| Product: |
Tuesdays with Morrie - Mitch Albom |
| Date: |
28/10/07 (38 review reads) |
| Rating: |
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Advantages: Short
Disadvantages: Patronising
Oh dear - I'm going to sound like a party-pooper again.
I was offered this book to read by a well-meaning friend, and read it on his recommendation. The reason he thought that I would like it is that I was diagnosed with cancer in 2003 and published the diary i kept during the first year after my diagnosis (It's called The Purple Butterfly, if anyone is interested).
This book is about a man called Mitch who starts to visit the terminally ill Morrie, who used to be one of his college professors. It's about the way he reacts to Morrie's illness, not so much about Morrie.
Anyway, I read the book. Perhaps it was too soon after my own diagnosis, or perhaps I just didn't like the tone, but I am afraid I didn't like it. Sorry to all those people who did, but this is my opinion.
I think I was looking at it from Morrie's point of view. Who wants a do-gooder younger, fit man coming around and giving you sympathy? No-one. Who wants a do-gooder younger fitter man coming around and making money out of writing about you? No-one. Who would try to carry on their life as long as possible eg by carrying on tutoring as long as possible even though you are ill? Everyone.
I thought the tone of the book was schmaltzy - it read to me like work a teenage who had been told to write a love sonnet, or who had been told to write an essay on how awful it was to xxx - you give a big sigh and put on a mournful face and off you go - it all comes out like a dirge!
I also thought it was patronizing - how dare he go around to Morrie's house, think all those things and then expect us to feel sympathy for HIM because he'd been made to feel that way? If you can't take it, then stay out of the way!
I didn't find it uplifting because Morrie dies in the end. I suppose it is good for people who want to think that they will die gracefully and want to get some vicarious thrill from reading a book like this. I think everyone will act with some degree of dignity because it's very often the only thing you have left. A few crotchety old ladies give the elderly/sick a bad name. Most of us just want to carry on as normally as possible up to the end. Morrie was lucky enough to have the money to do that (as I think it said in the book).
I fell a bit bad for not liking it - it's rather like saying I don't like Princess Diana to say I dont' like someone/something that other people find helpful. If this is your thing, then go ahead, and I hope you get some support from it. If you are just reading it for a vicarious thrill like people read the Dave Pelzar books, then I'm afraid I can't agree that that is a good thing to do.
Summary: great if you like Dave Pelzar etc.
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