“Teachers takes a hand, opens a mind and touches a heart.” The book “Tuesdays with Morrie” touches the heart of many people. He wasn't a superstar athlete, a successful entrepreneur or a famous actor. He was not a household name. His only claim to fame was an appearance on Nightline. But ask anyone who knew him and they'll likely tell you that Morrie Schwartz made more of an impression on them then Michael Jordan, Bill Gates and Jodie Foster combined.
“Tuesdays with Morrie” is more than just a dying man's last words. It is an inspirational recount of a man's life -- a man whose passion for the human spirit has continued to live long after his last breath.
You could say there are two stories within “Tuesdays with Morrie”. One is the story of a man and a disease. The other is the story of a professor of social psychology who has come to understand that life's complexities can be broken down into simple truths.
This book was not planned; it came about after Mitch Albom, by chance, saw his old professor on ABC's Nightline being interviewed by Ted Koppel about what it was like to be dying of ALS, more commonly known as Lou Gehrig’s disease. Mitch had lost track of his Brandeis University professor and college mentor shortly after he graduated and settled in Detroit as a sports writer.
Albom was surprised and saddened to learn that Morrie was dying and quickly got in touch with his old professor. What started as a reunion of old friends turned into the project of a lifetime.
Mitch and Morrie subsequently spent the next sixteen Tuesdays together exploring many of life's fundamental issues -- family, marriage, aging and culture to name a few. Morrie was giving his last lecture while Mitch was writing his final thesis.
Take aging -- an issue many struggle with. As his disease progresses, Morrie finds himself dealing with aging in a more concentrated way than most. When Mitch asks him how he is able to refrain from being