The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch

206 pages (Autobiography)

Many professors are asked to give a Last Lecture. They are to imagine the end of their life is near and this will be the last thing they will get to part upon the world. Randy Pausch is dying of pancreatic cancer. His Last Lecture will truly be his last. After giving the lecture he takes the basic message and expanded it into a book.

The book is basically an autobiography. It is focused on how he Lived his life and not how he is going to die. He takes all the life lessons he has learned and talks about how, who, when and where he learned them. When he was a young man he made a list of things he wanted to do. He talks about how with luck and perseverance he made those childhood dreams come true.

It is an extremely emotional book. It is broken up into many little chapters. Each section is a part of his life that meant something to him. Some are 10 pages long others only half a page. They all add up to a great life experience. He focuses almost exclusively on the good times. When you put yourself in his place, you are leaving behind your wife, your children and your plans. There were a few times that tears started to well up as I read this. If you imagine yourself in his place, and then read all of the deeply personal experiences he conveys, it is hard not to get a little choked up.

Part of the book deals with preparations that come with a terminal illness. That is the power behind this book. A man can’t teach his children as they grow so he leaves this book for them to learn from as they age. The over riding message is don’t waste your time, enjoy your life and live your dreams.

As Randy evaluates his life you can take a look at yours as well. It seems the book is more for his family, but he was hoping to help others that read it as well. We only have so much time on this world and how we spend it means a lot in the end.

5 Emotional: You can’t get more emotional than a man putting everything he cares about in a book for the world to read.

1 Intellectual: The book is based in emotion. The point wasn’t to be intellectual.

4 Long Term: The book is filled with life lessons that aren’t tied to a time or place. This will easily stand the test of time.

Overall, 10 out of 13. Everyone that reads this has something to gain. I read it in a little over 24 hours. It doesn’t take much time and it will leave you with a good outlook on life.