I find myself halfway through yet another book, which has been difficult to find time to read even with the relative shortness of the novel. And what it lacks in physical length it more then makes up for in tears shed. Normally I do not like biographies, because I know how it ends. George Washington becomes the first president of the United States. Marie Antionette looses her head (haha I'm funny sometimes). Thomas Edison cuts down competition from Telsa by electricuting an elephant named Topsie to death. The mystery and magic that comes from fiction very rarely translates over into fiction's stuffy cousin. However, Tuesdays with Morrie has a different feel to it. First off, I did not previously know of professor Morrie Schwartz before reading the novel. I knew Morrie would not survive to the end of the book, butI realized that his survival was not the focus on the novel. I realized that is was not even really about Morrie, but his legacy passed onto Mitch Albom, who then wrote everything down.
I enjoyed reading the first half of Tuesdays with Morrie for many reasons. For instance, Morrie was Jewish, a trait shared by both him and myself. In fact, Morrie comes from the Jewish word meaning "my teacher". Also, Morrie has ALS. And even though ALS has not affected my family so far, my family suffers from a variety of mental disorders, which I cannot name to keep privacy for my family. Knowing just how hard it is to stuggle through life with either physical or mental disorders made me connect to the character. The fact that Morrie can still function as an incredibly intelligent and functioning member of society gives me hope for my future. And I believe that was the point of the book, at least so far. That even though we are told that we won't accomplish our dreams because of how our bodies are broken, we can still touch the lives of others greatly. And I plan to go out tomorrow and inspire just as Morrie had.
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