AnneOctober 29, 2008 Everything went fine. rhe book was in excellent condition Thanks. Anne
Facing MortalityOctober 27, 2008 If you've ever faced mortality and managed to delay its inevitable victory, you may find solace in the words of Randy Pausch. As good or better is his lecture, which you can find on YouTube.
Courtesy of Teens Read TooOctober 25, 2008 1 out of 1 found this review helpful
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
Very inspiringOctober 22, 2008 This book is a true treasure. It is inspirational and heartfelt. I highly recommend anyone to pick up this book. It is an easy read. It had me laughing and crying. I am seriously thinking about giving this book out as gifts this year for Christmas.
A Lasting LectureOctober 22, 2008 This wonderful, emotional, thought-provoking, and inspiring book was a very honest look inside the mind and life of a very extraordinary ordinary man, and how he lived with a terminal illness.
In sixty-one short chapters, which seemed more like mini-lectures or brief discussions of Pausch's dreams, life lessons, philosophies, and experiences, I found many useful ideas about parenting, being a husband, and living as a man of value, action, and character. Knowing that I was reading the words of a dying man, I felt compelled to reflect on my own mortality in ways I had not done before. I honestly do not know how I would be, but I truly hope that should I ever be faced with the same terminal illness situation as Randy Pausch, I will respond to it with the same degree of love, grace, courage, and dignity as he did. My main 'take-away' from the book is to focus more earnestly on what I can share with my son every day, because, as Pausch said, "Time is all you have. And you may find one day that you have less than you think."
Randy Pausch wrote this book, gave a one-of-a-kind lecture, and made a moving video to leave wisdom, memories, and experiences behind for his wife and his very young kids. He has also left behind inspiration for me: If he can do all that he did, knowing he had only months to live, imagine all that I can do throughout my life (however long or short it may be) if I remain conscious every day to the fact that I have small and large opportunities, if I choose to see them, to build a loving, lasting legacy for my son.
