Summer Book 2/5: Tuesdays with Morrie - Mitch Albom

July 11, 2007

I had every intention of buying this book and reading it a few summers back but never got around to it. In fact, I didn't intend on reading this book this summer until Andrew borrowed it from his house mate and left it on my desk tonight. He asked if I was going to read it. I said no. But only moments later, I picked it up and I really could not put it down. I tore through the first half of the book but had to stop because it's already 4am.

A few random thoughts that popped into my head while reading:
- This is the second book I've read that involves a main character who has a disability. In this book, Morrie is diagnosed with ALS. The other book was The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime which was about a boy with autism. I loved that book and somehow, that meant that I would love this book as well. So far, it's been true.

- The set up of the book is great for someone who has a short attention span. Each section is only a few pages long (and the book is small so really, the chapters are very short). It's also a very easy read.

A quick overview: This book is about a (now) middle-aged man who is reunited with his favourite college professor, his mentor, after seeing him on TV talking about embracing life while dying. Every Tuesday, they meet and discuss various issues of life.

I think what I really love about this book was that it helped me label something I've been struggling with for the past little while. Morrie calls it the Tension of Opposites. He describes it to be the series of tensions, pulling you back and forth in life. For me, this is most obvious when I think about what I want to do after I graduate. On the one hand, I'd like to 'go out into the world', get a job and live my own life. On the other hand, I feel like I want to stay in the shelter of education, maybe get another degree. Both sides seem appealing in their own ways. Which one wins? Which one is better? That's just one of the many things I'm struggling with right now. It's like a never-ending fight, this thing called life.

Anyway, I know that's not the point of the book but that was the part that stuck out to me the most because it helped me label my problem (which apparently is one of the first steps to solving it, right?).