Tuesdays with Morrie (Mitch Albom)

I just finished "Tuesdays with Morrie" by Mitch Albom. I read it more based on an "I need to grab something really quickly to read right now as I'm rushing out the door" instead of based on a recommendation or high praise. I remember that this book was getting quite a bit of publicity a few years ago, but I didn't read it at the time.

 

"Tuesdays with Morrie" is a true story told by the author, Mitch Albom, about one of his college professors. He became quite close to his professor, Morrie, during school, but then didn't keep in touch after graduating. One night, while flipping channels, he sees a show that features Morrie being interviewed because he has been diagnosed with ALS. Mitch starts to revisit and reignite the relationship between himself and Morrie, knowing that Morrie is in the final chapters of his life.  He visits Morrie every Tuesday to discuss everything from marriage to death to culture.

 

Immediately after finishing the book, I checked out the reliable goodreads for the thoughts of other readers. As with all books (or TV or movies, for that matter...), there are obviously those who are going to love and those who are going to hate. Many individuals thought that the book was very good and shed some good light on important life lessons, whereas others thought it was terrible (though this was mainly because of the readers didn't enjoy his style of writing).

 

What did I think? I agree that there are many good "life lessons" in the book. There were many quotable quotes that I jotted down while reading, and some questions or comments in the book that made me question some of the decisions that I am currently making in my own life or make you think a little deeper about the relationships you have with your friends and family. 

 

"Every day, have a little bird on your shoulder that asks, 'Is today the day? Am I ready? Am I doing all I need to do? Am I being the person I want to be?'" (Mitch Albom, Tuesdays with Morrie)
 

This being the second Mitch Albom book I've read (the first one being "The Time Keeper"), I will say that I enjoyed "Tuesdays with Morrie" better than I enjoyed "The Time Keeper." This book was a little easier to follow and dealt with 'real situations.'

 

If you're looking for a book to help put things into perspective, this may be a good book for you. Who better than someone who knows that they are dying, to tell you what they look back on in their lives and wish they could have done differently? (Morrie did seem like a very well-respected teacher and friend, and you have to look at some of his qualities as you read and hope that you can be a little more like him.) As I said, there are many quotable quotes and many things to make you stop and think about whether you are living your life in the best way that you can.

"There is no such thing as 'too late' in life." (Mitch Albom, Tuesdays with Morrie)