Customer Reviews

The Last Lecture

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This quick read consists of 61 great mini-lectures, generously sprinkled with autobiographical anecdotes about growing up with many touching and inspirational family memories ["One rule in our house is that you may not ask one-word questions."]. Randy Pausch uses these stories to illustrate life's lessons about parenting, self-esteem, dignity, duty, integrity --and of the importance of dreaming and helping others achieve their dreams.

Ironically the one thing that Randy Pausch has going for him in this book is that he has a terminal illness. Not only does this give him some credibility and public appeal (the main reasons I found the book), it also gives him the ability to sift through the extraneous details of his life and distill it down to a few salient points. A bit like Dr Phil but not as glitzy and "in your face". The author actually dictated his thoughts to another writer who then helped organize them into this short and easily readable book. Those of us with young children have already thought about many of the points he raises but this essay helps to put it all together. Furthermore it is a good book to read in a night or two and pass on to someone you know who is overwhelmed with irrelevant worries or simply moving too fast through life to get the "big picture". No big words or difficult philosophical issues to hurt your brain, just good common sense and a touch of humor from a prof with a clearly humorless disease.
A great book for the book club crowd.

Like all great people, Randy Pausch was a better person than any written text will ever represent. In my many College and University experiences I have had the privilege to listen to a few last lectures from my favorite professors in the past. All have been moving, all have inspired. But this "Last Lecture" is something different altogether. Pausch was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in 2006 and was given only several months to live, which makes his message all the more inspiring. Pausch gave his last lecture in Sept of 2007 and died July 2008.

As for Pausch's words, they will uplift you, they will inspire you to get your priorities straight and accomplish those life goals that you've always planned to do but always found excuses to avoid. Though similar in message to the recent movie "The Bucket List", I think Pausch's message is much more immediate. Why wait until you know you're dying, go do it now.

What really comes across in the text and even more so having watched his lectures online, is that Pausch was a guy that really got it. He loved being alive and he truly believed that he was blessed to be on this earth. Get this book for a friend or loved one that is going through some hardship, guaranteed they will feel better about themselves afterwards.

The Last Lecture is a book filled with living-life-to-the-fullest advice from a college professor. While to some this might sound as interesting as reading a doctoral dissertation, you'd be surprised.

The author, Randy Pausch, a professor of computer science at Carnegie Mellon who was diagnosed with terminal cancer, writes so well that you'd probably let him teach you about computers too. Some things he talks about include: remember to laugh, seizing every moment, overcoming obstacles, appreciate the gifts you recieve, and enabling the dreams of others.

Although the author died this year, his wisdom will no doubt be around awhile in this very enlightening book. Other books in this genre I liked include Finding Happiness in a Frustrating World.

I am a grandmother with two young (37 & 40 year old married children ). I also work as a Palliative Care Volunteer in a dedicated Hospital Unit which I have done for 15 years, our Unit generally serves a 'geriatric'group of patients but now and then we do have Patients under 55...this book struck 'home' with me and made me think about the younger patients and their family members (both their own parents and their own young children) that I've worked with over the years. This kind of volunteering is probably (for me) the most difficult and this book brought to mind most painfully and vividly that which happens to other Familys is one which can only be one step away from your own. Randy's book was a perfect vehicle with which to share with my own kids that 'they' are not invincible and that this could (hopefully not) be their own story. I gave each of them a copy and simply inscribed it with the words "some Life Lessons". Grown up children simply do not believe, for the most part that they, as well as us, are indeed fortunate to greet each day while others do not have that same luxury.

I really enjoyed reading this book (even if I spent time with tears in my eyes), because as a father of a young child (who also happens to work in academia) I could imagine very clearly exactly what Randy was going through. I could imagine the goal to give one last lecture (one final 'hurrah') for your colleagues, I could imagine trying to leave a legacy for my son who is too young now to remember me, I could imagine being in exactly Randy's place. Since reading this book I have lent it to several other people, each of whom really appreciated reading it and who in turn have given it as gifts to others!

I can say this book, is the best read and advise I have ever experienced. Most people would need to live 100 years to come to understand what Randy Pausch is talking about. I plan to give this book out to all those I hold dear.

There's nothing more bittersweet than reading a story where you know the ending before you start the first page. Everyone knows that on July 25, 2008, Randy Pausch lost his battle with cancer. But fortunately for those of us who never knew the man, he's left behind his legacy in THE LAST LECTURE. The well-known lecture can be viewed on YouTube, but with the help of a Wall Street Journal writer, Jeffrey Zaslow, he's taken his famous "last lecture" and written a book on how to live.

If you've watched the actual last lecture (I took the time after reading the book to sit and watch the entire talk), then the book is a perfect companion. If you've not seen the video, you will still be touched by the book. Though the book doesn't quote the lecture verbatim, Mr. Pausch has taken his lecture and expounded with more details and memories.

Having gone to university in Pittsburgh, I am very familiar with Carnegie Mellon University. When I first heard about the book and famous talk upon the death of Mr. Pausch, it was the mention of CMU that first caught my attention. I proceeded to get my hands on the book and read it in one quiet evening.

Mr. Pausch doesn't preach about his cancer, nor philosophize on death. Instead, he tells of his childhood dreams and how others can achieve their dreams. He speaks often of hitting a brick wall. He tells all that if you want something badly enough, then you will find a way around that brick wall. He shares with the reader his rejections by Brown University, Carnegie Mellon University, and even the Disney Imagineers. But he fought for what he wanted, and found a way to achieve his dreams.

He fondly thanks his parents for his wonderful childhood. He thanks his tough college mentor Andy van Dam. He tells about one of his students, whose dream was to work on the next Star Wars films. This coming in the early 1990s when no one anticipated there would be an additional three.

I believe all who pick up this book will be touched in some small way. It might not make you a better person for reading it, but I believe it will make you think. He offers simple suggestions for getting more out of life. It may be the simple truth of how to offer a sincere apology. It may be that you should put others first. Whatever it is, read the book with an open mind and be thankful that you are still alive and have the chance to live each day.

Reviewed by: Jaglvr

Thanks...it came pretty quick and I'm very pleased with your service!!! I now have one christmas gift purchased. Early...merry merry!

I am not kidding. For any parent who wishes their kids to grow up happy, to grow up looking back and liking how they were raised, for ANYONE who ever said "why me?"... Randy Pausch is a dyling man living every single day that he has left happy and having fun. He writes so incredibly it brings tears to your eyes. I slug out of bed every morning (healthy)... And he is living for his family to have memories, with a grin on his face. Advice from him to his family (and to us) A legacy left behind. I don't know how to describe it so you will read it, but it is a very inspiring story I got from the library, that I am buying for my husband and family to read.