| |
 Book
Review: Tuesdays with Morrie
For
a generation spoon-fed on the dramatic tell-alls of celebrities
from Oprah to Naomi, a book on Morrie (who?) may seem doomed to
collect dust on the shelves. But Tuesdays With Morrie hit the international
bestseller's list with its promise to deliver some answers to eternal
questions, proving that we're also a generation hungry for something
more than the daily grind.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
By Tanny Chia
<eastciti.com, September 8>
At first glance, Tuesdays seem the product of some shameless
cashing-in on an old man's death. After all, the book starts with
author Mitch Albom learning of his old professor Morrie's illness
and follows his physical deterioration until his death. However,
whatever scepticism one may have initially about Albom's good intentions
is dispelled at the end when he reveals that the book was the professor's
idea. Why then did the author leave readers doubting till the last
page, since he must have expected a book based on one man's dying
to cast doubt on his character? I suspect it must have been deliberate,
part of the lesson for readers participating in this last class
conducted by a beloved university professor.
For
one soon learns that the best way to approach this book is with
a simple heart and an open mind - something that sounds deceptively
easy but is really hard to do for a cynical audience in an increasingly
grey world. But the dying Morrie lives in an enviously guileless
world where plain truths commonly brushed aside as naïve foolishness
gain an urgent resonance. It is commonly said that people waiting
at Death's door frequently gain a shimmering lucidity about life
- it is this rare insight gained from his extraordinary circumstances
that Morrie hopes to share with the world. Readers hoping for profound
philosophies and new revelations about life will be sorely disappointed,
for what Morrie has to teach is what we have known and ignored all
along, aptly summed up in his common refrain of "love or perish".
This
straightforward wisdom is exactly what endears Tuesdays with its
resident old tutor to the reader. For the truth is, what comforts
us now is the reassurance that an understanding of life's lessons
is not reserved just for a select few, but is within the grasp of
anyone who cares to believe. And it is much easier to practise,
and believe, Morrie's exhortations of "Love always wins", "If the
culture doesn't work, don't buy it" and "Aging is not decay, it's
growth", than some shrink who urges you to get in touch with your
inner child.
Admittedly,
Tuesdays, with its liberal dose of soppy entreaties, will not be an
easy pill to swallow for some readers. Moreover, tracing the horrid
physical degeneration of the book's gentle protagonist is a painful
experience to all but the hardest hearts. But think about this: hundreds
of friends whose lives had been touched in some way had to be turned
away at Prof. Morrie Schwartz's funeral because his family wanted
to keep the gathering small. Perhaps there's really something to be
learnt from this professor's last lecture.
Did
you like this book?
>>
Discuss this in our message board.
|
