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Essay / Review of the novel Tuesdays with Morrie by Mitch Albom
Tuesdays With Morrie is a novel written by Mitch Albom, an internationally renowned bestselling author. Albom is also a journalist, screenwriter, playwright, radio/television host and musician. His books have collectively sold more than 39 million copies worldwide, published in forty-nine territories and in forty-five languages worldwide; and was made into an Emmy Award-winning and critically acclaimed film. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay The novel was actually written to pay Morrie's hospital bills; Albom himself did not expect the book to be popular. At first, he was told that publishing the book was a bad idea. Many publishing houses refused to accept it, saying it was boring and depressing. He was told, “Mitch Albom is a famous sports writer, he can’t write a book like that.” " But he didn't care about rejections and refusals; he took the risk, wanting to do it for his teacher's sake. He wanted to help Morrie. When Mitch Albom found a publisher, the book hit shelves three (3) weeks before his teacher's death. They only published 20,000 copies, which at the time was a very small quantity of books. Everyone, including Albom, believed that the number of books published was so small, but they did not realize that over time the book would be delighted with my many books. Tuesday With Morrie begins with an account of Mitch Albom's graduation from Brandeis University in 1979. It talks about Morrie, his favorite professor, giving him a briefcase, with a hint of fear that he might forget. He then promised Morrie that he would keep in touch, to which he replied almost automatically: "Of course." Years after Mitch's graduation, Morrie resigns from the activities he once loved. He gave up dancing, one of his favorite hobbies, due to a diagnosis of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), a disease that affects nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord. With all of this, Mitch feels dissatisfied with the life he has chosen. He abandoned his career as a musician when his uncle died of pancreatic cancer. He has promised his wife, Janine, a family but devotes more of his time to work. After seeing Morrie on television, he contacted his old teacher and went to his home in West Newton, Massachusetts. After an argument regarding his job, he travels to Boston again to visit Morrie where they spend their Tuesdays together, listening to Morrie's life lessons. Mitch then hears Morrie talk about his childhood, how he was deprived of his own father's love, and the emotional burden of not having to tell his little brother, Peter, that their real mother had died, information he read in a telegram because he was the only one who knew how to read English. Morrie was grateful to his mother-in-law, Eva. She gave him her love of books and her desire for education. Throughout their time together, Morrie had taught Mitch lessons about the meaning of life, to reject popular culture and create a culture of his kind, filled with "love, acceptance and human kindness." Morrie asks Mitch to contact Peter, who was in Spain battling pancreatic cancer. He insists that he is fine, not wanting to talk about his illness. The old professor tells Mitch that after his death, Mitch will become closer to Peter. When death comes to Morrie, Mitch keeps the promise he shared with Morrie: to carry on conversations between them in his head, to keep the memory of his beloved teacher alive. In..