Tuesdays with Morrie - Book Review
Updated: Jul 12, 2020
Some books impact your life and stay with you forever. I have recently read such a book that influenced my life in many ways. I feel so grateful to come across this life-changing book. That book is Tuesdays with Morrie by Mitch Album. It is tough for me to put down this review in words because I know this won’t do the justice to the kind of book this is. But still, here’s my attempt to recommend you this book :
When you look at the title and the cover of this book, it seems very simple. It looks like a book that one can finish in one sitting. I wasn’t sure what this book had to offer me. But when I started reading it, I got that strong sense of going through something amazing and powerful. What I mean by powerful is not the language of narration, but the message. On the other hand, this book feels very delicate at many points. There’s a great balance, I must say.
Tuesdays with Morrie is a non-fiction book written by Mitch Albom. Mitch gets a chance to meet his professor and mentor from college days, Morrie Schwartz. But when he meets Morrie, he realizes that Morrie is in the last phase of his life. While being in the middle of successful career, Mitch chooses to spend his Tuesdays with his old professor. This book has conversations between Mitch and Morrie when they talk about different aspects of life ranging from family, culture, forgiveness and even death. Morrie shares his reflections on life. So, Morrie once again becomes Mitch’s mentor.
“ Detachment doesn’t mean you don’t let the experience penetrate you. On the contrary, you let in penetrate you fully. That’s how you are able to leave it.”
This book not only captures the beauty of life but also helps us understand how we make it complicated. Morrie, being an old man and a person from a different generation, discusses things with Mitch and their conversation is everything one can ask for - Full of wisdom, emotions and clarity. Morrie keeps everything simple while explaining about life, even the concept of death. He, being at the door of death, tells Mitch how it feels to be there and that is the most beautiful thing this book taught me. When Mitch asks Morrie about the fear of ageing, he says :
“ As you grow, you learn more. If you stayed at twenty-two, you’d be always as ignorant as you were at twenty-two. Ageing is not just decay, you know. It’s growth. It’s more than negative that you are going to die, it’s also the positive that you understand you are going to die, and that you live a better life because of it.”
Honestly, I am that person who needed this to hear. I am afraid of ageing, not because I will get wrinkles or so, but because I can’t imagine myself being responsible for people or emotions. I can take care of things, but people and emotions seem like something big. But Morrie kind of convinced me that ageing is going to bring different things to my life more than just responsibilities. This was one example of reflection. I was pausing at each page to understand such small things. I did not take any notes as I do for other books because I just felt that I needed to absorb this instead of remembering or reread this someday. Trust me, I laughed, I cried, I felt numb at some points.
“ Forgive yourself before you die, then forgive others”
I know these are very simple words to read but when you read in the context of Mitch and Morrie’s conversation, every sentence is like a gem.
I haven’t even mentioned every detail but I think whatever I said is enough to tell you all how much this book impacted me. I have decided that I will start my year with this book, that’s it. This is the one book everyone should read in every phase of their life. I know that I keep suggesting books and tell people that you should read this book and that book. But, for this book, take my word, you won’t regret it.
Check the book here:
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