Young Writers Society

Death can be a very sticky issue to be confronted with ,lots of emotions ,high pitched shrills ,cold sighs and more over pouring of emotions .Many would dismiss this as a negative topic ,you may be shushed ,scolded or stared at for even attempting to get this topic and this issue can bring in a lot of seriousness and silent staring at the walls and remembering the almighty God for a split second. None of these emotions emerge when Mitch Albom starts this journey with his long dying professor in his book “Tuesdays with Morrie”

This book is different because it talks of death and love and manages to bring in a new dimension to this topic we all dread. It treats death with respect and all the love, emotion and loss associated with it without being over dramatic and bringing in a new life ,a new chapter in the lives of Mitch and his professor Morrie Scwartz. Another interesting aspect in this book is the long lost relationship between the old dying prof and his student ,exploring life’s lessons on his death bed and renewing their association once again after a gap of 16 long years .It brings in a beautiful relation between a student and teacher and along the way asks us ,the readers to find out this one person who in our lifetime has influenced ,mentored and helped us in those confusing years through college or school ,held our hand and helped us cross life’s demanding questions and paths and has let us bloom in this wide world. This book is actually a tribute to one such teacher who has made a huge difference in his and hundreds of students lives and appeals that each one reading this book go out and renew ties with our long lost teachers and well wishers.

This book is holistic in the sense that it manages to cover life’s everyday questions, the seemingly simple but extremely complex ones , laying on the death bed , by having conversations that relate to everyday life and manage to draw attention of the reader without making it too philosophical or boring to read. It talks of love ,marriage ,death ,family ,aging ,culture ,forgiveness and the likes and what strikes the most is this is not one of your millions of usual self –help books that stream the bookshelves ,but a simple lesson ,a compilation of life experiences by a dying old man who till the last minute wants to help people ,listen to them, give them advice ,ask them to love and be of help to others and just wants the love and affection back from people in his dying days .He couples his sayings with such short and simple aphorisms which make one want to actually follow them .

Mitch is one of the favourite students of Professor Morrie and both lose touch after college ,with Mitch being drawn to what he thought to be a fascinating career in media and sports.Things look good for him in terms of money ,love and stability ,but like all the baby bloomers of his time ,he is constantly confronted with questions of love, commitment, giving in your 100pc to any job .While he is grappling with these questions, the Professor is diagnosed with Amyotropic Lateral Sclerosis(ALS) which affects the body and the neurological systems part by part rendering them useless until the person one day is not even able to speak,move ,eat or sit.Morrie’s tiny ,dwarf like features mask the greatness of this soul who confronts all these with a smile on his face and unending love in the heart.A chance encounter leads both these protagonists into this fascinating ride ,where they would meet everyday ,every Tuesday to be precise and discuss of all life’s mysteries.These conversations have now resulted in this book which has not only changed many lives around and given them a positive ray of hope ,but has also changed Mitch,who since has gone on to write and become one of the best writers we have today.

This book is a must read for it’s sheer sense of simplicity,of issues we all grapple with and a realistic emotional turn in the characters’ lives and as Morrie puts his parting words: ‘Death ends a life ,not a realtionship’