Tuesdays with Morrie by Mitch Albom

Review by Shwetha H S

Genre: Nonfiction, Memoir, Biography
Imprint: Anchor Books, a division of Random House Inc., New York
ISBN: 0-307-27563-9

Mitchell Albom, known to the world and in the book, Tuesdays with Morrie, as Mitch Albom, is a sports journalist and radio broadcaster turned novelist. He has written many books related to sports, and fiction and nonfiction novels. He is most famous for his books Tuesdays with Morrie and The Five People You Meet In Heaven.

Morrie Schwartz is a professor in Brandeis University and Mitch Albom is his newly graduated student, a favourite student. After graduation, Mitch is engrossed in his own life and loses contact with his “coach.” Years later, when a successful Mitch hits a road block in his work field and is made to sit at home due to worker union strike, he sees his coach on a national TV show. Morrie is diagnosed with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) and is sure to die soon. Shocked to see his professor in such condition, Mitch reaches out to him. Even after no communication since the graduation day, Morrie welcomes Mitch as though nothing has changed. They make it a habit of meeting every Tuesday so that Morrie can teach Mitch about different aspects of life because no one can explain life better than a dying man. Mitch, with Morrie’s approval, records their “classes.” Each Tuesday, Mitch finds his professor in a more deteriorated condition. Mitch worries but Morrie wants to serenely die. ALS consumes Morrie’s body completely and he knows that he will die at any moment. As per his wish, he serenely passes away when his family is under the same roof. After Morrie’s death, Mitch publishes Tuesdays with Morrie, which the old professor always called “the last thesis” of his favourite student.

Tuesdays with Morrie is not a self-help book. It is a book that imparts an old dying man’s knowledge about life to others. It is not preaching kind, but tells you from the view point of a person who had been there, done that. If it helps, you can imagine Morrie as Arthur in the movie, The Holiday. A dying man has courage to make fun of everything, even death. By the time you near the end of the book, your heart will be heavy, but you will wish it never ends. Tuesdays with Morrie by Mitch Albom is a book that everyone should read at least once in their lives. Read the book to know what “the last thesis” has to offer to any soul that is lost in the daily humdrum.

Chase of Choices by Dr Hari Parameshwar

Review by Shwetha H S

You would have often heard troubled people saying “put yourself in my shoes, you will know what I am going through.” What these people don’t know is nobody can take another’s place and each and everyone has their individuality in this small world. The only effort a person can put is in the manner of empathy and the same empathy is problematic in the Chase of Choices’ protagonist’s life as he is too empathizing. This book also unravels how a normal person behaves when faced with more than necessary options or when cornered in life with no options at all. This book lives up to its title in every aspect.

Author narrates the story with the day-to-day life experiences and nothing out of the world. No glitches and the author has not gone out of his way and created a story which readers can’t relate to. It is a simple yet complicated story which will surely leave you wondering, about the choices you made in your life, after you read the ending of the book. Through this book, the author emphasizes that after any human being goes through a rough time in life, he or she turns to either the sensitive extreme or indifference extreme. It is such a delicate story that I feel the mere mentioning of the characters’ names will turn into spoiler as there are no unnecessary characters. In the narration, no big and complex words are used making it easier to the readers to go with the flow. There are absolutely no minus points of this story, but a major plus point are the insights or philosophies given at the end of each chapter. They are precious. Don’t miss reading this book.

Leaving Home with Half a Fridge by Arathi Menon

Review by Shwetha H S

When I started reading Leaving Home with Half a Fridge, I was glad that Arathi Menon did not mention the reason for divorce. This makes it possible for a reader to cherish her experiences and not judge her, whatever might be the reason. She writes in such an easy manner that it is equally easy to completely understand what she had to go through. Simple and realistic. Though this book is about life journey after divorce, it is meant not only for divorcees, but also young adults who have commonsense enough to understand reality. I would recommend this book to everyone, especially to ladies

You can recognize from her writing that she is not faking her happiness and she is truly, madly and deeply happy with herself. Though by the end of the book you get an idea about why her marriage might have dissolved even without her completely explaining it, by then you would have agreed with everything she writes in the book and smile at yourself.

This book has no preaching. It is full of author’s personal life experiences. Read it if you are liberal. Read it even if you are opinionated and judging. Read it no matter what ideas you have about yours and others lives.