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| The Last Lecture | 
 enlarge | Authors: Randy Pausch, Jeffrey Zaslow
Publisher: Hyperion
Category: Book
List Price: $21.95
Buy New: $8.90
You Save: $13.05 (59%)
New (92) Used (35) Collectible (5) from $8.89
Avg. Customer Rating:  743 reviews
Sales Rank: 16
Format: Roughcut
Media: Hardcover
Edition: 1st
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 224
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.6
Dimensions (in): 7.1 x 5.5 x 0.9
ISBN: 1401323251
Dewey Decimal Number: 004.092
EAN: 9781401323257
ASIN: 1401323251
Publication Date: April 8, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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| Customer Reviews:
 A Lecture on Living May 26, 2008
36 out of 70 found this review helpful
Professor Randy Pausch received an invitation to give a talk in Carnegie Mellon's Last Lecture Series. The concept, shared by many universities, provides lecturers with the opportunity to give a talk as if it were her or his last. In Pausch's case, he had been recently diagnosed with terminal pancreatic cancer placing him in the position of giving both a figurative and a literal Last Lecture.
Jeffery Zaslow worked with Pausch to write the book, The Last Lecture. The piece includes most of the content of the sixty minute lecture built into the narratives; however, I thought it would have been nice to have the text of the lecture on its own at the end as the final chapter or as an appendix.
Nonetheless, throughout the book Pausch simply doles out the basics of enjoying and living life. In many places the book reads like an autobiographical eulogy, to no surprise, even though it's not supposed to be one. Like the author, I, too, am an educator. I teach, and in fact I demand that my students not state the obvious while in class. To that end, the disheartening part about The Last Lecture comes as much of its popularity stems from our friends and neighbors who don't even recognize the obvious.
It's a shame that people don't think enough to use time wisely, cherish their family, send hand written thank you notes or to dare to chase their dreams, and thus need to be told to do those things in a book or a lecture. I lost my mother to cancer. She enjoyed living long before the two year battle that took her life. She always taught my three brothers and me to love and to give the world more then it gave us. I assumed that simple things like that are expected in that life is so fragile and precious.
Many times while reading I was reminded of the pop song, "Every Body is Free," better known as the "Sunscreen Song." Pausch said all the obvious stuff about learning, living and loving. He fell short of Mary Schmich words set to music by Baz Luhrmann, and didn't admonish readers to floss and wear sunscreen.
 Simple and sweet July 24, 2008
34 out of 54 found this review helpful
I tried very hard to like this little book. I instinctively appreciate Randy and feel sorrow for his plight. He gives the impression as being very much an honorable guy, a good father and the college professor I never had but always wanted. Nonetheless, the book seems to be written for the simple of mind. Perhaps a life with college students had given Randy a fondness for straightforward homilies. There was nothing in the book that is either fresh or profound. The insights presented are Hollywood superficial.
The book's constant regressing to Disney, Star Wars, and Star Trek may be attractive to the college student. However, finding weighty insights from the ethos of a Jedi is an effort in futility. The book does give some comprehensible perceptions of the popular academic culture. Through analysis the book shows that the superficial and fallacies of concept of the Hollywood culture can be misconstrued as being full of deep and profound meaning. That being said, there are those that need such metaphors for a life's anchor and for those this book is ideally suited.
I hope nothing but the best for Randy and his family. If the reader is looking for a light book that reads like a screen play and isn't too mentally tasking than this is the book for them. If on the other hand the desire is for a profound and penetrating analysis of life's lessons and the meaning of existence than the reader will be disappointed.
 Inspiring! April 10, 2008
33 out of 41 found this review helpful
Just as inspiring as his famous "Last Lecture" and with some very interesting and moving additional material. Zaslow has done a great job retaining Pausch's voice in the writing without making it seem like you're reading a transcript of a telephone conversation. If you liked the video, you'll love the book. If you haven't seen the video, you'll love the book.
I'm sure I'll get blasted for saying this May 7, 2008
33 out of 46 found this review helpful
Honestly? This book didn't live up to my expectations. There were a few amusing anecdotes, but I didn't find anything in this book terribly inspirational. I'm sure his kids will appreciate it when they're older, though.
A Fantastic Gift June 11, 2008
33 out of 33 found this review helpful
This guy is fantastic! What a gift he has shared with the world, a personal gift to people he will never know. He speaks from his heart with a genuine love of people and a desire to share with us all his astonishing awareness of what matters in life.
It is a plea of sorts to humanity to have FUN because life is very short, to give of yourself and to take care of the people around you because that is the most incredible legacy a person can leave. He gives us unusual awareness, brought by a terminal disease, that most people never have until they are also in his position, if at all.
Read this book! And if you enjoy this kind of awareness, about living in this moment with fun and generosity, you will love Ariel and Shya Kanes' extraordinary books,
Being Here: Modern Day Tales of Enlightenment and How To Create a Magical Relationship. They are beautiful, life inspiring books like 'The Last Lecture', that offer us the chance to experience the heightened awareness Mr. Pausch is describing. Many thanks to these three authors.
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