Tuesday, December 1, 2015

Book - Tuesdays with Morrie

For years I kept seeing “Tuesdays with Morrie” the memoir by American writer Mitch Albom on the shelves of libraries I visit. For years I used to see the back cover and sometimes flip the pages to read. I always thought it was a simple self-help book until the day I purchased the book and started reading it. After reading it, I must say its a must-red book, its based on a true story, the author tells the story of the time he spent with Morrie Schwartz, a 78-year-old sociology professor who was dying from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). 

Somehow I found the story to be touching, sad and little bit scary. Scary because it triggered the terrifying memory of the “Knowledge” we all have and that is “Death” . Its great book to reflect on our lives. A short book you would be able to read it in one day. My rating for the book 7 out of 10. For those who are not interested in reading books, “The story was later recreated by Thomas Rickman into a TV movie of the same name directed by Mick Jackson, which aired on December 5, 1999 and starred Jack Lemmon and Hank Azaria” - Wikipedia. 

A quote from the book: "So many people walk around with a meaningless life. They seem half-asleep, even when they're busy doing things they think are important. This is because they're chasing the wrong things. The way you get meaning into your life is to devote yourself to loving others, devote yourself to your community around you, and devote yourself to creating something that gives you purpose and meaning."  and here is another beautiful quote: “You see, you closed your eyes. That was the difference. 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.” and one last quote:“Life is a series of pulls back and forth... A tension of opposites, like a pull on a rubber band. Most of us live somewhere in the middle. A wrestling match...Which side win? Love wins. Love always wins” 

What others said about the book: “So I just finished reading "Tuesdays With Morrie". What a wonderful book, I couldn't put it down! I cannot even imagine going through the last stages of my own life and being as brave (for lack of a better word in my head right now) as Morrie. He was filled with such happiness and joy in his own life. He had regrets but realised that it is ok as long as you can reconcile with yourself in the end. I'm not the type of person to find quotes in the literature I read. However, as I turned page after page through this book and submersed myself into the text I was reading I found myself getting out of bed in the middle of the night to find some post-its only to tag so many different paragraphs and pages that inspired me or had me think about things in my own life.” Here is another comment about the book: “Whenever someone asks me to tell them my favorite books of all time, I always put this book at the top of the list. I blame but thank this book for becoming the reader that I am today and even though this book drowned me in a pool of tears. This is still one of my most inspiring reads. Reading this book was like taking a complete course on life and living and there is no better life coach than Morrie. This may sound exaggerated but I felt like I became a different person and a better one at that after reading this. I thank Mitch Albom for sharing not only his special gift in writing, but also his incredible experience as one of Morrie's students. This is honest to goodness the book that literally changed my life and I will be forever grateful. 




Happy Reading!

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