I didn’t believe in a “how to” books

Not until I read “Tuesdays with Morrie”. Yeah, it’s not a book with that title or sub title start with “how to” formula, but it’s actually and literally a kind of “how to” book. This would be a book review anyway.

Been looking for this book since I love reading, and thank God I could afford the worth price for a used book because I couldn’t reach the brand new book, you know the hype of this book never ceased in an era make it unaffordable to buy. So, here my thought of this book.

When I first read it in the first couple of pages, what came to my mind is ‘how sweet an old man could be’ and ‘ohhh Mitch is me’ with the combination of smile and chuckle in my face. I CRIED IN THE PAGE 4 ANYWAY. Is it too early? Or is there anyone even earlier? hahahaha
If you are wondering what made me cried in the page 4, here’s the snippet:

Yaaaaaah, it’s in the last sentence. Thats it! Can you believe it? Because I myself think I’m too soft and vulnerable for this. I don’t know why, but I feel like I’m always connected to the old people. Not the old people by the age, but they who living long life alone, like parents whose children living their own life far away from home, wife/husband who lost their spouse and some kind of it. I started experiencing this connection when I was in high school, far away from my family, had to stay in a rent room whose owner was a grandma, I mean a cute grandma haha. I called her ‘Oppung’ . We had a good and nice bond, I love her and she seems like me too haha. She has a lot of children and they live far away from Oppung, so there I could understand what an old people thought of losing spatial closeness with their loved ones and I understand more about this when me and 5 out of 6 of my siblings had to do the same with our parents, because we have to reach our education far away from home. So, yeah, that made me cried reading the last sentence in the page 4. You know if you know.

Is this book for the melancholy purpose? Well, not really. Mitch describes himself as firm and strong man yet easy to be affected. Is this book such a common trivial advice from an old man? Nope! We might have heard all the quotes or the common word coming out of Morrie’s mouth, but I assure you , this not such a trivial self help book, what both Morrie and Mith share in this book is all you need for your saneness, living your own life you think a mess and failure. The story coming out from an old man, who passed the childhood, adolescence, adulthood with the love and affect spilled in all those voyages though he had to face broken heart, losing people, failure and the terminal disease. The heart and passion and thought Morrie has is not a joke. He’s pure with people. He loves to love. He loves to affect. His comprehension of life and people is an inspiration. Taking his words seriously to your such a ‘quarter life crisis’ life, helps you a lot. I assure you. It helps. Then you ask me, is this book for the people who’s facing quarter life crisis only? Nope! It talks about the world we live in, about feeling sorry for yourself, about regrets, death, family, emotions, the fear of aging, money, about how love goes on, about marriage, culture and forgiveness. Don’t you think you need it? You need to appreciate your life, right? I can’t quote or capture some good content to show you how good that book is, because all the pages is too good to be true. But, heyyyy! I won’t say that this book will change you or your life a hundred percent, I won’t say that by reading this book, you will have a better life, or your problems will getting less, or your personality getting nicer. All I can tell is; by reading this book might lead you to understand more about your own life and helps you to contemplate and evolve more. That’s it! Change takes time.

So, how about Mitch? Is Morries the only highlight?
Like I said, when I read first couple of pages, I deduce myself as Mitch, feel firm, strong, self-sufficient, confident yet vulnerable for many things and screwed. Getting older doesn’t seem easy for some kind of people. So many issues to think about, many problems to solve, many demands to be fulfilled, feeling lonely in a crowd, underpressure to be at home or any circle of friends. Ahh, it’s not easy. In a time somebody screwed up and feel colorless, somebody else delivers a help. It can be come from parents, siblings, friends, lover, and it’s possible comes from stranger. Morrie is a stranger to Mitch’s life. Mitch was Morrie’s student, indeed. But, an era in life has changed Mitch. He’s far away from Morrie, not keep in touch, running his own life with his own comprehension. Once he come back to the old man, get a casual class with the casual yet serious subject, he become a brand new Mitch. Feel like reborn as an old baby haha. All those credit I give to this book, you might feel it too much and exaggerate, but my friend, don’t you curious a little bit?