Tuesdays with Morrie by Mitch Albom [Book Review]

This book absolutely broke me, in the best way possible. I started it unsure, questioning whether its simplicity could really have much impact on me, but ended it with so much love and tears for what is such a brave and beautiful story. It is one of the greatest books of all time, I’m sure of it.

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Summary

Tuesdays with Morrie, as the cover says, is a story about: an old man, a young man, and life’s greatest lesson.

It is a non fiction memoir, where Mitch recounts his friendship with his old college professor Morrie. They lose contact in the middle of their lives, before reconnecting twenty years later, after Morrie is diagnosed with the disease ALS. Mitch visits him every Tuesday, soaking up the last moments of courage and insight Morrie has: his lessons on how to live.

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Tuesdays with Morrie has such a simple premise, but the people and the dialogue behind its pages are simply beyond words. Morrie is such a likeable character – he gives people the time of day, with his whole nature, his whole attention. He is a deep-thinker, always living in a growth mindset, and he is constantly encouraging others to look at their lives from a different perspective.

What I loved about this book was that there was so much content that made me just want to stop, soak it all in, and reread. Morrie has so much useful insight into the meaning of life, and how we should go about living it, that I think there is something everyone can learn from this book, regardless of who you are.

It’s one of those books where I know Morrie will be gone soon – he is withering as time moves on – but I just couldn’t believe how positive he was in his final few moments. It really makes you think about how the way you view the world and the way you live your every day changes everything. If someone who can barely walk, eat their own food, move their own head, can see the ultimate good in the world, why can’t all of we?

I found myself nodding furiously along to all of Morrie’s convictions, a lot of his findings matching up with what I’ve learnt myself over the last year, and it was quite emotional, connecting with a book so much in this way. I wish more books were this honest, this raw, this open to dive into things we don’t often speak about.

This is one of my favourite scenes from the book:

If ageing were so valuable, why do people always say, ‘Oh, if I were young again.’ You never hear people say, ‘Oh, I wish I were sixty-five.’

He smiled. ‘You know what that reflects? Unsatisfied lives. Unfulfilled lives. Lives that haven’t found meaning. Because if you’ve found meaning in your life, you don’t want to go back. You want to go forward. You want to see more, do more. You can’t wait until you’re sixty-five.

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‘How can I be envious of where you are – when I’ve been there myself?’

 

Tuesdays with Morrie will make you smile, laugh, cry, and think differently. I wanted to reread it as soon as I’d put it down and recommend it to everyone I know – that’s how I know a book deserves 5 stars.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ out of 5

 

 

Have you read Tuesdays with Morrie?

Let me know in the comments below!

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