Tuesdays with Morrie: An Old Man, a Young Man, and Life's Greatest Lesson

To paraphrase the poet Robert Burns, "The best-laid plans of mice and men often go astray." But maybe some of us have to go astray to land eventually on target,Take Mitch Albom. As a young man graduating from Brandeis University, he made promises easily. Keeping them was another story.You'll stay in touch?", his sociology professor Morrie Schwartz asked him on graduation day in 1979. Mitch answered his favorite professor, his mentor, his friend, without hesitation, "Of course.Fast-forward sixteen years to Mitch's life as a successful newspaper sports columnist and broadcast journalist. Adept at juggling phone calls, faxes, interviews, problems, often it seems while driving too fast to another appointment on an overloaded docket, Mitch has a wonderful wife but no time to spend with her, a beautiful house on a hill, a stock portfolio, and a brother he hasn't talked to in years. He lives on a deadline--too fast is the only speed he knows.

Then, one night, tired from another day into which he crammed too much work, he sits in front of the TV, channel-surfing, and catches the crest of "Nightline." And there's his old teacher and friend Morrie Schwartz telling Ted Koppel he has amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), Lou Gehrig's disease, and that he's learning how to die. Mitch hadn't seen Morrie since graduation day at Brandeis.

About the Author

Mitchel David "Mitch" Albom (born May 23, 1958) is an American best-selling author, journalist, screenwriter, dramatist, radio and television broadcaster and musician. His books have sold over 30 million copies worldwide. Having achieved national recognition for his sports writing in the earlier part of his career, he is perhaps best known for the inspirational stories and themes that weave through his books, plays and films. He is also well-known for his philanthropic work in Detroit, Michigan where he founded four charities.Albom’s original dream was to become a musician, and he played in numerous bands in high school and college. He studied jazz piano with several teachers, including a brief stretch with the well-respected Charlie Banacos at the Berklee College of Music in Boston, Massachusetts. Ya In 1979, having graduated from college, Albom traveled to Europe and found work as a piano player and singer in a taverna on the island of Crete.