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 enlarge | Authors: Randy Pausch, Jeffrey Zaslow
Brand: Pausch, Randy
Category: Book
List Price: $32.95
Buy New: $24.00
You Save: $8.95 (27%)
New (18) Used (9) from $17.95
Avg. Customer Rating:  793 reviews
Sales Rank: 48136
Format: Large Print
Media: Hardcover
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 285
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.8
Dimensions (in): 8.5 x 5.7 x 1
ISBN: 141040711X
Dewey Decimal Number: 004.092
EAN: 9781410407115
ASIN: 141040711X
Publication Date: May 16, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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| Customer Reviews:
 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.
Don't Take an Imaginary Head Fake and Miss the Emotional Point! April 21, 2008
5 out of 9 found this review helpful
Reading THE LAST LECTURE, my eyes leaked whenever Randy talked about having some time to put his emotional affairs in order; to spend as much time as possible with his wife and children; to make the audios and videos of communications that he wants his children to see later; and to make contact with as many people as possible who had touched his life. My mom died suddenly fifteen years ago. She was robbed of the chance to make a "last lecture" or even to make contact with all the people who had affected her life. And we were robbed of whatever conversations we might have had with her had we but known.
As I read the other reviews posted here, I noticed that like me, most people focus on the aspects of the book that most relate to them and their life experiences. This is as it should be. It is also a testament to the seamless collaboration with my friend, Jeff Zaslow, who helped this book retain a sweet innocence that gives it it's most engaging qualities - the ones I believe allow each of us to find ourselves somewhere in it's simple human eloquence.
I also noticed that some reviewers felt compelled to dish the book as lacking philosophical or spiritual wisdom. That made me sad - they missed the point by a mile. They took an imaginary "head fake" and robbed themselves of the gift of their own emotional memories about the people who have been important in their lives.
Russell Friedman - co-author, The Grief Recovery Handbook - When Children Grieve - and Moving On.
 Mixed feelings April 21, 2008
7 out of 12 found this review helpful
I had difficulty getting through this book. My father died of pancreatic cancer in 1990, and through much of the book all I could think of was that he didn't have 6 months. Indeed, he barely had 6 weeks. So part of my difficulty with the book was a sneaky resentment that this man had time to write a book.
Getting past that, I have to say that I enjoyed the book. Parts of it were funny, much was inspiring. I admire the man's courage and his general approach to life. At the same time, I have to say that there's little new in terms of philosophy or even life tactics.
a TRUE TEACHER April 20, 2008
2 out of 3 found this review helpful
I found this book to be very thought provocing. As I am going through a similar health crisis and also have three young children. It has inlightened me to to take advantage of every moment. And to capture events that may help them in their lives.
 Good tips, but not a life philosophy April 20, 2008
9 out of 39 found this review helpful
Certainly, all of us must be inspired by Randy's courage in making his remaining days a public journey. I don't think as some reviewers, that he is doing so because of ego, I think he's just a teacher at heart, and feels this is something worthwhile to give to his students. I definitely agree with much of his philosophy. My disappointment is his testimony that he is not interested in seeking out his Creator. Is the main purpose in life just to have fun? Why not have fun with joy and peace and reconciliation with Jesus Christ as well? I hope God will somehow see fit to grant Randy many more years. But, if not, I hope he will once again consider that, in dieing, "the dust shall return to the earth as it was: and the spirit shall return unto God who gave it." Ecclesiastes 12:7
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