Dear Mitch, I am a teacher trainee from Berlin, Germany. I have read Tuesdays with Morrie only in December last year. It made a great impression on me, so I decided to teach it to my class, since it matches the topic of the semester so well (Individual and society – Interpersonal relationships). After reading the results of the final test, I am sure that I’ve made a very good decision in choosing this book for this class: They liked playing out a living funeral, I had them write about what they’d like to do on their last days before reading the 14th Tuesday and was surprised at how similar their days were to Morrie’s day. We talked about many topics that are normally not addressed in school. And it was refreshing and astonishing to see them open up to the book and to me as well (I took over this class only 6 months ago). Here are some of the remarks my students made about your book: “Even tough we’re really young and the end of life seems far away, it was good to get advice on life from the perspective of a dying person.” “I liked ‘The Professor’ – it was sad, but it gave a deep insight into Morrie’s psyche.” One student says: “It’s good for teachers because the many topics addressed in the book are very good to make students write comments and argumentative texts…” and finally: “Good books make classes more interesting!” Some pupils wrote in their final tests that they’ve started to talk more to their family members and to enjoy the time together more. There was, however, one single student who did not approve too much of the book. I think she might have misunderstood, why Morrie talked about life from his perspective. She just focused on the dying aspect not noticing how your life might change in a healthy way, if you think about it from that perspective every now and then. “Learn how to die and you learn how to live.” is something that might be hard to understand, but when you read this book it becomes clear to you in a way you would never have imagined it: easily. Thank you Mitch for writing such an interesting book that is suitable even for kids aged 15. For that and for giving me the opportunity to share Morrie’s wisdom I am deeply indebted to you. Sincerely Robert Petry
Tuesdays with Morrie
