Everyone on the Planet Has Probably Read This Book Already

So. Tuesdays with Morrie.

I'm pretty young & there are lots of good books in the world so I've got lots of catching up to do. I was a little kid when this came out, & when Morrie himself was actually making the news. I have vague memories of when the movie came out, but that's about it. But hey, what good would books be if we couldn't come to them years after the fact? Good stories keep making the rounds.

When my grandmother died in September, my cousin & I were the first to go for her bookshelf. I took this, & The Five People You Meet in Heaven. Clearly, good choices for the mourning.

I at least had the sense to wait a few months before reading it. Otherwise, the parts about death, the afterlife, etc. might've made me bawl like a baby. They would've been comforting, sure, but extremely tear-inducing. Instead, I only cried a little. I'm not sure exactly what this means in terms of the sadness factor, though, because I have some pretty embarrassing stories about movies that have made me cry that no one but my roommate, who thinks I'm insane & knows me too well anyway, needs to know about.

It's not too long. It's not too complex. But it is pretty moving. It's one of those books I feel like everyone should pick up & read, because there's a lot to be gained from it. Especially now, in 2010, because even though it came out in 1997 everything is still relevant. It could've been published yesterday, save a few references to goings-on at the time. Lots of talk about life & the skewed priorities we humans often have.