In 1997, Mitch Albom wrote Tuesdays with Morrie about a friendship that changed his life. Why? To pay for said dear friend's medical bills. He didn't do it to reach the top of the New York Times Best Sellers list, nor was his goal to see millions of copies printed in fifty editions worldwide (though both of these things happened). Heck, he didn't even write it so we could tell you all about it years later (shocking, we know). Despite Albom's modest intentions, however, the book exploded onto the scene.

Here's why: At the heart of this little book is the fierce assertion that we're all in the same boat when it comes to living and dying. Though it's the story of a deeply important personal friendship, what emerges are a series of lessons about what counts in life that are relevant to all of us. Morrie and Mitch dig deep into the Big Questions, and as they do, it's pretty much impossible not to roll up your sleeves with them. The stuff they're sorting through is just that universal.

Is it a little cheesy? You betcha. But it feels oh so good, too.

Question: What does it mean to be human?

Having trouble coming up with a tidy little answer to that one? We don't blame you. It's one of the big questions in life, and the more we think about it, the more confused we become. It's so big, in fact, that it's arguably easier to just leave it alone—to be like Mitch when the story begins, and just follow dominant culture's script for how our lives should be. Wake up, work, come home, repeat.

Tuesdays with Morrie is an invitation to hop off the hamster wheel and do some serious thinking about who we are and the legacy we want to leave in our wake. If this seems daunting, worry not: Morrie is here, dropping pearls of wisdom from his death-bed perspective throughout the pages, sharing his 20/20 hindsight with Mitch and readers alike. His way may not be exactly the way for you, but he definitely sheds some light on alternate paths, and you just might find yourself rethinking how you want to approach your existence as he does.

Not too shabby for a book you can read in an afternoon.