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

Yes, i'm sure that having very little time left to live would sharpen one's perceptions about life/death etc..And I'm sure it would have provided a v. interesting angle when philosophising about life but I don't feel there is anything 'new' when considering 'life's greatest lesson' to learn. I think there is mention of the most simplest things in life being the best...I felt a bit miffed at this point as I thought, hmm didn't Ms Janet Jackson cover this theme in one of her songs back in the nineties??? Well, as I read on, I felt the all the ideas in terms of lessons to learn were all a bit cliched; With all due respect to Morrie, for whom I did feel all the sympathy in the world as he watched himself slip away from the world...


A Young Man's Fumbling Death Bed Learning   August 3, 2004
 15 out of 15 found this review helpful

Professor Morrie Schwartz is the mentor we would all like to have. Often we fail to seek out such a mentor because we feel inadequate or not worthy enough. If so, you will identify with Mitch Albom who seeks out his teacher's wisdom for the final time in this book. His fumbling should reassure even the most inhibited person to reach out for this kind of connection. That's the hidden beauty of this book, as Professor Schwartz's goodness shines through the narrowness of Mr. Albom's life.

This wonderful book focuses on the meaning of life, from the perspective of a teacher (Morrie Schwartz) who is about to lose his life and his pupil, (Mitch Albom) who has lost his focus on what is important. They come together for 14 Tuesdays (just like they did while the author was a college student at Brandeis) before the professor passes away of ALS (Lou Gehrig's disease).

This book is filed with the most beautiful sayings you can imagine. Here are a few examples: 'Giving to other people is what makes us feel alive.' 'Love each other or perish.' 'Everybody knows they are going to die, but nobody believes it. If we did, we would do things differently.' 'Learn to detach from experience.'

Many people would avoid a book on this subject, because they do not want to think about death. Although Morrie Schwartz is dying throughout this book, the subject is really about living rather than dying. Few will find the dying to be distressing, even though it is graphically and frequently addressed.

For those of us with many years to live, this book can be a wake-up call to start really living now -- in the ways we would if we were about to die, as well as to learn how to treat others while we still have them with us. For those who have but little time left, this book can be an inspiration for how to get the most out of the remaining time.

You will probably find it heart-warming (as I did) to find out that the advance on this book was paid in time to help defray some of Professor Schwartz's medical expenses.

May you find new meaning in your life from reading this wonderful book! Life is a teacher, and Morrie Schwartz's thoughts can be a text to help you understand the lessons. Live well and make your choices consciously!