Morrie is a remarkable man and teaches Mitch a "lesson" that Mitch will never forget. The Most interesting aspect of the main character, Morrie, is his ability to stay so optomistic when he knows that he is going to die so soon. He opens up to everyone around him and makes the best in his horrible condition. This book is a must read. The captivating story of these two men will touch your heart in many ways. Morrie tries to convey the message that people should not be afraid of death but rather live your life to its potential and not be distracted by superficial matters. This story makes you look at your self in a way that you never have before. Once you pick this book up it will stay in your heart forever.
Rating:
Summary: The Teaching Never Ends
Review: Having said goodbye to his beloved professor, Morrie Schwartz, Mitch Albom headed off to the big city of New York. Mitch took the first job offered as a sports writer and dove into his work without ceasing. He traveled all over the country writing about other peoples' dreams while ignoring his own. As he was skimming through channels late one night, Mitch happened to stumble upon a story of a dying man guiding the world through his philosophies. Mitch's old professor, Morrie, had developed ALS, or Lou Gherig's didease. But it was Morrie's bare attitude about death a nd his emotional confidence that drew the television commentator, Ted Koppel, towards this wonderous man. To Morrie "Dying is only one thing to be sad over,....Living unhappiliy is something else." Mitch began weekly journeys to Morrie's and began his final class with his professor. Morrie forced Mitch to contemplate the bigger questions in life. He made him realize that although his life was full of activity, he was always unsatisfied. Morrie expressed his feelings on the priciple topics in life; death, fear, aging, family, society, and a meaningful life, these are some ot the themes he deemed necessary for existance. Mitch prompted Morrie about any regrets he had, and Morrie voiced that our culture does't encourage us to think about death until it is our last day. Morrie explains how we are so wrapped up with egotistical things; career, family money, nad paying the mortgage that we involve ourselves with these axts to keep us from looking back at our lives and pondering. He shows the world how beautiful a person can be for simply being human. All during the expressive sessions with Morrie and Mitch, Morrie is slowly deteiriorating. Although his body was decaying, his ming was ever increasing and he felt that when it came to aging he embraced it. He explains that as you age you learn more. Aging is not just decomposing, its growth. Its the understanding that you are going to die that will enrich your life. As Morrie's body was crippling, Mitch reveals a sensitive side to him that longs for touch and sympathy. They begin to hold hands, hug upon arrival, and an occaional shedding of tears. Affection was a critical point in the deep connection that the two shared. On the last Tuesday, Morrie could only speak in spurts and his voice was raspy. Each breath he took was a struggle. He knew that Morrie was within his final days. Mitch held his old professor's hand and MOrrie told him that if he were to have another son, he would have wanted it to be Mitch, and that Mitch had touched him deep within his heart. Mitch confessed his love for Morrie and with a quit strength, Morrie professed he knew he always had.
Rating:
Summary: In Response To All The Negative Reviewers:
Review: Who are any of you to judge the last precious words of a dying man? Maybe Morrie is not the Dalai Llama, but he faced death with dignity, and he showed others that they could, too. You think there is nothing special about a dying man telling others to love their relationships more than their possessions? Perhaps that is a truth we should all have reached on our own. But, in this day and age, society the way it is, how many of us actually apply that practice in our daily lives? Sometimes people just need to hear it and be reminded of it. Morrie was that conduit for many of us, while others will provide simple, forgotten enlightenments to those of you whom Morrie didn't touch. Does it really matter how or why or when any of us are gently reminded of the important things in life, or simply that we are reminded from time to time? Is it neccessary for any of you to judge a man who only wanted to live out his dying moments actively applying simple priciples in his life? Countless people have slipped into death full of fear, anger, lonliness, resentment, and regret. Morrie did not, and for that I applaud him and learn from him. So Albom is no literary genius. This book will never be in the same genre as those written by Homer, Joyce, Faulkner, or Shakespeare. But that's not the point. That's not the intention. I believe this book was simply meant to be a feel-good read. Simple and touching, it provides us with a wondeful reprieve from the daily rat race that is life. I'm ever so grateful for it's creation. For the moments it gave me to ponder on some beautiful gems of life. For the assurance it gave me that there exists truly good, moral, people full of faith. Because I need to remember that when I feel bad, selfish, or faithless. Then I can snap out of it and focus on the important things in life. I'm not the least bit apologetic for sounding cliched right now, if any of you think I do. I don't care. I loved this book and what thoughts and emotions it provoked in me. If it didn't do the same for you, must you be such harsh, judgemental critics? Can you simply not realize that this was not a book for you, and forget about it?
Rating:
Summary: A Young Man's Fumbling Death Bed Learning
Review: Professor Morrie Schwartz is the mentor we would all like to have. Often we fail to seek out such a mentor because we feel inadequate or not worthy enough. If so, you will identify with Mitch Albom who seeks out his teacher's wisdom for the final time in this book. His fumbling should reassure even the most inhibited person to reach out for this kind of connection. That's the hidden beauty of this book, as Professor Schwartz's goodness shines through the narrowness of Mr. Albom's life. This wonderful book focuses on the meaning of life, from the perspective of a teacher (Morrie Schwartz) who is about to lose his life and his pupil, (Mitch Albom) who has lost his focus on what is important. They come together for 14 Tuesdays (just like they did while the author was a college student at Brandeis) before the professor passes away of ALS (Lou Gehrig's disease). This book is filed with the most beautiful sayings you can imagine. Here are a few examples: 'Giving to other people is what makes us feel alive.' 'Love each other or perish.' 'Everybody knows they are going to die, but nobody believes it. If we did, we would do things differently.' 'Learn to detach from experience.' Many people would avoid a book on this subject, because they do not want to think about death. Although Morrie Schwartz is dying throughout this book, the subject is really about living rather than dying. Few will find the dying to be distressing, even though it is graphically and frequently addressed. For those of us with many years to live, this book can be a wake-up call to start really living now -- in the ways we would if we were about to die, as well as to learn how to treat others while we still have them with us. For those who have but little time left, this book can be an inspiration for how to get the most out of the remaining time. You will probably find it heart-warming (as I did) to find out that the advance on this book was paid in time to help defray some of Professor Schwartz's medical expenses. May you find new meaning in your life from reading this wonderful book! Life is a teacher, and Morrie Schwartz's thoughts can be a text to help you understand the lessons. Live well and make your choices consciously!
Rating:
Summary: Small book with a meaningful message.
Review: Tuesdays With Morrie is a small book with a meaningful message. It tells the true story of Morrie Schwartz, a former sociology professor at Brandeis University who is dying of Lou Gehrig's disease (ALS). A student from 20 years ago, Mitch Albom, learns of Morrie's illness and starts to visit him once a week on Tuesdays, just as he had when he was in college. Through those weekly meetings, we learn about Morrie's views on life, death, happiness, money, marriage, family, and other such issues. Morrie doesn't believe that dying is something to be ashamed of, so he reaches out to people and shares his experience, treasuring the time he has left to connect with people and to say his goodbyes. As we experience Morrie's decline, we are reminded of what's most important in life and how hard we must try to focus on those things. It took only a few hours to read this little book, and yet it sends a message that is worth keeping forever. I suspect each person will glean different lessons from this book, but here are some of the messages that struck me: Ignoring death doesn't make it go away, but instead cuts off an opportunity to treasure our own lives and the lives of others. Often when an older person talks about their death, their children say, "Don't talk that way," as if talking about it causes death. By denying death, we make it harder for people to accept their mortality, and we miss the opportunity to allay others' fears about what will happen to their loved ones after they're gone. When we're with someone, we should be fully there, focusing on them, listening to them, and responding to them. Morrie allowed himself time to feel self-pity, fear, anger. He fully experienced those emotions so that he could know the feeling, and then move on, without letting it consume him. By denying our feelings, we let them control us; if we accept them, we are free to choose our response to them. I plan to read this every so often, just to keep reminding myself what really matters and to value each day.
Rating:
Summary: An Examination of Life and Death
Review: A wonderful tribute from a student to his teacher, Tuesdays with Morrie is a triumph. It is simple, sentimental and warm, but its real power lies with it's ability to bring to the reader a better understanding of how it is to approach death. This is a must-read for anyone who has ever known someone who is dying, or who may themselves be faced with their own mortality. It is a manual on how to die with dignity, how to give dignity to someone who is dying, and what the dying person really wants, needs and believes. With all the death we see during our lives, we are surprisingly clumsy about our relationship with it, and this novel brings light, warmth, acceptance and understanding to something that we must all face, and expresses it all with love, humor and truth.
Rating:
Summary: Mixed Blessing
Review: When the author sees his beloved professor, Morrie Schwartz, on television talking to Ted Copple about living with ALS, or Lou Gherig's disease, he makes the decision to visit him in Boston. And, when a writer's strike against the newspaper he works for in Detroit stretches into weeks, Mitch flies to Boston every Tuesday to see Morrie. He finds Morrie both changed and unchanged. Morrie now sees life through the hourglass of lost abilities, trying to make peace with and find some humor in the fact that soon he will need someone to wipe his butt. Each week, Mitch sees the not-so-subtle deterioration of the human physical condition and finds learning and solace in the words of his teacher. Don't expect a story of a saint dying. Morrie is, by degrees, angry, depressed, and above al, exhausted. Mitch is simply a recorder, but not a silent one. I grew tired of his self-obsession and focus on money and work. Being with Morrie is only a convenience because he can not work until the strike is over. One doubts that Mitch would have made more than a single visit to his friend if he were living his "regular" life. That said, the author is to be commended for recording the last months of Morrie's life in a way that is uplifting as well as serious.
Rating: 
Summary: One Man's View of Life
Review: I hesitate to give this book a bad review--it seems that most readers out there think anyone critical about "Tuesday's with Morrie" is the same kind of person who goes around pulling kittens's tails. Nevertheless, I'm going to go ahead and list my (almost) endless problems with this book. My deepest reservations--no, let me make that fury--have to do with Mitch Albom himself. As far as I could tell with internet research, the author's life has not changed one iota--except to make him astonishingly wealthy. Has he given it all up to join a religious order? Has he even become a teacher--or has he continued to be a sportswriter(a job that he felt vaguely guilty about) only this time with the added panache of being a best-selling author? Members of my book club claimed that it didn't matter if Albom had changed or not--he was just a conduit for Morrie's wisdom. I maintain that it just shows that Morrie's insights were neither particularly original or profound if he couldn't even change the life of the man at his bedside. Morrie's imminent death may have given him a bully pulpit, but it didn't give him any particular wisdom or enlightenment except for this: yes, we are all mortal, and often living moment by moment is the best way to be happy. I take serious exception to many of his other statements which are just this: the conclusions from the life experiences of one man who spent his entire life in academia. So growing older makes you wiser, and that the truths that he discovered at the end of his life were the best ones? Oh, really? Who says? Don't people become sometimes rigid or embittered, and don't we sometimes lose the idealism and freshness of youth? So accomplishments mean very little, and that relationships are the most important things in life. Why must this be so? Did Michaelangelo (to cite an extremely obvious example) feel this way? And why must other people accept this as THE truth? As to his statement that people are all the same all over--yes, there are universal needs and wants, but the way a culture conditions us to express these things can make us profoundly different. Isn't it almost insulting to make a remark like that when there is so much dissent in the world? A diplomat would probably roll his eyes at such a naive platitude. Now, I know people who are suffering from serious illness, or witnessing the decline of a parent, and they say that this book has helped them. But for the average person who isn't facing a crisis but says that this book has somehow changed them--sorry, I don't buy it. I think for typical readers it gives a momentary jolt as to the recognition of their own mortality, even makes then shed a tear or two, but is soon forgotten under the pressures of everyday life. It's just another book that swears to hold THE truth on how to live your life and doesn't deliver--but does make the authors and publishers rich in the process.
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