Tuesdays with Morrie

	Tuesdays with Morrie
Author	Mitch Albom
Country	United States
Language	English
Genre(s)	Biographical Philosophical novel
Publisher	Random House
Publication date	1997
Media type	print hardcover & paperback
Pages	192
ISBN	0-385-48451-8

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Tuesdays with Morrie is a 1997 non-fiction novel by American writer Mitch Albom. The story was later adapted by Thomas Rickman into a TV movie of the same name directed by Mick Jackson, which aired on 5 December 1999 and starred Hank Azaria.

It tells the true story of sociologist Morrie Schwartz and his relationship with his students. Both the film and the book chronicle the lessons about life that Mitch learns from his professor, who is dying.

After five years in hardcover, it was released as a trade paperback in October 2002. It was re-released as a mass-market paperback by Anchor Books in January 2006. According to this edition, 11 million copies of Tuesdays with Morrie are in print worldwide.

[edit] Synopsis

Newspaper columnist Mitch Albom recounts his time spent with his 78 year old sociology professor at Brandeis University, Morrie Schwartz, who was dying from Lou Gehrig's disease. Albom, a former student of Schwartz, had not corresponded with him since attending his college classes sixteen years earlier. The first three chapters begin with: an ambiguous introduction to the final conversation between Albom and Schwartz, a brief flashback to Albom's graduation sixteen years earlier, and a brief recount of the events Albom experiences between his graduation and the point where he becomes prompted to return to his professor.

Albom is a successful columnist to the Detroit Free Press after failing to become a pianist. After seeing Schwartz on Nightline, Albom visits Schwartz. They arrange to meet on Tuesdays. The Detroit Newspaper Strike frees Albom from work and allows him frequent flights from his home in Detroit to Schwartz in Boston. The resulting book is based Albom's recount of Schwartz lectures, quotes, experiences, and conversations. It is visited by frequent flashbacks and allusions to contemporay events between each visit.

[edit] Themes

Within Schwartz's lessons, he encompasses acceptance, communication, love, values, openness, and happiness. He describes to Albom the importance to forge his own culture, in comparison to how popular culture has become a dictator under which human communities must suffer. Schwartz quotes his favorite poet, W. H. Auden, with "love each other or perish". As Schwartz's disease progress he describes "detaching himself from experience", which permits him to experience it more fully.^[1] All of which are "taught from experience".^[2]

Throughout the book Albom uses the Media, in addition to strengthening the setting, as motif of purveying evil as all stories cover either homicide, suicide, hatred, violence, or depression. This serves as a juxtaposition to Schwartz's lessons. Albom's character changes as Schwartz's stories softens him. Albom brings food to Schwartz at every visit, which reminds Albom of his professor's past good health. It is the only gift besides company that Albom is able to provide to Schwartz.^[1]

As Schwartz's condition deteriorates, so does the hibiscus plant atop of Schwartz's study. It acts as a symbol to Schwartz's life as a natural process of life. Schwartz tells the story of a wave crashing into shore, symbolizing death. He expresses the fear of it, but reassures Albom with acceptance that he will return to something greater. Schwartz's repeats an aphorism "When you're in bed, you're dead" to symbolizes his final surrender.^[1]

[edit] Reception

[edit] Best sellers

The book placed two-hundred-fifty consecutive weeks on the New York Times Bestseller List.^{[citation needed]}

[edit] Film adaptation

Main article: Tuesdays with Morrie (film)

In 1999, Tuesdays with Morrie was made into a film starring Hank Azaria as Mitch Albom and Jack Lemmon as Morrie. Directed by Mick Jackson, the film won four Emmy awards, a Golden Globe award, and a Screen Actors Guild award.^{[citation needed]}