Tuesdays with Morrie

If you read just one book this year,  it must be Tuesdays with Morrie. If you are planning to read one or in middle of reading one- stop and read Tuesdays with Morrie (TWM). I have read various self-help books prior to TWM but they all had a few things in common. They all talk about improving life, personality, finance, and different aspect of life but TWM talked about death and dying graciously. Though the book talks about loss and death but not in a depressing way. It also signifies the importance of a single human and his impact on numerous people and Morrie was such an individual. Reading this book made me aware of my flaws and strength as an individual. Tuesdays With Morrie is not just any book, it is a book that comprises of life mistakes, and experiences, and also has Morrie’s way of solving them. When one goes through different chapters, he/she can easily co-relate to the problems discussed in the book and Morrie’s approach to handling them. This book was conceived as Morrie’s last project that he narrated to his old student who visited him on Tuesdays. The flow of the book is captivating and entertaining. It is high on the emotional quotient and can leave you with teary eyes on occasion.  Morrie talks about an ignored and tabooed death which is inevitable yet people hardly talk about it. He talks about talk and suffering and also about enduring them. He talks about the unnecessary emotional baggage we carry and how to get rid of it. TUESDAYS WITH MORRIE is an emotional roller-coaster of problems and complications and yet he talks about successful transitions from them. The depth of Morrie’s character is superlative, he is poised and sorted out in spite of all the hardship and struggle he faced as a child. TWM is a book highlighting the importance of love, compassion, forgiveness, and above all embracing death. The problems discussed by Mitch and Morrie felt as if they were my own. Morrie was not just a teacher he is a guide, a mentor, or a philosopher to some, and his way of looking at things people, and circumstances are different yet simple. This 200 odd page book is a trove that has to be preserved, read and re-read. Tuesdays with Morrie left my eyes moist and thankful for the people and things I have in life. TWM speaks of humility compassion and the importance of friends and family. Morrie died in 1995 yet his ideas and thought propagates with us for our own greater good. His famous Ted Koppel interview is available on Youtube (worth watching). I can’t thank you enough Mitch Albom for showing this book light of the day.