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

Rating:
Summary: A book that will make you think about your life.
Review: I read this book after hearing so many good things about it and the TV movie based on it. It's a very quick read - I finished it in two days, which is unheard of for me! The book is basically about Morrie Schwartz, a history professor at Brandeis University, who has been diagnosed with ALS (Lou Gehrig's Disease) and is dying. A former student, Mitch Albom, who had become a fairly well known sports writer, heard about his teacher from an interview with Ted Koppel on Nightline and decided to pay a visit. This visit soon turned into regular meetings - on Tuesdays - since at the time there was a strike at Albom's newspaper. Albom plots Morrie's declining health, which is quite depressing, but at the same time imparts Morrie's wisdom. One definitely can get a sense of what the important things in life are from someone who has little left, but Morrie is particularly eloquent and seems to carry an upbeat dignity to the end. Sometimes it takes the wisdom of a dying man to jog us enough to realize that human relationships and health are more important than all the gadgets, modern conveniences, pressures to get ahead professionally and monetarily combined. This is just the main point that Morrie starts "teaching" Albom and getting through to someone who, like many of us from time to time, have gotten obsessed with the real trivialities of life. The only complaint I have about this book is that it wasn't longer. I wanted to take more time and savor the wisdom and sweetness of this old man, but, like his illness's swiftness, reading the book seemed to go by all too quickly.

Rating:
Summary: Changed my perspective.
Review: I'd avoided reading this for a long time because I thought it was about dying - death scenes are always so wrenching for me. However, this simple concept, of tapping Morrie's soul little by little, one day at a time, was easy to digest. It turned out to be a huge life lesson in a very small package. I smiled a lot, cried a little.

It's a book I want to revisit again for the reminder I seem to need, which is to stop worrying about the trivia in life, to slow down and focus on what's really important, and to live fully in the moment I'm in.



Rating:
Summary: Buy this tiny masterpiece!
Review: In a world which offers so many "words of wisdom" books dealing with positive thinking and the significance of life, I didn't think I'd find one so fresh and simple as "Tuesdays with Morrie." Instead of packing a book full of quotes by philosophers, theologians, historians, or the Dalai Lama, author Mitch Albom (a much celebrated sports columnist) chooses to just simply recount a series of visits with a dying man. Instead of a lecture, this is a story about a real relationship; instead of a book you can't put down, it's one that will make you stop and reflect . . . often. The tone is, at once, both sad and uplifting.

"Tuesdays with Morrie" is warm, thought-provoking, and very easy to read. It made me think often about family and friends, and about a TRUE teacher named Morris Schwartz, the likes of whom we should all one day have the good fortune to meet. I give this my highest recommendation.

Rating:
Summary: Deeply Moving!
Review: It took just one day for me to read "Tuesdays with Morrie" - I just could not put it down! The cover states "an old man, a young man, and life's greatest lesson", that is exactly what this book is about. Morrie Schwartz was Mitch Albom's professor in college, and friend. They had lost touch and 16 years later, while flipping thru the TV channels one night, Mitch catches an interview Ted Koppel is having with Morrie. This causes Mitch to go visit his old professor. After hugging and catching up a bit, Morrie, known fondly as "Coach" to Mitch, asks Mitch if he'd like to know what it's like to die...and their final class has begun.

Morrie has Lou Gehrigs disease, (Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis), a progressive and ultimately fatal neuromuscular disease, and is now in a wheelchair fulltime.

Mitch begins to visit Coach on Tuesdays. On fourteen Tuesdays they would discuss life, its meanings, and what is important about living and dying. As the disease progresses, Morrie begins to look at life uniquely and shares with Mitch that the thing he's learning most because of having this disease is "...how to give out love, and to let it come in." Each week they discuss profound things that are yet so simple. They discuss the world, regrets, death, family, emotions, the fear of aging, forgiveness...and goodbye. Morrie imparts such wisdoms as, "Everyone knows they're going to die, but nobody believes it. If we did, we would do things differently." And, "Accept the past as past, without denying it or discarding it," "Learn to forgive yourself and to forgive others ..."

Thru dying, Morrie teaches Mitch how to live.

This book is a treasure and should be read by Everybody!! It teaches things that most people already know, but for some reason do not put into practice in everyday life. This book teaches us to cherish everyone and everything, love and compassion for others is such an important part of life. I plan to give this book as a gift to many people in my life.

Mitch Albom is also the author of "The Five People You Meet in Heaven", another wonderful book that should be part of every home's library. If you like "Tuesdays with Morrie", you will also enjoy "The Five People You Meet in Heaven." I love both books, and I highly recommend them both!!!


Rating:
Summary: Never Too Old To Learn "Life's Greatest Lesson"
Review: Mitch Albom hadn't spoken with Morrie in sixteen years, ever since Mitch graduated from Brandeis University in 1979. He may have never gotten back in touch with his professor that he lovingly refers to as "Coach" if he hadn't been clicking through the channels one evening and seen Morrie being interviewed by Ted Koppel on "Nightline". Tuesdays With Morrie: an old man, a young man, and life's greatest lesson is an undeniably touching biography that leaves its readers dabbing their eyes with tissues and not only that, but grasping to read more about the incredible and unforgettable professor of Sociology, Morrie Schwartz, who never stopped learning or sharing his words of wisdom until the day he died.
In his book, Albom gives good grounding so the readers know all about his own past, Morrie's past, and medical knowledge of the disease which has taken control of Morrie, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), or also known as Lou Gehrig's disease. At times readers may feel that the details and analysis of Albom's own life aren't needed, but on the contrary, they give insight into the man who changed so much after being with his mentor and friend for only a few short months before Morrie's death.
In the beginning of the book, Albom makes a promise that at the time, he intends to keep. He writes that at his graduation ceremony in 1979, he presents Morrie with a briefcase in hopes that Morrie will never forget him and after a long hug, Morrie asks him if he will keep in touch. Without hesitation Mitch says, "Of course." He does a horrible job of keeping that promise until almost twenty years later when mentor and student are reunited. Mitch Albom tells readers truths about himself that most people would be too ashamed to divulge. This gives readers something to relate to. Mitch becomes a sports reporter in Detroit and on ESPN and when his life gets difficult, his way of running away is to dive deeper into his work and focus on anything but the real problem at hand that he needs to deal with. Too often people get preoccupied with making money and buying the newest and best products available, and we forget about the truly important people and things in our lives that have helped shape us. Some of Morrie's aphorisms are "Devote yourself to others" and "Love always wins". We all need to be reminded of these truths sometimes, and Morrie illuminates many of them in his weekly, tape-recorded sessions with Albom.
Tuesdays With Morrie teaches the deeper meaning of life. The book is structured in such a way that there is a chapter on all of one through fourteen weeks and then there is a flashback. It could be of either Albom or Morrie's life. These flashbacks explain pertinent information and are a wonderful way to engage the reader without giving too much unneeded information that could make the book go on much longer than it had too. The 192-page hardback book is the perfect length book to give the reader just enough so that they don't need to ask for more because they feel as if they have closure at the end. Yet this book is so easily understandable and heartfelt that the reader can't help but say, "Give me more! Tell me more about this elderly man that has so much wisdom to offer."
Each chapter, aside from flashbacks, is called "The (any number of one through fourteen) Tuesday" and then it goes on to explain the topic that will be discussed that day. Some topics that they discuss in the book are the world, feeling sorry for yourself, regrets, death, family, emotions, the fear of aging, money, how love goes on, marriage, our culture, and forgiveness. The book ends by painting a picture in the readers mind. This is the same picture that was painted in the beginning almost word for word.
Albom writes: "The last class of my old professor's life took place once a week, in his home, by a window in his study where he could watch a small hibiscus plant shed its pink flowers. The class met on Tuesdays. No books were required. The subject was the meaning of life. It was taught from experience.
"The teaching goes on."
There couldn't have been a better way for Albom to close the book. This ending tells people that everyone can learn how to live their lives to the fullest right up until the end. Morrie was learning new things about life and about himself all the way until the day he died. We are just lucky enough to get to hear what he learned.
Readers may be asking, "So what is life's greatest lesson?" Albom says, "...if Professor Morrie Schwartz taught me anything at all, it was this: there is no such thing as "too late" in life." He also learned that "Death ends a life, not a relationship" so even after Morrie left this world, he would live on in the hearts of everyone he met, and in the readers of this book who felt as if they knew Morrie personally after reading the book.
This well-organized chronicle of the last fourteen weeks Morrie Schwartz and Mitch Albom spent together, helps make a book of great clarity and wisdom. The book is inspirational and sensitive and the life lessons learned in the book aren't easily forgotten. This book is what the two men refer to as the final thesis of the class; the class that met once a week on Tuesdays. This story is tragic, but well worth reading. The excellence of the book can't be doubted when it has been embraced by readers around the world, being published in nineteen countries and in sixteen different languages. Albom gives a tribute to a remarkable teacher in Tuesdays With Morrie. If you want to learn the meaning of life, then this book is for you.

Rating:
Summary: A wonderful Book!
Review: One day, as Mitch was flipping through television channels, he caught a teaser clip from ABC News Nightline, Who Is Morrie Schwartz? He froze in his tracks and glued himself to the television set. That's how he found out that his dear old Morrie had ALS (Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis).

Overwhelmed with guilt and even grief, Mitch set out to reconnect with his Professor. He was welcomed with open arms.

Every Tuesday, Mitch would go over to Morrie's house and listen to Morrie's thoughts on the world, feeling sorry for yourself, regrets, death, family, emotions, fear of aging, money, love, marriage, our culture, forgiveness, and the perfect day.

Throughout these discussions with Morrie, Mitch would flashback to different episodes in his life - college, his family, his career. It was as if he was matching up some of Morrie's thoughts with some of the unfinished business he had floating around in his own mind.

This book is easy to read and avoids the usual preachiness that I find in "inspirational" type books. Those two reasons alone would have been enough for me to give this book a positive review.

But beyond the general aesthetic reasons, this book crawled into every orifice of my consciousness. I found myself thinking about things during normal, every day chores. I would wake up the next morning, to remember that I had been dreaming about a particular thought that Morrie had discussed with Mitch. A book that can have this type of lasting effect on me is something special in my opinion. It may not be a literary book like War and Peace, intellectuals may scoff. I can only say that I truly enjoyed it; I'm grateful to have read it. Other quick Amazon picks that I recommend include: [e-mail] by Tom Grimes, The Losers' Club by Richard Perez

Rating:
Summary: Tuesday's With Morrie
Review: This year for my seventh grade Language Arts class, we were supposed to choose a book and then critique it. I chose Tuesdays With Morrie after selecting it from a dusty bookshelf in my brother's room. Personally, I loved the book; it had a deeper meaning of life that i had never considered before. Some of my favorite quotes from the book have stuck with me like the one, "Love eachother or perish," The book is about a former college student, and his favorite professor. It all begins sixteen years after graduation when Mitch Albom finds himself watching his beloved college instructor on Nightling with Ted Koppel. Morrie has become a victum of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as Lou Gehrig's disease, leaving his body withered and sagging. Mitch visits Morrie one day and what starts as a reunion of old friends turns into the project of a lifetime. Now, I don't want to spoil anything, but the lessons that Morrie teaches to Mitch on their Tuesdays together will stay with him all of his life. I would recommend this book to anyone. If you are looking for enlightenment, deep thinking, and a true story, you've come to the right book. On a scale from one to ten, i would give Tuesdays With Morrie a nine and a half.

Rating:
Summary: Have A Tissue Ready
Review: Tuesdays with Morrie by Mitch Albom is beautifully written. It is also an easily read and understandable. The fact that it's a true story makes it even more touching. So have some tissue ready :) . Morrie was a real person. He helped so many people during his life, and now, because of Mitch, he will touch many more after death. I strongly recommend reading this book if you are afraid of death.

There is also another book here on Amazon I have found that I highly recommend on life after death, or between death that has given me a lot to think about. It is called The book of Thomas by Daniel Aber and Gabreael. In their book everything from the suicide, the different levels of heaven, reincarnation, and so on is covered also in an easily read format

Rating:
Summary: Morrie A Wonderful Mentor We All Wish We'd Known
Review: TUESDAYS WITH MORRIE is a wonderful book and Morrie is the kind of Mentor we all wish we'd had. A quick read, it's lessons are long lasting and you'll find yourself thinking about Morrie long after you put down this jewel and pass it on to another lucky reader.

Rating:
Summary: A Must Read!
Review: Tuesdays with Morrie is definitely one of the best books that I've ever read. Once I picked it up, I couldn't stop until I found myself on the last page. Although the book is very short, nearly every page carries a message. It's purpose is to teach us a lesson; that was Morrie's final goal. He wanted to create this one last thesis with one of his favorite students, Mitch Albom, that would give people insight into how to live their lives and what it feels like to die. In this book, not only do we learn from Morrie (who died from ALS) how to live life to the fullest, but we learn from Mitch's mistakes as well. All too often we get caught up in our fast paced culture that we forget to stop and look around and actually enjoy things.

Mitch Albom uses a unique approach to get his old professor's message out. When I was reading this, I couldn't help but feel like Morrie was speaking right to me. The book could relate to anyone; it covers so many topics from love and life to death and trying to live even when death is knocking on the door.

I highly recommend reading Tuesdays with Morrie. You can't help but love Morrie by the end of the book, and like me, you might even tear up at the end a little.