|
| The Last Lecture | 
 enlarge | Authors: Randy Pausch, Jeffrey Zaslow
Publisher: Hyperion
Category: Book
List Price: $21.95
Buy New: $10.79
You Save: $11.16 (51%)
New (89) Used (35) Collectible (9) from $9.85
Avg. Customer Rating:  800 reviews
Sales Rank: 25
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
|
| Customer Reviews:
 Dream Big...Dream Without Fear May 22, 2008
27 out of 29 found this review helpful
After watching Randy's lecture called "Really Achieving Your Childhood Dreams" on YouTube I was blown away by his honesty, clarity and forthrightness in conveying life lessons he has discovered. And soon after I ordered this book which is the written version of that humorous and inspiring lecture.
One of the ideas in his book is what Randy calls "head fake" where you learn an important lesson in an indirect way. I was reminded of my parents sending me out to my many childhood softball, tennis, skiing or golf lessons. At the time thinking I was just learning the skill sets of these sports but really learning so many other skills that have and continue to carry me through my achievements and successes. Those lessons instilled in me a deep impression of responsibility, commitment, knowing I make a difference and the importance of having play time and fun in my life. I so appreciate my parents unwavering commitment to me and my siblings in supporting us in our sporting life lesson adventures.
If you found Randy's book inspiring, I highly recommend checking out any one or all of Ariel and Shya Kane's books, Working on Yourself Doesn't Work: A Book About Instantaneous Transformation, Being Here: Modern Day Tales of Enlightenment or How To Create a Magical Relationship. Each of the Kane's books have the idea of "Instantaneous Transformation" woven through the stories and ideas presented. Where through Instantaneous Transformation an ordinary mundane life can transform into a brilliant life adventure without work or effort.
Want to know more or curious about living the best life possible? Then go ahead and read either one or all of these incredibly inspiring books that can guide you in achieving your own dream life.
Should be required reading for positive psychologists. This is how wisdom is woven together into a meaningful life. April 21, 2008
26 out of 33 found this review helpful
The first and only book I've ever read that made me cry through half the chapters.
If you haven't seen the Youtube video, read the Parade Magazine or the Original Wall Street Journal articles that got this phenomenon off the ground, you're missing something you really want to be aware of.
Randy Pausch is dying of cancer. He had surgery and chemotherapy for pancreatic cancer and it failed. He's been told he has three to six months to live, with the ten tumors in his liver that came back after his original treatment.
As is traditional at many universities, he gave a "last lecture" which is usually given by elder, retiring professors. But Pausch's last lecture because an internet youtube phenomenon. And now, after the book he did with Wall Street Journal writer Jeff Zaslow is out, titled, The Last Lecture , it is a huge, runaway bestseller, so hot, that Disney's Hyperion Publishing doesn't have enough to keep the books in stock in bookstores.
Now, I was lucky, after reading about Pausch's last lecture in the Wall Street Journal, I wrote to thank the article writer, and told him I'd posted it on my website.opednews dot com. A short time later, the writer offered to send me a copy to review. When my copy came in, my office manager, Rose, expressed interest in it, so I told her to go ahead and borrow it for a few days. I get a lot of review books, many unsolicited, and I only read a small percentage of them. But I knew I wanted to read this one. When I told Rose I wanted it back, so I could read it on an international flight, I asked her how she liked it. She told me she'd only read the first three chapters-- that she'd cried during reading each one. I was going on a trip with my 27 year old daughter and my better half, so, on the one hour drive to the airport, I started reading the book out loud, to them.
Rose was not alone. I found myself choking up, engaging in overlong pauses and needing to clear the tears from MY eyes as Pausch told his story, and the life lessons he'd learned. I kept asking if my partner or my daughter wanted me keep reading and they had me read until we parked the car.
I finished the book quickly and I have to say, it's unique. I've never read a book where over half the chapters (about 60 chapters) touch my heart AND make me cry.
This book is ALL about positive psychology. It's not university research, but there's an awful lot of university wisdom. It should be required reading for positive psychologists. This is how wisdom is woven together into a meaningful life.
Pausch explores, throughout the book the theme of acheiving your own childhood dreams, adult dreams, and enabling the dreams of others. He mentions early, how when he was a kid, when it came to the World book encyclopedia, "I didn't read every word, but I gave it a shot." One of his childhood dreams was to be a contributor, as an expert to the worldbook-- and eventually, it did happen. That made me think. I'm a quotationaholic, sort of like a bibliomaniac (which I also am) but for quotations. I usually leave a few quotation books in the bathroom. The quotes make perfect reading length material. I was delighted one day to have my son come up to me, holding the Book of Positive Quotations, informing me that one of my quotations was in it. That was one of those moments.
Pausch, an engineer, takes lessons from his life that he wants to pass on to his very young three children and his students. He's a man who has accomplished some impressive things in his life, so that lends credibility to what would otherwise be solid, wise advise.
I love his attitude towards "brick walls." When you reach a brick wall that seems unsurmountable and unpassable, he advises, "The brick walls are there for a reason. They're not there to keep us out. The brick walls are there to give us a c hance to show how badly we want something." Then he tells several stories illustrating how brick walls challenged him and how he overcame the challenges.
Coming from spending over 30 years in the world of biofeedback, I was pleased to see that Pausch believes, "In the end, educators best serve students by helping them be more self-reflective. THe only way any of us can improve... is if we develop a real ability to assess ourselves. If we can't accurately do that, how can we tell if we're getting better or worse?"
I love chapter 39, "Be the First Penguin." He writes that "experience is what you get when you didn't get what you wanted. .... It's a phrase worth considering at every brick wall we encounter, and at every disappointment. It's also a reminder that failure is not just acceptable, it's often essential."
Pausch tells the story that how, for the "Building Virtual Worlds" course he taught at Carnegie Mellon, he created a "First Penguin Award. "It went to the team that took the biggest gamble in trying new ideas or new technology, while failing to achieve their stated goals. In essence, it was an award for 'glorious failure' and it celebrated out-of-the-box thinking and using imagination in a daring way.
"The other students came to understand: 'First Penguin' winners were losers who were definitely going somewhere.
"The title of the award came fromt he notion that whne penguins are about to jump into water that might contain predators, well, somebody's got to be the first penguin."
"....Start-up companies often prefer to hire a chief executive witha failed start-up in his or her background. The person who failed often knows how to avoid future failures. The person who knows only success can be more oblivious to all the pitfalls."
Then he revisits the quote, "Experience is what you get when you didn't get what you wanted," adding, "And experience is often the most valuable thing you have to offer."
He writes, "'Lucky' is a strange word to use to describe my situation, but a part of me does feel fortunate..." I'll let you read the book to find out why. It may me think how, a few weeks ago, while driving on a weekend ski trip to Vermont, my old college buddy was driving close to the 65 MPH speed limit, hit some black ice, fishtailed, spun 360 degrees, rolled over the guard rail, rolled two more times down a 25 foot embankment, then hit a tree that brought us to an abrupt stop. I ended up with a very knuckle, and a small abrasion on the back of my hand. The car was VERY totaled, but we both walked away, relatively unharmed, so we were able to enjoy two days of double diamond expert skiing at Killington. I knew I was lucky. But as the experience has worked on me, I've come to realize I'm actually grateful for it. It's given me a fresh approach to life. I appreciate it more and push myself a bit harder to go deeper, in my work, play and relationships.
This book takes YOU to a multitude of ways of thinking about how to get more out of life. It's well worth the investment. Just throw a box of facial tissues to wipe away the tears from your eyes. I'm not kidding when I say I literally cried through over half the chapters.
 already been said before... May 27, 2008
26 out of 34 found this review helpful
I'm really sorry about what this guy is going through, but then again millions of people do and don't get to write a book about it.
I think it's bloody ridiculous that the main selling point of the book is almost a word-word copy of what was said over 50 years ago by Indian Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru ""Life is like a game of cards. The hand you are dealt is determinism; the way you play it is free will."
So it just may confirm some people's suspicions that everything worth saying has been said before.
not as good as the live lecture - not even close May 19, 2008
25 out of 28 found this review helpful
Let me begin by saying that I saw the video of Randy's live lecture, and I found that to be inspirational. He is a charismatic, intelligent, funny, and well-spoken individual, and his attitude towards life and acceptance of his fate seem so down-to-earth. It is a shame that the world is suffering the slow loss of such a great soul.
Having said that, I did not like the book at all. Unlike the lecture, in the book Randy comes across as arrogant and self-serving. If this is in fact intended to be a memoir for his children, it should remain just that. We are given glimpses of his memories and life experiences, and, while fascinating at times, I found this autobiography did little to inspire me or "wow" me. Randy draws life lessons from his own life experiences, but he does so in a way that seems to expound on his own greatness.
I'll stick with Tuesdays With Morrie. I found that to be more moving, more timely, and more inspirational from a far more humble individual.
 nothing new May 27, 2008
23 out of 54 found this review helpful
This book covers no new ground, says nothing new and offers no fresh insights. What the author has said has been said numerous times by other people and in a better way. Countless better books exist on this topic so I really do not understand the fuss.
If you have read other self help books, avoid this one. If you have not, start with anything better.
|
|
|
Powered by Associate-O-Matic
| |
