Monday 21 October 2013

Book Review: Tuesdays With Morrie



Book Title: Tuesdays With Morrie
Author: Mitch Albom
Genre: Memoir (Non-Fiction)
Price: Rs. 295 (On the book cover)



Review


This book is the first non-fiction book that managed to hold my interest through the end. Usually, non-fictions irritate the hell out of me for they are full of advices on how you are supposed to live and how you are supposed to react to certain situations. Generally non-fictions are based on the criteria that history repeats itself and so you are supposed to behave in a certain way in a certain situation. But I don’t believe in that. In my opinion, every individual is different because they are shaped by the society they are living in and the varied experiences they have gone through. And hence, every individual behaves and reacts differently to the same situation, rendering those “advices” useless and worthless.

Although Tuesdays With Morrie is a non-fiction, there’s no “advices.” It’s a memoir that doesn’t preach us how we are supposed to live or how we are supposed to be motivated. The book is about the discussions held between the author (Mitch Albom) and his dying professor (Morrie Schwartz) on every Tuesday. During their meetings, they discuss various facets of life such as pity for oneself, regrets, death, family, emotions, fear of ageing, forgiveness and more. Each conversation is described in simple but meaningful way, forcing us to contemplate our reactions in similar situations. It forces us to look within ourselves hard, comprehend the society around us better, and recognize how shallow we are. It’s definitely a meaningful read.


Ratings: 8 out of 10


Grammar and Punctuation: Mitch Albom is a former American journalist, among many other things, and you can actually see this in his writings. Short but meaning sentences that carry the punch to push you to think out of the box. However, the grammar and punctuations used in the book are through and through American. So if you don’t like American English, don’t read it. My rating would be 2 out of 2.

 Flow of the Story: Although the book is divided into lessons, the flow is smooth and easy to follow. The various aspects of life are taken in the chronological manner, i.e. from small things to big things. Needless to say, I loved the way it was handled. So, 2 out of 2 for the flow.

Concept: I don’t think the concept was new. There are few books in the market that deals with the lessons of the life. So, I would rate it 1 out of 2 for the concept.

Reaction: After reading so much, you must have already guessed that I absolutely loved this book. But will I re-read it? I am not sure because it will get boring, unless you are depressed and you need to see the situation from the other perspective to feel better. Will I recommend it to read? Of course. I really think everybody should read it at least once. So, 3 out of 4 for reaction.

If you anyone else has read it and want to discuss the book, please comment. We can start discussing it right here. No kidding.

14 comments:

  1. Hi Pankti!

    Nice review..made all the aspects quite clear! i have read another book by the same author' Five people you meet in heaven'..I found it a bit boring. His American English becomes annoying after some pages.
    Which book are you planning to read next?

    Take Care!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Ankita, I have got the other book too as I have got the entire book set of Mitch Albom. I am going to read and review that too ;) Actually, I like American English more and so I don't have any problem. Anyway, yesterday I completed Chakra by Ritu Lalit (it's a book by a blogger) and I am going to review that. And now I will start with The Caretaker that I received from IB. What about you? What are you reading nowadays?

      Delete
    2. Hi Pankti!

      Nice! U seem to have become a fan of Albom ;)
      how is 'Chakra'? I am looking fwd to its review.

      I am about to finish 'Untouchable' by Mulk Raj Anand, it is ok, a one time read :)

      Delete
    3. Chakra starts with a confusing battle between clans with super powers. But as the story progresses, it draws you in. However, the end didn't meet my high expectations. The climax was built beautifully and then suddenly everything fizzed out...or so I felt.

      Looking forward to reading your review about 'Untouchable'

      Delete
  2. Nice Review....I generally don't like to read non-fiction either...But you really know reading few pages of a book whether you need to complete it or not...

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Exactly Harsha. When I read the synopsis of this book, I knew this was going to be my first non-fiction read :)

      Delete
  3. Nice review for a nice book and nice to see you get the banner also :)

    ReplyDelete
  4. I liked the way you review books, it has got a lovely structure that screams thorough analysis from all perspectives.. really good!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Pankti, I do have this book in my MUST-READ list! God knows when I'll read it!
    Nice review! :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes Anita, it's a must read. Thanks for reading. :)

      Delete
  6. I cannot say why I picked up this particular book but I did it. I hadn't expected philosophy and I hadn't ever expected that I would endure so many aphorisms, being a person who despised reading preachy stuff. But, somehow I enjoyed reading it even though some parts of it were long, boring and written in bad taste.

    I can see the book targets the larger audience of today's world where people are as lost as objects in the sea bobbing up and down, for some direction. Miraculously, the books manages to cover many of the main dilemmas that people brood over - Love, Relationships, Money, Career, Death, Suffering yada yada.

    I would say I sort of like this book only because some of the points that are mentioned in the book goes in tune with what I already believe in. Plus, the bond between the professor and his student really touched me.It is indeed difficult to find a teacher who can touch your heart, who can actually teach something of consequence - something that you will remember all your life.

    Hats off to Morrie for being such a teacher, for his undying spirit. for his courage and for touching so many hearts and giving some of them a sense of direction when all might seem lost !

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Exactly Neha. I too hate reading preachy stuff but when I read teaser of this book, I knew I had to read it and so I read it. And I don't regret it at all. The things that are being talked about are simple yet profound. Glad you could relate to it the way I did. Thanks for droping by :)

      Delete