“Mitch,” he said, “the culture doesn’t encourage you to think about such things until you’re about to die. We are so wrapped up with egotistical things, career, family, having enough money, meeting the mortgage, getting a new car, fixing the radiator when it breaks – we’re involved in trillions of little acts just to keep going. So, we don’t get into the habit of standing back and looking at our lives and saying, is this all? Is this all I want? Is something missing?

Why I picked this book?

The title of the book, “tuesdays with Morrie” was interesting and the description on the cover of the book was catchy and thought-provoking, it caught my attention. I recalled having heard about this book from someone who found it interesting and inspiring. Usually, “motivational” or “inspirational” books are not my genre unless a life story or biography, but this one was different. A student visiting his teacher during his last days to learn some of the greatest life lessons is something that made me interested in the book.

the book

A high-profile sports columnist came to know about his college teacher and the rare disease he is battling, through a TV interview. That made him reach out to his teacher, first to get an interview for his media house, but later to get the most important lessons of life from the teacher he admired and respected. The teacher Morrie was suffering from a rare disease for which there was no medicine at that time, so death was inevitable. The author decided to meet his ailing teacher every Tuesday to spend some time with him and have talks and discussions on various subjects like life, marriage, money death. The book is a compilation of the talks and discussions between the author and his teacher.

“Dying,” Morrie suddenly said, “is only thing to be sad over, Mitch. Living unhappily is something else.

The book provides some words of wisdom from a man, who is on his deathbed and accepts it without any fear or regret. The author Mitch visits his teacher every Tuesday and they discuss life, death, and many things in between. What should be our priorities in life, and what should be given more importance over others. Over the course of these Tuesday meetings, Mitch observed the deteriorating condition of his teacher Morrie and was amazed to see how even in the pain and suffering he was full of life.

“Part of the problem, Mitch, is that everyone is in such a hurry,” Morrie said. “People haven’t found meaning in their lives, so they’re running all the time looking for it. They think the next car, the next house, the next job. Then they find those things are empty, too, and they keep running.”

With every Tuesday, Morrie was getting physically weak, and his student Mitch was getting more enlightened and at peace with him. The conversations or as the author says the classes with his teacher Morrie were turning out to be great life lessons for Mitch and he got a new perspective of looking at things. The Tuesdays conversations between the professor and his student are insightful and enlightening.

The book is short and crisp with words of wisdom on every page you turn. Morrie gives some of the best life lessons in his final class and his student Mitch present it to the world in the simplest form. The book is easy to read and understand and stays with the readers for some time. A beautiful read, which one should read from time to time.   

About The Author

Mitch Albom writes for the DETROIT FREE PRESS, and has been voted America’s No. 1 sports columnist ten times by the Associated Press Sports Editors. A former professional musician, he hosts a daily radio show on WJR in Detroit.

Our Verdict

Tuesdays with Morrie is a book that everyone should read to stay grounded and in touch with the actual meaning of life. It makes you pause and think about the purpose of your life and the priorities and goals that one has set for herself. It teaches you about love, compassion forgiveness and above all tells us that death is inevitable and one should treat it as such. More important thing is how we lived and what impact we had on the lives of the people around us.