The dust has settled after Stagecoach (a full report on that in the coming weeks), but for now, I’ve got an oldie but goodie book review coming your way! Tuesdays With Morrie by Mitch Albom is such a feel-good book about generational wisdom. It’s a true story about the author and his connection with a professor he made while attending Brandeis University. He juxtaposes his own youth and preoccupation with technology and tabloids with his professor’s focus on the here and now.
I’d give a summary of main plot points, but I don’t think that’d be fair to a book that is so much more than that. As I’ve gotten older myself, I’ve realized one appreciates life more when you get out of the mindset of “I have to have a job that makes money.” If you hate it, what’s the point.
It’s actually quite fitting to write this review today, as I turned down a job interview that I was initially thrilled about, but ended up turning down. When I first got the call to interview, I was thrilled. Then as I started to go down the rabbit hole that was several rounds of Wonderlic testing and interviews, I realized it wasn’t a corporate culture that I could be happy in, especially when the required work week was 50-60 hours at barely minimum wage, for highly specialized skills to boot.
Anywhoo, as I bit my lip and wrote this “sorry, not sorry, but I’d like to withdraw my application,” I got a call not more than thirty minutes later for a job that I had applied for weeks ago and was actually interested in. Not only did it pay much better (hello, Sephora sales), but it was also in a field that I was much more excited to work in.
SO. This mini life story is relevant because that’s what Mitch realizes after his numerous Tuesdays with Morrie. The book opens with “The Curriculum,” a brief ode to Morrie and how there was a funeral in lieu of graduation and that his final paper was this book.
“After the funeral, my life changed. I felt as if time were suddenly precious, water going down an open drain, and I could not move quickly enough. No more playing music at half-empty night clubs. No more writing songs in my apartment, songs that no one would hear.”
In this passage, Mitch reflects on everything he has learned from Morrie and how life is there for the taking. If you let it pass you by, it will. If you take a job you hate, you’ll stay there until you get fired, quit, or die. You can be as passive as you want, but what’s the point? I get goosebumps reading about older people passing on wisdom like this to younger folks. We take it for granted that we’ll live forever, but that’s simply not true.
Dying is inevitable, but that doesn’t mean one has to idly wait it out. Kate Spade fondly affixes the phrase “Live Colorfully” to each of its garments and accessories, something I very much identify with and try to practice. I think Morrie tries to impart a similar sentiment to Mitch.
For this review, I read the 20th Anniversary Edition…which means this title’s been around TWENTY YEARS. That’s nearly most of my life, and for a book like this to still be relevant means what’s inside is probably worth reading. I’d recommend this book to anyone looking for a good, quick read. I’d recommend it to new graduates looking for a little direction in their lives. I’d also just recommend it to someone who’s stuck in a rut (job-wise, relationship-wise, whatever).
This book will light a fire under you to rethink your commitments and if they truly make you happy…because what’s the point of doing things if they don’t make you happy?
Score Card: Cover Art 3/5 | Content 6/5 | Ease of Read 5/5
I was provided a complimentary copy of this book by the publisher, but all thoughts are my honest opinion after reading it.
