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

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its true...its the most important thing to bear in mind	2	48	04/18/2008 10:03PM

Tanya rated it:

05/30/08

bookshelves: non-fiction

This is a biography about journalist Mitch Albom’s experience interviewing his professor from 20 years earlier over a period of 14 weeks. The 14 Tuesday meetings between Mitch and Morrie Shwartz are Morrie’s last as he continues his fight against ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, AKA Lou Gehrig’s disease). Morrie shares his insights into living meaningful life, and brings dignity to the process of dying, which afflicted him, and afflicts many with great suffering, but also brings grea...more

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Jared rated it:

02/03/08

Read in November, 2004

Review inspired by Eddie Greenwell

Wisdom grows with age. But the development of wisdom also accelerates when mortality becomes clear. Mortality shined down on Morrie Schwartz, a happy not-quite-old man through a quick diagnosis of ALS – or Lou Gehrig’s disease. Morrie was a professor of sociology at Brandeis University; he dedicated his life to the study of individuals’ actions in their respective societies and together he and Mitch Albom wrote his final paper: a study of his life i...more Review inspired by Eddie Greenwell

Wisdom grows with age. But the development of wisdom also accelerates when mortality becomes clear. Mortality shined down on Morrie Schwartz, a happy not-quite-old man through a quick diagnosis of ALS – or Lou Gehrig’s disease. Morrie was a professor of sociology at Brandeis University; he dedicated his life to the study of individuals’ actions in their respective societies and together he and Mitch Albom wrote his final paper: a study of his life in his society.

The framework for Albom and Morrie’s message of love and returning to what’s important is archetypal in world literature. The Bible, Koran and other religious books trumpet the theme that the relationships of familial love end up giving you ultimate joy in the end.

Literary fiction is a wonderful genre, but literary fiction shouldn’t tell the reader outright there is some lesson to be learned. It should be the same with non-fiction as well. In this story, the message is one of those direct, sappy ones: surround yourself with loved ones and know what is important, and don't get caught with money and business. We have heard that a million times! Worse, he doesn’t write it in a more creative way that we have heard it in the past.

The problem is that Tuesdays with Morrie seems like some kind of self help book. Albom needs to learn to give only the story and let the reader make of it what she wants. He shouldn’t preach to the reader, "I traded lots of dreams for a bigger paycheck" (p. 33). That is why his work comes across so sappy – one liners creep into the pages all over.

In comparing Tuesdays to Five People you Meet in Heaven, they make Albom look like a one-trick pony. Much of the content is the same. A character (Eddie in "Five People..." and Mitch in "Teusdays...") has a lesson he needs spelled out for them...and they cry...a lot. They don't just live the story, they take on the empty-headed-learning perspective. His characters don't bring much to the table, but seem naive and ignorant, without common sense. Along these lines, no character in good literature can just be told a lesson and then live it. For example, would A Christmas Carol really have been much of a story if the ghosts would have just sat down and talked to Ebenezer Scrooge—who is highly comparable to Mitch in this novel—and said "Hey, you work too much and you don't really enjoy life," and then Ebenezer just did it. No, Ebenezer had to live through the consequences of his lifestyle and then choose for himself. The best part of a great and lasting character, and the part that Albom severely misses out on, is the growing. A good character doesn't just get told and then accept. Albom's characters are spoon-fed quotes and lessons like children and the reader is supposed to buy it! Well, I don't. I need to learn human development, not be told how to develop.
To jazz Tuesdays up, give us more of Mitch's life as a reporter. Not just glimpses of and a complete summary (a literary no-no) of his life as a business man. Albom needs to take the time out to develop the friction between Mitch's life in Detroit and his life at Brandeis. The true beauty about this inherent conflict that most readers can identify with is that there is an allure to making all that money and living it up as a great sports writer as opposed to living with less money but happier. It is a more dynamic and relevant story and teaches more than Albom’s classroom environment.

Some of Morries lessons are inconsistent, and the reader must forget what Albom heralded at the beginning of the encounter. For example, Morrie was adamant at the beginning of the novel that he was not embarrassed about his humanity; he lived his own life without thinking about his stature, power or wealth. He claimed that one should never worry about what other people thought about him. Later in the book, after his ALS progressed, he complained about being embarrassed about how degenerate his body had become. He stopped letting visitors be with him much and identified that his biggest thorn was that the nurse had to help him with his intimate needs in the bathroom. These inconsistencies make the reader confused as to whether Morrie progressed and realized his humanity or truly lived out of the rat race.

If Albom has grown as an author, it is simply to write in such a sappy dramatic way that the general public eats it up, but does not digest. As he says in Tuesdays: "Yet they gave up days and weeks of their lives, addicted to someone else's drama" (42). Perhaps he should spend some time reading Hemmingway before his next novel, and really dig into the characters and conflicts.

The criticality of this novel stems from Albom’s desire that his audience think about and learn from the piece. It was too sappy to be taken seriously and truly learn from.

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Khalid rated it:

(review of isbn 0307275639)

06/22/07

bookshelves: already-read

Read in August, 2004

Tuesdays with Morrie is a real story that occurred to [Mitch Albom:] himself. Morrie Schwartz, a professor Mitch has been taught by during his university years, gets ALS (Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis – a disease), which results in Mitch remembering his old professor and deciding to visit him. This book talks about the journey Morrie had to take towards his death, and the way it affects Mitch, along with the memories it raises. By the end of the book, I had some tears in my eyes; it was...more Tuesdays with Morrie is a real story that occurred to [Mitch Albom:] himself. Morrie Schwartz, a professor Mitch has been taught by during his university years, gets ALS (Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis – a disease), which results in Mitch remembering his old professor and deciding to visit him. This book talks about the journey Morrie had to take towards his death, and the way it affects Mitch, along with the memories it raises. By the end of the book, I had some tears in my eyes; it was touching.

Having read two of Mitch Album's books by now, I can say that I do not like his style of writing. The way he tries to jump from the past to the present and the other way around is just not good, and his use of the present tense is way too overdone. I do believe, however, that the contents of his books are worth reading something not all that well-written.

Morrie was a wise guy; I admit. Yet, not everything he said I agree with or approve of. He tried to sound above-it-all, but that did not work all the time. One instance that really annoyed me – and is the reason why I am writing this paragraph anyway – is when he started talking about aging. Aging, he says, is something we should be looking for. Oh yeah? That's what I call sour grapes, dear Morrie. If you're interested in his reasons, you can always go read the book. I do not want to spoil too much of the book's contents.

Do you fear death?

I guess I do, somehow. I feel I have not done enough – if any – good in this world to not be afraid of what's coming next. To be honest, I'm not just afraid of death itself; I'm afraid of aging before it and becoming helpless; I'm afraid of potential pain that could come just before I have my last breath; I'm definitely afraid of what happens beyond death, when I'm left to be judged for the good and the bad I have done; when all I have left is the forgiveness of God, and his mercy.

Morrie thinks it's lucky to die slowly; you get enough time to correct what you want corrected, he believes. That's a lovely way to think of it; none of us would want to die suddenly with things needing to be finished or corrected. Nonetheless, is it really lucky to see yourself decay and get weaker day by day, there is nothing more dreadful than slow increasing pain that has no end but death.

When I was a kid, I always wanted to write this story about the guy who gets told he has x days to live; after which he'd die. Tuesdays with Morrie is just that very same story, but it is too different than what I had in mind; it's nowhere like the one I would have written.

In my story, the dead guy would do everything he wants to do, he'd entertain himself, and do all the good things he would miss when dead. He'd go look at the world, and try all the interesting things out there; he'd simply do one thing: Be selfish in his last few days. Morrie's is just the opposite, and it happens to be a really story. So afterall, I will never write my story, Morrie's story is way more impressive....less

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Trevor rated it:

07/29/08

Read in January, 2007

To say I read this book is not quite true. I read about two chapters. The two things that happened to stop me reading were:

1. When Morrie decided to have his wake before he died so he could hear all the nice things people were going to say about him. I'm Irish, at a wake you do not get the right of reply! It is the law. It just reminded me of that ruler from one of those Soviet Asian Republics that end in -stan who faked his own death and funeral so he could hear what people would say abou...more

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Huntie rated it:

06/28/07

Read in June, 2007

recommends it for: anyone really

So I read this book during the week that I was sick with the end-of-semester plague. I must say I was pleasantly surprised by this book. I went into reading it thinking that it would either be complete sentimental crappy pap or that it would be amazing. It was neither extreme, rather, it was just a nice little read.

The book is about a college professor (Morrie) that the author (Mitch ALbom) had while at Brandeis University. This prof. had a profound impact on Albom while he was a student, b...more So I read this book during the week that I was sick with the end-of-semester plague. I must say I was pleasantly surprised by this book. I went into reading it thinking that it would either be complete sentimental crappy pap or that it would be amazing. It was neither extreme, rather, it was just a nice little read.

The book is about a college professor (Morrie) that the author (Mitch ALbom) had while at Brandeis University. This prof. had a profound impact on Albom while he was a student, but as happens when people graduate ALbom lost touch with Morrie. Through a well-timed coincidence, Albom happened to see Morrie interviewed on a newsmagazine show and discovered that the man who'd had such a profound impact on his life was now in the grips of ALS (Lou Gehrig's disease) and wouldn't be on this plane much longer. As luck would have it, the newspaper Albom was working at during this time was having a writers' strike, so Albom was able to go and spend every Tuesday for several months with his old professor. Albom made a list of things that his generation was "hung up" on, and he and Morrie had long conversations (recorded by Albom) about each topic.

What struck a chord with me was the underlying message of how we need to look out for each other and show each other more love and compassion. It's funny because this is something that I really think most of us know, but most of us also rarely take the time to really consider how we're treating the people we encounter while we move about our lives. The other message I came away with (I hate using the word message because it implies the book is something it's not)was that if there's someone in your life who has made a big difference in some capacity, tell them how much you appreciate them and how much they mean to you because they will not be around forever. This rang especially true for me because I lost my grandpa last summer and I was lucky enough to be able to tell him how much he meant to me, but others may not have that chance.

Overall, I would recommend this book if you are looking for an inspiring, quick read (I read this in one day). You'll be happy yuo gave it a chance....less

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Ferina rated it:

08/05/07

bookshelves: fiction

Read in December, 2004

Dalam ‘Tuesday with Morrie’, Mitch Albom menceritakan pribadinya ketika menemani sang dosen menghadapi “hari-hari terakhir” dalam hidupnya. Morrie Schwatrz merupakan dosen favorit Mitch. Beliau tidak hanya mengajar dengan text book, tapi juga mengajak para mahasiswanya untuk belajar dengan melihat kehidupan mereka masing-masing sehingga mereka bisa merenungkan arti hidup.

Setelah lulus kuliah, Mitch berjanji untuk selalu menghubungi Morrie, tapi karena segala kesibukannya sebagai war...more Dalam ‘Tuesday with Morrie’, Mitch Albom menceritakan pribadinya ketika menemani sang dosen menghadapi “hari-hari terakhir” dalam hidupnya. Morrie Schwatrz merupakan dosen favorit Mitch. Beliau tidak hanya mengajar dengan text book, tapi juga mengajak para mahasiswanya untuk belajar dengan melihat kehidupan mereka masing-masing sehingga mereka bisa merenungkan arti hidup.

Setelah lulus kuliah, Mitch berjanji untuk selalu menghubungi Morrie, tapi karena segala kesibukannya sebagai wartawan koran olahraga, janji itu terlupakan begitu saja. ‘Hubungan’ mereka dimulai kembali, ketika secara tidak sengaja Mitch melihat acara televisi yang menayangkan kisah Morrie yang sedang ‘sekarat’. Morrie bercerita tentang sakit yang ia hadapi, tapi ia tidak takut dengan kematian. Mitch kembali tergerak untuk menghubungi sang mantan dosennya itu.

Dari sanalah awal ‘kuliah di setiap hari selasa’. Pada setiap hari Selasa, Mitch akan datang ke rumah Morrie dengan membawa berbagai macam makanan yang ia harap bisa dimakan Morrie. Pada setiap hari Selasa, mereka berbicara tentang banyak hal dalam kehidupan, seperti tentang dunia, tentang pernikahan, keuangan, bagaimana mema’afkan dan meminta ma’af, dan juga tentang kematian. Dari pertemuan setiap minggu itu, Mitch bisa melihat perkembangan (atau kemunduran) yang ialami Morrie karena sakitnya. Dalam keadaan sakit yang parah, Morrie tetap ingin bisa berbagi, ia tidak ingin sakitnya menjadikan orang kasihan dengannya dan membuatnya “terjatuh”. Morrie tetap ingin bisa berbuat sesuatu, ia ingin orang lain bisa belajar dari sikap tabahnya dalam menghadapi kematian. Ia ingin menunjukkan bahwa kematian bukanlah suatu hal yang harus ditakuti.

Sampai pada akhirnya, kematian itu memang datang menjemput Morrie.

Bagian yang paling ‘menyentuh’ dari buku ini adalah ketika Morrie mengundang para sahabat dan orang-orang terdekatnya untuk membacakan kata-kata perpisahan. Hal ini benar-benar menunjukkan kesiapan seorang Morrie dalam menghadapi kematian, seolah ingin mempersilahkan orang-orang terdekatnya akan datangnya hari itu.

Buku ini memang tergolong ‘tidak tebal’, bahasanya enak, mudah dicerna. Mungkin pada awalnya akan terkesan membosankan, tapi setelah dibaca lebih lanjut, banyak pelajaran yang bisa kita ambil. Hal-hal yang mungkin tidak terlalu kita perhatikan ternyata bisa jadi menjadi hal penting dalam hidup kita.
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Claudia rated it:

08/30/07

bookshelves: fave-mi

Read in June, 2003

recommends it for: those who doubts love does exist in life

sebenarnya gw baca buku ini karena nonton film tv-nya dulu. akhirnya gw menghadiahkan diri di ulang taun beli buku ini versi bahasa inggrisnya (biarpun ada versi translasi indonesianya).

buku ini membuat gw lebih menghargai hidup, baik hidup sendiri dan orang-orang yang telah memberi support pada hidup kita. betapa hidup seseorang itu akan lebih terlihat bermakna ketika ada suatu "turning point" yang membuat kita tersadar bahwa hidup ini masih kurang "isinya".

gara-gara...more sebenarnya gw baca buku ini karena nonton film tv-nya dulu. akhirnya gw menghadiahkan diri di ulang taun beli buku ini versi bahasa inggrisnya (biarpun ada versi translasi indonesianya).

buku ini membuat gw lebih menghargai hidup, baik hidup sendiri dan orang-orang yang telah memberi support pada hidup kita. betapa hidup seseorang itu akan lebih terlihat bermakna ketika ada suatu "turning point" yang membuat kita tersadar bahwa hidup ini masih kurang "isinya".

gara-gara buku ini juga, gw jadi lebih sadar, bahwa hidup bukan semata-mata membahagiakan diri sendiri, tapi juga akan lebih bahagia apabila kita bisa berbagi apapun itu dan membuat orang lain tersenyum walaupun dalam isakan air mata.. huhuhu.. i love this book! masalahnya buku gw masih di temen gw(kingkong, baliiikiiin!)

ini ada quote yang gw ambil dari wikipedia, yang juga jadi quote favorit gw di tuesdays with morrie:

"Do the kinds of things that come from the heart. When you do, you won’t be dissatisfied, you won’t be envious, you won’t be longing for somebody else’s things. On the contrary, you’ll be overwhelmed with what comes back."

"When you learn how to die, you learn how to live."

"Death ends a life, not a relationship."

"The most important thing in life is to learn how to give out love, and to let it come in."

"Sometimes you cannot believe what you see, you have to believe what you feel. And if you are ever going to have other people trust you, you must feel that you can trust them, too - even when you’re in the dark. Even when you’re falling."

"As you grow, you learn more. If you stayed as ignorant as you were at twenty-two, you'd always be twenty-two. Aging is not just decay, you know. It's growth. It's more than the negative that you're going to die, it's the positive that you understand you're going to die, and that you live a better life because of it."

"Love is how you stay alive, even after you are gone."

"Don't hang on too long, but don't let go too soon."

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Cyrisse added it

09/08/08

bookshelves: mitch-albom

Read in March, 2005

recommended to Cyrisse by: n/a
recommends it for: all people

Albom’s breakthrough book came about after viewing Morrie Schwartz’s interview with Ted Koppel on ABC News Nightline in 1995, in which Schwartz, a sociology professor, spoke about living and dying with a terminal disease, ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or Lou Gehrig's disease). Albom, who had been close with Schwartz during his college years at Brandeis, reconnected with his former professor, visiting him in suburban Boston and eventually coming every Tuesday for discussions about life ...more Albom’s breakthrough book came about after viewing Morrie Schwartz’s interview with Ted Koppel on ABC News Nightline in 1995, in which Schwartz, a sociology professor, spoke about living and dying with a terminal disease, ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or Lou Gehrig's disease). Albom, who had been close with Schwartz during his college years at Brandeis, reconnected with his former professor, visiting him in suburban Boston and eventually coming every Tuesday for discussions about life and death. Albom, seeking a way to pay for Schwartz’s medical bills, sought a publisher for a book about their visits. Although rejected by numerous publishing houses, the idea was accepted by Doubleday shortly before Schwartz’s death, and Albom was able to fulfill his wish to pay off Schwartz’s bills. [10:]

The book, Tuesdays with Morrie, was published in 1997, a small volume that chronicled Albom’s time spent with his professor. The initial printing was 20,000 copies. Word of mouth grew the book slowly, and a brief appearance on “The Oprah Winfrey Show” nudged the book onto the New York Times bestseller’s list in October 1997. It steadily climbed, reaching the No. 1 position six months later. It remained on the New York Times bestseller list for 205 weeks. Now the bestselling memoir of all time, [11:] Tuesdays With Morrie has sold over 14 million copies and has been translated into 41 languages. [12:]

Oprah Winfrey produced a television movie adaptation for ABC, starring Hank Azaria as Albom and Jack Lemmon as Morrie. It was the most-watched TV movie of 1999 [13:] and won four Emmy Awards. A two-man theater play was later co-authored by Albom and playwright Jeffrey Hatcher, and opened off-Broadway in the fall of 2001, starring Alvin Epstein as Morrie and Jon Tenney as Mitch.

Tuesdays With Morrie is regularly taught in high schools and universities around the world and Albom started a private foundation with some of the proceeds, The Tuesdays With Mitch Foundation, to fund various charitable efforts....less

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Aty rated it:

07/20/07

Read in May, 2007

recommends it for: everyone

Mungkin aku agak telat menyadari betapa bagusnya buku buku Mitch Albom. ( Well, thanks to Yos who introduced me to Albom by giving me 'The five people you meet in heaven' on my birthday, yang akhirnya membuatku jatuh cinta sama buku2nya. )
Buku ini bercerita mengenai pelajaran2 hidup yang disampaikan oleh Morrie, seorang dosen yang kebetulan dosennya Albom, setiap hari selasa di hari hari terakhir hidupnya karena Morrie menderita penyakit ALS. Dengan gaya tulisan Albom yang detail dan sangat de...more

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Pinmanee rated it:

12/03/07

Read in November, 2007

recommends it for: everyone

“Do I wither up, or do I make the best of my time left?,” said Morrie as he decided to make death his final project. Tuesdays with Morrie is inarguably a book that no one should ever miss. It is a true sad story about a dying man, Morrie Schawartz, who had suffered with ALS, a disease that cannot be cured, and how he taught his student, Mitch Albom, one last lesson about the meaning of life. The book is easy to understand with a great narrative of how much Mitch had changed himself and persp...more

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Stephanie rated it:

07/18/08

Read in July, 2008

I heard a lot about this book, heard it was so good a movie was made, even heard although short it's a powerful story (which is always good). So when I saw it in a thrift store for $1.00 I swiped it up.

Before reading it I pretty much knew what the book would uncover. Man's obsession with his own life, man's obsession with material things, man's battle with unhappiness.... and so forth. But I figured, or hoped, Morrie would uncover other fragments of truth. Moments that would make me se...more

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Karschtl rated it:

10/03/07

bookshelves: bc, biography, drama

Read in August, 2006

Read the book for our English Literatur Reading Group, and kind of suggested it myself. Well, actually I suggested "Five ppl you meet in heaven" by the same author and another group-member said since this is a short book we could also read "Tuesdays with Morrie".

I didn't really like the book that much, at least not the "lessons" with Morrie. The pieces of advice he gives Albom (enjoy your life while you still have it...etc) are well-known and often-read things. ...more

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Sally rated it:

11/10/07

Has a copy to sell/swap — Read in January, 2007

recommends it for: everyone

Although this book is for adults, I really enjoyed reading it. It is basically about a student meets his old professor after 15 years when he hears that the professor has a fatal disease. Mitch, a student, visits his sick, but mentally healthy and cheerful professor every tuesday. They have a talk about major things that happen in their lives.

Two main characters in this book are Morrie Schwartz and Mitch Albom. Morrie is a man who doesn’t give up his hope even he is in a severe condition. ...more

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Roos rated it:

(review of isbn 0979222044)

08/12/07

bookshelves: indonesian, novelia, truestory

Read in July, 2007

recommends it for: Friends who know ALS

Pengalaman 5 Tahun menghadapi pasien-pasien ( Stroke, ALS dan Parkinson ) cukup membuatku memahami apa yang dialami Morrie...

ALS memang belum begitu dikenal Di Indonesia...tapi sekarang sepertinya sudah banyak sinetron yang menyoroti mengenai ALS ( disemua sinetron itu yang meranin kebetulan adalah Marshanda ) Ato Dorama Jepang " 1 Litre Tears " juga bercerita mengenai ALS.

Waktu itu...Kuliah memang tidak begitu memperhatikan, baca buku diktatnya aja cuma 5 halaman.... Ujian dit...more

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Kathaileen rated it:

11/03/07

bookshelves: biography-memoir

Read in May, 2003

I read this book on the airplane on my way to visit my parents.
It is the memoir of a beloved college professor suffering from amyotrophic lateral schlerosis. His former student hears about his illness and starts to visit him every Tuesday. My mother was diagnosed with ALS three months ago.
Morrie is full of wisdom and insights, as I’m sure my mother still is. However, the big difference between the two cases is that she is already at a very advanced stage of the disease and can no longer ...more

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Sarah rated it:

01/22/08

Read in January, 2008

Ok, this book was just about as cheesy as I expected, but I found myself enjoying it. It's the life lessons learned as spouted by a dying elderly and liberal (hippie) old man. Absolutely nothing is mentioned of God, aferlife, state of where his soul is going, but I guess you have to Hallmark-up the book, right? It kinda bugged me, but still, the book was a nice reflection on my attitude towards my life. I am definitely caught up in the hustle and bustle, wishing I was 5 years futher ahead in ...more

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Bob rated it:

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

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