HW 22

Tuesdays With Morrie by Mitch Albom (1997)
Doubleday Broadway Publishing Group; Random House Inc.

Precis:
Mitch became very connected to Morrie during college. But he easily lost contact with him after college and forgot about him. He had his first experience with death, his uncle whom he always looked up to got sick and died at a young age. This changed Mitch's life and he wasn't really sure how to go about life if he could just get sick and die any time. Then he heard about Morrie on TV and saw a special on the news about him, and he went to go visit Morrie and his last lesson began.

Quotes:
"After the funeral, my life changed. I felt as if time were suddenly precious, water going down an open drain, and I could not move quickly enough."

"Instead, I buried myself in accomplishments, because with accomplishments, I believed I could control things, I could squeeze every last piece of happiness before I got sick and died, like my uncle before me, which I figured was my natural fate."

"When all this started, I asked myself, 'Am I going to withdraw myself from the world, like most people do, or am I going to live?' I decided I am going to live-or at least try to live-the way I want, with dignity, with courage, with humor, with composure."

Response:
I think this book is interesting so far even though I haven't got very deep in. I have made a few connections to the book. I have felt some of the feelings for example the feeling described in the first quote. I also think the book portrays some of the social norms when it comes to illness and dying for example Morrie talks about how usually people are embarrassed when they are dying and they withdraw themselves from the world before they even die. Also the fact that people get together and talk about the good things and memories and about someones life after they die so they're not there to hear it that's why Morrie decided to have a celebration of his life before he died so he could be there to hear everything.