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TUESDAYS WITH MORRIE

An old man, a young man, and life's greatest lesson.

by Mitch Albom ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 10, 1997

Award-winning sportswriter Albom was a student at Brandeis University, some two decades ago, of sociologist Morrie Schwartz. Here Albom recounts how, recently, as the old man was dying, he renewed his warm relationship with his revered mentor. This is the vivid record of the teacher's battle with muscle- wasting amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or Lou Gehrig's disease. The dying man, largely because of his life-affirming attitude toward his death-dealing illness, became a sort of thanatopic guru, and was the subject of three Ted Koppel interviews on Nightline. That was how the author first learned of Morrie's condition. Albom well fulfilled the age-old obligation to visit the sick. He calls his weekly visits to his teacher his last class, and the present book a term paper. The subject: The Meaning of Life. Unfortunately, but surely not surprisingly, those relying on this text will not actually learn The Meaning of Life here. Albom does not present a full transcript of the regular Tuesday talks. Rather, he expands a little on the professor's aphorisms, which are, to be sure, unassailable. ``Love is the only rational act,'' Morrie said. ``Love each other or perish,'' he warned, quoting Auden. Albom learned well the teaching that ``death ends a life, not a relationship.'' The love between the old man and the younger one is manifest. This book, small and easily digested, stopping just short of the maudlin and the mawkish, is on the whole sincere, sentimental, and skillful. (The substantial costs of Morrie's last illness, Albom tells us, were partly defrayed by the publisher's advance). Place it under the heading ``Inspirational.'' ``Death,'' said Morrie, ``is as natural as life. It's part of the deal we made.'' If that is so (and it's not a notion quickly gainsaid), this book could well have been called ``The Art of the Deal.''

Pub Date: Sept. 10, 1997

ISBN: 0-385-48451-8

Page Count: 192

Publisher: Doubleday

Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 1997

BIOGRAPHY & MEMOIR | CURRENT EVENTS & SOCIAL ISSUES | PHILOSOPHY & RELIGION

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BOOK REVIEW

by Mitch Albom

THE 48 LAWS OF POWER

by Robert Greene ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 1, 1998

If the authors are serious, this is a silly, distasteful book. If they are not, it’s a brilliant satire.

The authors have created a sort of anti-Book of Virtues in this encyclopedic compendium of the ways and means of power.

Everyone wants power and everyone is in a constant duplicitous game to gain more power at the expense of others, according to Greene, a screenwriter and former editor at Esquire (Elffers, a book packager, designed the volume, with its attractive marginalia). We live today as courtiers once did in royal courts: we must appear civil while attempting to crush all those around us. This power game can be played well or poorly, and in these 48 laws culled from the history and wisdom of the world’s greatest power players are the rules that must be followed to win. These laws boil down to being as ruthless, selfish, manipulative, and deceitful as possible. Each law, however, gets its own chapter: “Conceal Your Intentions,” “Always Say Less Than Necessary,” “Pose as a Friend, Work as a Spy,” and so on. Each chapter is conveniently broken down into sections on what happened to those who transgressed or observed the particular law, the key elements in this law, and ways to defensively reverse this law when it’s used against you. Quotations in the margins amplify the lesson being taught. While compelling in the way an auto accident might be, the book is simply nonsense. Rules often contradict each other. We are told, for instance, to “be conspicuous at all cost,” then told to “behave like others.” More seriously, Greene never really defines “power,” and he merely asserts, rather than offers evidence for, the Hobbesian world of all against all in which he insists we live. The world may be like this at times, but often it isn’t. To ask why this is so would be a far more useful project.

Pub Date: Sept. 1, 1998

ISBN: 0-670-88146-5

Page Count: 430

Publisher: Viking

Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 1998

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INTO THE WILD

by Jon Krakauer ‧ RELEASE DATE: Jan. 1, 1996

A wonderful page-turner written with humility, immediacy, and great style. Nothing came cheap and easy to McCandless, nor...

The excruciating story of a young man on a quest for knowledge and experience, a search that eventually cooked his goose, told with the flair of a seasoned investigative reporter by Outside magazine contributing editor Krakauer (Eiger Dreams, 1990). 

Chris McCandless loved the road, the unadorned life, the Tolstoyan call to asceticism. After graduating college, he took off on another of his long destinationless journeys, this time cutting all contact with his family and changing his name to Alex Supertramp. He was a gent of strong opinions, and he shared them with those he met: "You must lose your inclination for monotonous security and adopt a helter-skelter style of life''; "be nomadic.'' Ultimately, in 1992, his terms got him into mortal trouble when he ran up against something—the Alaskan wild—that didn't give a hoot about Supertramp's worldview; his decomposed corpse was found 16 weeks after he entered the bush. Many people felt McCandless was just a hubris-laden jerk with a death wish (he had discarded his map before going into the wild and brought no food but a bag of rice). Krakauer thought not. Admitting an interest that bordered on obsession, he dug deep into McCandless's life. He found a willful, reckless, moody boyhood; an ugly little secret that sundered the relationship between father and son; a moral absolutism that agitated the young man's soul and drove him to extremes; but he was no more a nutcase than other pilgrims. Writing in supple, electric prose, Krakauer tries to make sense of McCandless (while scrupulously avoiding off-the-rack psychoanalysis): his risky behavior and the rites associated with it, his asceticism, his love of wide open spaces, the flights of his soul.

Pub Date: Jan. 1, 1996

ISBN: 0-679-42850-X

Page Count: 320

Publisher: Villard

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 1995

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Reviews of Tuesdays With Morrie by Mitch Albom

Summary | Excerpt | Reading Guide | Reviews | Read-Alikes | Genres & Themes | Author Bio

Tuesdays With Morrie

An Old Man, A Young Man & The Last Great Lesson

• Critics' Consensus:
• Readers' Rating:
• First Published:
• Sep 1, 1997, 192 pages
• Oct 2002, 208 pages
• Biography & Memoir
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Book Summary

'A deeply moving account of courage and wisdom, shared by an inveterate mentor looking into the multitextured face of his own death. There is much to be learned by sitting in on this final class.'

Maybe it was a grandparent, or a teacher, or a colleague. Someone older, patient and wise, who understood you when you were young and searching, helped you see the world as a more profound place, gave you sound advice to help you make your way through it. For Mitch Albom, that person was Morrie Schwartz, his college professor from nearly twenty years ago. Maybe, like Mitch, you lost track of this mentor as you made your way, and the insights faded, and the world seemed colder. Wouldn't you like to see that person again, ask the bigger questions that still haunt you, receive wisdom for your busy life today the way you once did when you were younger? Mitch Albom had that second chance. He rediscovered Morrie in the last months of the older man's life. Knowing he was dying, Morrie visited with Mitch in his study every Tuesday, just as they used to back in college. Their rekindled relationship turned into one final "class": lessons in how to live. Tuesdays with Morrie is a magical chronicle of their time together, through which Mitch shares Morrie's lasting gift with the world.

Chapter One The Curriculum

The last class of my old professor's life took place once a week in his house, by a window in the study where he could watch a small hibiscus plant shed its pink leaves. The class met on Tuesdays. It began after breakfast. The subject was The Meaning of Life. It was taught from experience. No grades were given, but there were oral exams each week. You were expected to respond to questions, and you were expected to pose questions of your own. You were also required to perform physical tasks now and then, such as lifting the professor's head to a comfortable spot on the pillow or placing his glasses on the bridge of his nose. Kissing him good-bye earned you extra credit. No books were required, yet many topics were covered, including love, work, community, family, aging, forgiveness, and, finally, death. The last lecture was brief, only a few words. A funeral was held in lieu of graduation. Although no final exam was given, you ...

Please be aware that this discussion guide will contain spoilers!

FOR DISCUSSION

• Who do you think got more out of their Tuesday meetings, Mitch or Morrie? In what ways? How do you think each would answer this question?  
• Do you think Mitch would have come back to Morrie's house the second time if he hadn't been semi-idled by the newspaper strike?  
• Discuss Morrie's criticisms of Mitch throughout the book. Do you think Morrie should have been tougher on him? Easier?  
• Do you think Mitch would have listened if Morrie hadn't been dying? Does impending death automatically make one's voice able to penetrate where it couldn't before?  

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Submitting a book for review, write the editor, you are here:, tuesdays with morrie.

• About the Book

Maybe it was a grandparent, or a teacher, or a colleague. Someone older, patient and wise, who understood you when you were young and searching, helped you see the world as a more profound place, gave you sound advice to help you make your way through it.

For Mitch Albom, that person was Morrie Schwartz, his college professor from nearly twenty years ago.

Maybe, like Mitch, you lost track of this mentor as you made your way, and the insights faded, and the world seemed colder. Wouldn't you like to see that person again, ask the bigger questions that still haunt you, receive wisdom for your busy life today the way you once did when you were younger?

Mitch Albom had that second chance. He rediscovered Morrie in the last months of the older man's life. Knowing he was dying, Morrie visited with Mitch in his study every Tuesday, just as they used to back in college. Their rekindled relationship turned into one final “class”: lessons in how to live.

Tuesdays with Morrie  is a magical chronicle of their time together, through which Mitch shares Morrie's lasting gift with the world.

It’s been ten years since Mitch Albom first shared the wisdom of Morrie Schwartz with the world. Now–twelve million copies later–in a new afterword, Mitch Albom reflects again on the meaning of Morrie’s life lessons and the gentle, irrevocable impact of their Tuesday sessions all those years ago. . .

Tuesdays with Morrie by Mitch Albom

• Publication Date: October 8, 2002
• Paperback: 192 pages
• Publisher: Broadway
• ISBN-10: 076790592X
• ISBN-13: 9780767905923

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Family Book Review: Tuesdays with Morrie by Mitch Albom

TEEN REVIEW | by Alexis Weeren

Before reading Tuesdays with Morrie , I hadn’t read anything by Mitch Albom. Actually, I hadn’t read much non-fiction (at least not much that wasn’t in a textbook), so I wasn’t sure what to expect.

But the story drew me in very quickly. Mitch Albom spent each Tuesday with Morrie, his former professor, who was very ill. As I read about these visits, I realized that this book was really about how we spend our time.

Teenagers often think they have all the time in the world. We focus on things that benefit mostly ourselves: enjoying our favorite hobbies, spending time with our friends, and trying to get into a good college. Even our community service can be more beneficial to us than to those we are meant to be helping. But this book reminded me that time is precious, and we ought to pay more attention to how we choose to spend it.

Albom had taken his relationship with his favorite professor for granted, assuming he would always be around. It wasn’t until he saw a news story featuring Morrie that Albom realized his mentor was not only sick, but dying . He decided to visit Morrie and ended up getting the most important lessons of his life.

In the book, Morrie says, “Love is the only rational answer.” That really resonated with me. He also says, “The most important thing in life is to learn how to give out love, and to let it come in.” These statements reminded me of the importance of how we treat each other. As Morrie says, “Love Wins.”

Albom says that the thing he misses most about Morrie is his “belief in humanity.” It seems like Morrie took nothing for granted. He loved people fully and gave them his undivided attention.

This book’s message has really stayed with me. I pay more attention to the moments and people in front of me. I enjoyed Tuesdays with Morrie so much that I went on to read several of Mitch Albom’s other books. Each one has been better than the one before it.

PARENT REVIEW | by Ellen Weeren

Imagine counting your breaths to figure out how much life you have left in you. A healthy adult can exhale while counting to about 70. A dying man may not be able to get much past 15. That is one of the many things Mitch Albom learned on his Tuesday visits with his former professor Morrie, who had been diagnosed with ALS.

I’ve unfortunately watched more than one person I love suffer through a terminal illness. It’s hard, partly because there really isn’t anything you can do to help them and partly because you can’t truly imagine what they are going through. It’s difficult to get a firm grasp on what “the end” feels and looks like.

Tuesdays with Morrie gives a glimpse into that world. Morrie shares with Albom that “ALS is like a lit candle: it melts your nerves and leaves your body a pile of wax.”

Throughout the book, Morrie shares many valuable insights. One of his philosophies is, “Accept what you are able to do and what you are not able to do. Accept the past as past, without denying it or discarding it.”

Morrie admits to crying about his situation, but only allowing himself a few moments each day to lament. Then he turned his attention to the people and activities he loved most, often giving comfort to those who visited him rather than receiving it.

People might stay away from sharing this book with younger readers. On the surface it seems to be only about death. But it’s truly about living. Morrie says, “ Dying is only one thing to be sad over, Mitch. Living unhappily is something else.”

The question of Morrie’s that sticks with me the most is, “Are you trying to be as human as you can be?”

Sometimes it feels easier, and safer, to be quick with our words and reserved with our kindness. Tuesdays with Morrie reminds us to slow down and appreciate each other. Morrie cautions that at the end of our lives, we will miss our relationships with people the most. They will matter much more than the things that seem so important to us. People are always worthy of our time and energy.

Order My Copy Now!

Alexis Weeren is a senior at Chantilly High School in Chantilly, Virginia. She loves playing soccer, reading Mitch Albom books, and hanging with her friends.

Ellen Werren is a writer and teacher, and an MFA (fiction) candidate at George Mason University in Virginia.

Book Review: Tuesdays with Morrie

Tuesdays with Morrie is the most moving and sentimental novel I have ever read. The first person narrative told by the author Mitch Albom, walks through Albom’s life changing journey with his old college professor, Morrie. Albom spends a series of Tuesdays learning from Morrie, who had been diagnosed with ALS and has a very limited time to live. In this true story Morrie Schwartz speaks valuable truth and offers insight into what is important in life and why he wasn’t scared to die. My favorite quote from the novel is “Once you learn how to die, you learn how to live.” Tuesdays with Morrie teaches all its readers how important everyday truly is, and how to not take life for granted.

Reviewer Grade:12

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On the 25th anniversary of 'Tuesdays with Morrie,' the teaching goes on

Richard Harris

Mitch Albom and Morrie Schwartz hold hands on Oct. 3, 1995. ©Heather Pillar hide caption

Mitch Albom and Morrie Schwartz hold hands on Oct. 3, 1995.

Mitch Albom was intent on chronicling the Tuesdays he spent with Morrie Schwartz, his favorite college professor who was facing Lou Gehrig's disease. Albom's only goal was to write a book to pay for Schwartz' medical bills.

But publisher after publisher rejected his book proposal. Some said Albom's story of reconnecting with his professor who was determined to teach a final class on life's lessons was too much of a "downer." But Doubleday took a chance 25 years ago this month and published Tuesdays with Morrie in a limited press run.

There were no reviews at the outset. And mixed reviews in the early days.

Eventually, readers spread the news by word of mouth. Albom made an appearance on Oprah . Doubleday says to date, Tuesdays with Morrie has sold nearly 18 million copies globally and has been translated into 48 languages. It's one of the best-selling memoirs in the history of publishing.

"I'm a much different person than I was when I first started visiting him," Albom told NPR. "And I'm happy to give him credit for that."

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At its core, the memoir is about the power of relationship — between a professor and his student, between a man approaching his 80s and one not yet out of his 30s, and one whose accumulated life experiences can be passed down to a former student and then to the world at large, literally.

Schwartz established a rapport on Day One of class

To understand how their relationship developed, wind the clock back to the 1970s, when Albom was a freshman at Brandeis University. Arriving for sociology class, he saw a dozen or so students gathered and figured it might not be easy to cut such a small class and go unnoticed. But before he could sneak out, the professor called attendance in alphabetical order, beginning with Albom.

"Mitchell?" the professor asked.

Albom raised his hand.

"Do you prefer Mitch? Or is Mitchell better?"

"Mitch. My friends call me Mitch," he said.

"And, Mitch?"

"Yes?" Albom replied.

"I hope that one day you will think of me as your friend."

The right mentor can change your career

Albom stayed in that class and took every lecture Schwartz offered during his undergraduate years. They had lunch together, and Albom visited Schwartz' home. At graduation, he promised to stay in touch.

As often happens with such promises, life intervenes. There was not so much as a phone call or email from Albom to Schwartz in 16 years.

Nightline brought Schwartz back into Albom's life

Then, late one night in March 1995, Albom was channel surfing and heard Ted Koppel say something at the top of Nightline that got his attention:

"Who is Morrie Schwartz, and why by the end of the night are so many of you going to care about him?"

Koppel explained that Schwartz was terminally ill — a disease medically known as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis — but there was no curling up in the fetal position. Schwartz wanted to use whatever time he had left to teach about life to whoever would listen.

"When I saw Morrie on Nightline , the horror of the fact that he was going to die was mixed with the guilt that I felt over not contacting him for 16 years," Albom said.

How your brain copes with grief, and why it takes time to heal

So, he worked up the courage to call the professor he had called "Coach." He got through to his nurse, who handed Schwartz the phone.

"I said, 'Professor Schwartz, my name is Mitch Albom. I was a student of yours in the '70s. I don't know if you remember me.' And the first thing he said to me was 'How come you didn't call me 'Coach'?"

That's all Albom had to hear and soon reconnected with Morrie, the start of more than a dozen Tuesday sessions.

As he faced death, Schwartz offered lessons in life

Among Schwartz' regrets during his conversations with Albom was how young people grasped onto what he called "the major cultural values, like money status and power ... and then you find out it's not a good life. It's too empty. There's no real substantial meaning but by that time it's too late."

What stunned Albom during his Tuesday visits was how others who came to cheer up Schwartz often left his office an hour later in tears because Schwartz turned the tables on them and asked them about their problems — their love life, divorce or job.

Feeling anxious? Here's a quick tool to center your soul

"'I don't understand — you're the one who's dying, why don't you accept their sympathy? Why are you spending time advising people on THEIR lives,' " Albom recalled. "And he said, 'Mitch, why would I ever take from people like that? Taking just makes me feel like I'm dying. Giving makes me feel like I'm living.' "

That's when the trajectory of Albom's life started to change from someone he described as a "self-absorbed 100-hour-a-week journalist to someone asked to speak at funerals and hospice groups."

Albom said that line from Morrie — that giving makes you feel more alive than taking — was the beginning of his philanthropic work.

Schwartz' final request

Today, Albom still writes sports columns and does a daily radio show, but his passion is the work he does with an umbrella charity organization in Detroit and the monthly visits he makes to the orphanage he runs in Haiti.

"We have 60-plus kids," he said. "Many of them come up here. I have one with me right now, a 7-month-old. I'm changing diapers in my 60s."

When the baby had arrived at the orphanage, Nadie was suffering from severe malnutrition, so Albom brought her to Michigan where he hopes he and others who are helping can nurse her back to health in three months and return her to Port-Au-Prince.

The last Tuesday Albom visited Schwartz ended up being days before the professor's death in November 1995. Schwartz asked his student to visit his grave, have a sandwich and bring a blanket.

"He wanted me to talk to him at his grave. And I said, 'You want me to sit at your tombstone and talk to the air like a crazy person?' And he said, yes, just like we're talking now," Albom said.

"'Well, Morrie it's not going to be like we're talking now because let's face it you won't be able to talk back,' " he recalled. "And he looked at me as if I were being very naive. And he said, 'Mitch, I'll make a deal after I'm dead. You talk, I'll listen.' "

Then as now, Albom talks and Schwartz listens.

And as the last four words of Tuesdays with Morrie say: The teaching goes on.

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Tuesdays with Morrie by Mitch Albom

• Publication Date: October 8, 2002
• Paperback: 192 pages
• Publisher: Broadway
• ISBN-10: 076790592X
• ISBN-13: 9780767905923
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Book Review: Tuesdays with Morrie

The book’s content certainly leaves a long-time effect on the mind. It is full of lessons on how to live and many real and original experiences from a wise old professor who had seen many ups and downs of life and survived with gratitude and humility.

Tuesdays with Morrie  is a memoir by American author Mitch Albom about a series of visits Albom made to his former sociology professor Morrie Schwartz. This book talks about the real-life experience of the author Albom with his graduation Professor Morrie. The book recounts each of the fourteen visits Albom made to Schwartz, supplemented with Schwartz’s lectures, life experiences, and interspersed with both flashbacks and allusions to contemporary events. 

After his uncle dies of pancreatic cancer, Mitch abandons his failing career as a musician to become a well-paid journalist for a Detroit newspaper. He marries his beautiful wife Janine from a different religion. Mitch is an atheist person and with the fast pace of life, he almost becomes just an earning machine after becoming a journalist, screenwriter, and television/radio broadcaster.

Sixteen years after his graduation from Brandeis, Mitch feels frustrated with the life he has chosen to live and for which he had abandoned his social and personal life, friends, and acquaintances. It is an interview of his old professor on TV that makes him delve into his graduation days when his Professor was crying on his farewell day asking him to promise to keep in touch. Morrie Schwartz was Mitch’s favorite college professor at university. Though Mitch had promised to stay in touch with him, he never did. The son of Russian immigrants, Morrie’s childhood was not short of difficulties including the death of his mother and his brother’s infection with the Poliovirus. Morrie later went on to work as a researcher in a mental hospital where he learned about mental illness and how to have empathy and compassion for other people. Later in life, Morrie decided to be a sociology professor so that his teachings would influence as many people as possible. Following Morrie’s television appearance, Mitch contacts his beloved professor and travels from his home in Detroit to Morrie’s home in West Newton, Massachusetts to visit him. Not wanting to meet him more than once, Mitch ends up visiting him every Tuesday traveling a long distance out of curiosity of understanding life from his dying old professor. Morrie has been diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), or Lou Gherig’s disease, a debilitating disease, that gradually stops the neurons and muscles from working properly.

Morrie is my favorite character in the book. Despite contracting the deadly disease, Morrie is full of a positive attitude and hope towards life, celebrating every moment even after being bedridden. Mitch starts to record everything he learns from Morrie to compile a book as it was his wish too. Morrie is a loving, compassionate, and accepting older man who is counting his remaining number of days. In his lessons on Tuesdays, Morrie advises Mitch to reject the popular culture in favor of creating his own. The individualistic culture Morrie encourages Mitch to create for himself is a culture based on love, acceptance, and human goodness, a culture that upholds a set of ethical values, unlike the mores that popular culture endorses. According to Morrie, popular culture is founded on greed, selfishness, and superficiality, which he urges Mitch to overcome. Morrie also stresses that he and Mitch must accept death and aging, as both are inevitable. Morrie cries freely and often and continually encourages Mitch to do so as well. He can connect with anyone and make them feel comfortable. He makes highly professional and quite a rude TV reporter, Ted Koppel to visit him again for the next interview. He makes Mitch’s wife sing for him on which Mitch was quite surprised. Every friend and acquaintance loves to Meet Morrie. 

Mitch becomes increasingly aware of the real meaning of life which he ignored while following the popular culture of race, selfishness, and competition. Mitch evolves to become more sensitive, and less obsessed with work. At Morrie’s insistence, Mitch attempts to restore his relationship with his brother Peter who lives in Spain. Because he was starved of love and affection during his childhood, Morrie seeks it out in his old age from his family and friends. Now that he is nearing his death, Morrie feels he has reverted to figurative infancy and tries in earnest to “enjoy being a baby again.” He and Mitch often hold hands throughout their sessions together. The conversation forms the basis of friendship and guidance for Mitch and his son like affection for Morrie. Mitch’s former philosophical guide becomes the real-life coach in his later life. 

The conversations are powerful and very emotional. During their discussions (every Tuesday for the next few months) they cover many topics, including learning to accept death, loving others, and being a better human being. Morrie Schwartz appeared on Nightline because he was dying of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), a disease that stops the neurons and muscles from working properly. As a result, Morrie’s arms, legs, and eventually even his tongue and throat muscles stop functioning. Morrie wanted to be interviewed on Nightline so that he could share some of his thoughts about life and death. With each lesson, Morrie becomes increasingly sick; during their last meeting, Morrie was bedridden and near death. As he and Mitch hug for one last time, Morrie notices Mitch is finally crying. Morrie dies a short time after. At his funeral, Mitch tries having a conversation with Morrie, as he had wanted. Mitch feels a certain naturalness and comfort to this conversation and realizes that it happens to be Tuesday. After Morrie’s death, Mitch regains contact with his brother who is battling cancer.

All the characters feel quite real and contemporary. Love, affection, and attention are required by each human being that Mitch kept ignoring throughout his busy life chasing for a better and better career. His professor’s healthy life and diseased period both make him realize the real importance of life. Morrie did not see death as the end to love and relationships. In fact, he thought that love and relationships were central to living. During their conversations, Morrie and Mitch discussed belief, death, forgiveness, life, love, and trust, among other important topics. Morrie died in November of 1995, but the lessons that he taught Mitch changed Mitch’s life and formed the basis of the memoir.

The story keeps us guessing what will happen next when Morrie’s falling health would stop him from further talking to Mitch. Every chapter is full of anticipating lessons, mesmerizing the readers about the reality of life which we often tend to ignore in our youth days.  Tuesdays with Morrie  is an important book and a notable reflection on life and mortality. It is full of gentle humor, warm relationship, love and emotional sensitivity laughter and sadness. The book’s content certainly leaves a long-time effect on the mind. It is full of lessons on how to live and many real and original experiences from a wise old professor who had seen many ups and downs of life and survived with gratitude and humility.

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Maybe it was a grandparent, or a teacher, or a colleague. Someone older, patient and wise, who understood you when you were young and searching, helped you see the world as a more profound place, gave you sound advice to help you make your way through it.

For Mitch Albom, that person was Morrie Schwartz, his college professor from nearly twenty years ago.

Maybe, like Mitch, you lost track of this mentor as you made your way, and the insights faded, and the world seemed colder. Wouldn’t you like to see that person again, ask the bigger questions that still haunt you, receive wisdom for your busy life today the way you once did when you were younger?

Mitch Albom had that second chance. He rediscovered Morrie in the last months of the older man’s life. Knowing he was dying, Morrie visited with Mitch in his study every Tuesday, just as they used to back in college. Their rekindled relationship turned into one final “class”: lessons in how to live.

Tuesdays with Morrie is a magical chronicle of their time together, through which Mitch shares Morrie’s lasting gift with the world. Now the best-selling memoir of all time, Tuesdays with Morrie began as a modest labor of love to help pay some of Schwartz’s medical bills. Today, the book has sold nearly 18.5 million copies in more than 51 territories around the world.

What readers are saying…

“Sometimes if you take a second look around you’ll notice we are amongst angels. Only a man–no, a saint–like Morrie Schwartz could take his own impending death and teach us how to live. After reading  Tuesdays with Morrie  you’ll understand that class is never dismissed.”

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Sam Thomas Davies

Tuesdays with Morrie by Mitch Albom

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What Is Tuesdays with Morrie About?

• Tuesdays with Morrie is a profound and transformative journey that explores the true meaning of life, emphasizing the importance of love, relationships, and living with intention, as learned through the author’s weekly meetings with his dying college professor.

The Five Big Ideas

• The true meaning of life lies in love, compassion, and relationships.
• Material wealth and success do not bring lasting fulfillment or happiness.
• Embracing vulnerability and expressing emotions leads to personal growth and healing.
• Forgiveness is a powerful tool for finding inner peace and releasing resentment.
• Living with intention, purpose, and a focus on meaningful connections leads to a more fulfilling life.

Want a Free Copy of My Summary?

Tuesdays with morrie summary, chapter 1: the introduction, chapter 2: the reunion, chapter 3: the curriculum, chapter 4: the fourth tuesday, chapter 5: the professor’s past, chapter 6: the fifth tuesday, chapter 7: the audiovisual, chapter 8: the sixth tuesday, chapter 9: the professor’s final thesis, chapter 10: the last tuesday.

In the first chapter of Tuesdays with Morrie , the author, Mitch Albom, introduces himself as the narrator and protagonist of the story. He describes his busy life as a successful sports journalist, constantly chasing deadlines and material possessions. 

Mitch learns that his old college professor, Morrie Schwartz, is terminally ill with ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis), a progressive neurodegenerative disease. This news prompts Mitch to reach out to Morrie and rekindle their relationship.

In this chapter, Mitch recounts his first visit to Morrie’s house. He describes the physical changes he notices in his former professor due to ALS. Despite Morrie’s physical limitations, Mitch is amazed by his upbeat and positive attitude. 

They spend the afternoon reminiscing about their past, discussing life’s purpose, and exploring the concept of death. Morrie encourages Mitch to think deeply about life’s meaning and how material wealth has consumed society.

Morrie introduces Mitch to the idea of creating a “curriculum for life” and assigns him a writing assignment. Mitch is initially skeptical but agrees to participate. He begins to visit Morrie every Tuesday, turning their conversations into a weekly ritual. 

Morrie shares his wisdom on various topics, including love, aging, forgiveness, and the value of relationships. Morrie’s teachings deeply move Mitch, and he starts questioning his own priorities and values.

During their fourth Tuesday meeting, Mitch finds Morrie in a deteriorated physical state, struggling to breathe and move. Despite the challenges, Morrie remains resilient and continues to impart his wisdom to Mitch. 

They discuss the fear of aging and dying, the importance of accepting one’s mortality, and finding peace in the present moment. Mitch learns to appreciate the simple joys of life and not take them for granted.

In this chapter, Morrie shares stories from his past with Mitch. He talks about his experiences as a young man, his idealism, and his passion for teaching. Morrie reveals that he once dreamed of becoming a famous musician but ultimately chose a different path. 

Mitch learns about Morrie’s regrets and his belief that love and relationships are the most significant aspects of life. Morrie encourages Mitch to pursue his own dreams and live a life of purpose.

During their fifth Tuesday meeting, Mitch brings up the topic of emotions and how society often discourages expressing vulnerability. Morrie emphasizes the importance of embracing one’s emotions, even the difficult ones, and allowing oneself to grieve and heal. 

They discuss the power of compassion and the impact of small acts of kindness on others. Mitch realizes that true happiness comes from helping others and forming meaningful connections.

In this chapter, Morrie and Mitch explore the impact of the media on society. They discuss how technology has brought people closer and created a sense of disconnection and superficiality. 

Morrie encourages Mitch to focus on meaningful interactions and advises him to detach from the constant bombardment of news and distractions. They reflect on the importance of silence and self-reflection in a world filled with noise.

During their sixth Tuesday meeting, Morrie and Mitch delve into the concept of forgiveness. Morrie shares a personal story of forgiveness and how it liberated him from bitterness and resentment. 

He stresses the significance of forgiving oneself and others to find inner peace. Mitch realizes that he holds grudges and unresolved issues and contemplates forgiveness’s healing power in his own life.

In this chapter, Morrie is nearing the end of his journey as his health continues to decline rapidly. He shares his final thesis with Mitch, summarizing the most crucial lessons he has learned in life. 

Morrie emphasizes the importance of love, compassion, and relationships above all else. He implores Mitch to continue spreading his teachings and encourages him to live a life of purpose and meaning.

In the final chapter, Mitch visits Morrie for their last Tuesday together. Morrie is now confined to his bed, unable to move or speak. Despite his physical limitations, his spirit remains strong. Mitch sits by his side, holding his hand and silently reflecting on their time together. He realizes Morrie’s profound impact on his life and how he has grown as a person.

As Morrie’s health deteriorates further, Mitch witnesses his peaceful passing. He is filled with a mix of sadness and gratitude, knowing that he has been fortunate to have known and learned from such an extraordinary individual. Mitch vows to carry Morrie’s teachings with him and cherishes their shared memories and wisdom.

In the epilogue, Mitch reflects on the lessons he learned from Morrie and the changes he has made in his life as a result. He acknowledges that his Tuesdays with Morrie was not only a gift but a reminder of the fleeting nature of life and the importance of living with intention and love.

In summary, Tuesdays with Morrie chronicles Mitch Albom’s transformative journey through his weekly meetings with his dying college professor. Through their deep conversations, Morrie imparts invaluable wisdom about love, forgiveness, relationships, and pursuing a meaningful life.

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Tuesdays With Morrie

Tuesdays With Morrie is one of the best and classic books that rules in the self-help and motivational category. It is based on the true story of Morrie Schwartz. He was not a superstar or a billionaire or any kind of celebrity. But still, he had a greater impact on people’s lives than most of the other popular people had.

Book Review – Tuesdays With Morrie by Mitch Albom

Tuesdays With Morrie is a story about a professor who never stopped teaching and a student who traced the better path for life with his teacher. Morrie who is dying from ALS spends every Tuesday with his one of the most favorite students, Mitch Albom. Both reminisces old days and talks about life, death, love, grief, and the connection between the individual and its community.

Morrie Schwartz was a professor of Brandies University. He used to teach sociology and he was the single professor whose class nobody wants to miss, especially Mitch Albom. Morrie was very fond of Mitch who promised him to be in touch after the graduation. Though, soon after completing graduation, Mitch settled in Detroit as a sports writer and never saw Morrie again.

Sixteen years later when Mitch was completely consumed in the hustles of life, he saw his favorite professor, Morrie on ABC’s Nightline giving an interview to Ted Koppel. Then, Morrie was suffering from ALS sharing his experience of seeing death from so close.

This news hit hard to Albom and immediately traced his contact with his old professor. It was supposed to be some kind of reunion but then it turned into the lectures and this time the subject is ‘Life’. Morrie asked him to make a list of things he would like to know about life.

Mitch spent fourteen Tuesdays with his coach. They talked about love, life, aging, forgiveness, culture, family, and marriage. When Morrie talked about these complex topics with simple words, you could see the lucid picture of your ideal life painting in front of you. ( At least I could)

During the voyage for finding the meaning of life, Mitch realized that despite his luxurious and busy life, he was never actually satisfied. Therefore, the quest for this satisfaction made him fly to Boston every Tuesday. He was concerned about Morrie’s worsening condition because of his deadly disease.

But, Morrie was determined to impart the knowledge of a life he gained to his student. He made sure that his death could give meaning to someone’s life.

The hardest part of reading Tuesdays With Morrie is its inevitable ending. Right from the beginning, you will know how the book is going to end. But still, you are going to cry and wish that maybe it could end in some other way.

It is impossible for me to jot down all the enlightening advice of Morrie in this review. But I will surely tell you the one which changed my life.

“The truth is, once you learn how to die, you learn how to live.”

You need to find on your own wisdom words inspires you the most by reading this bestseller book. Tuesdays With Morrie is a book full packed with all the sanity. You just need to sit and dive into the words of Morrie.

• Writing Style

Tuesdays With Morries will renew you with its simple yet essential teachings. So, don’t skip this amazing and must-read book.

My Thoughts

Right after reading Tuesdays With Morrie, I felt so contented. Morrie’s wisdom had a different effect on me. I was at peace and all determined to imply these learnings in my life.

I seriously liked the way Morrie answered all the questions of his student in such a comprehensible and easy way. The questions which we ignore when we encounter them and whose answers can really simplify our lives.

It was really painful to read Albom’s description of Morrie’s health and how his body was paralyzing day by day. But at the same time, I was elated to see Mitch’s selfless efforts to make his professor feel good.

I have already read Tuesdays With Morrie twice and in no time soon I will re-read it. Because this book is my little abode to rejuvenate myself. Read this book and you will soon know what I am talking about.

Talking about finding motivation and self-improvement through reading books, I have already jotted down the list of these exceptional books for you.

You must also read:

• Best Motivational books To Keep You Moving Forward
• Best Self-help Books to Read

Also, I am all ears to know your words of wisdom from Tuesdays With morrie. Comment Below!

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Book Review: Tuesdays with Morrie by Mitch Albom

Book review: tuesdays with morrie by mitch albom.

Reading has always been a joy and an adventure for me. I enjoy a range of genres, including Literary Fiction, Young Adult novels, Thrillers, Crime Fiction, and Non-Fiction. Yet, none have left me feeling as profoundly moved—both sad and serene—as  Tuesdays with Morrie . This book has made me rethink life in today’s society, where love and compassion often seem to be in short supply.

Is pursuing dreams, rushing through life, and adhering to societal rules all we seek? Or is there something more? While there may be no definitive answer, it’s clear that love connects us all and may be the closest solution to many of life’s challenges.

Tuesdays with Morrie  is more than just a conversation between a professor and his former student. It serves as a profound final thesis, consisting of 14 lessons that offer some of the most valuable insights you can receive. The book doesn’t promise easy answers but instead provides clarity on the issues we often view as obstacles. Unlike many self-help books that may come off as cliché, with their focus on optimism and happiness, Morrie’s lessons emphasize transforming the ordinary into the extraordinary. He brings color to a black-and-white corporate society with vibrance. Even as a reader, Mitch Albom successfully conveys Morrie’s loving and warm nature throughout these lessons.

Morrie’s wisdom and aphorisms warm the reader’s heart, and his love extends beyond the pages. While some might view this as merely a dying man teaching younger generations how to be optimistic, you’ll discover a deeper message once you delve into Morrie’s lessons. His famous saying, “Once you learn to die, you learn to live,” underscores that when we realize that nothing else matters except those we love, we truly start living.

I encourage everyone to read this book. We all could benefit from learning more about Morrie and his remarkable insights. He is truly unforgettable.

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