last lecture book review

Book Review: The Last Lecture

• February 24, 2022

Book: The Last Lecture

By: Randy Pausch

Reviewed by: Kenzie Bertrand

The Premise: The Last Lecture is a national bestseller by Randy Pausch, a computer science professor at Carnegie Mellon University (CMU), who was diagnosed with terminal pancreatic cancer in August 2007. The university has a tradition of inviting professors to give a lecture to their students, as if it is their last. What would you say? What life lessons have you learned? What words of advice would you share? For Randy, his “Last Lecture” titled “Really Achieving Your Childhood Dreams” at CMU on September 18 th , 2007, really was his last lecture.

Randy’s lecture was full stories from his childhood, his life as a father and a husband, and he shares the life lessons he has learned along the way. The lecture is full of hope, optimism, and humour. It went viral on YouTube and was shortly published into a book in 2008. Randy got to witness his lecture go viral, co-author this book and give an abridged version of his speech on The Oprah Winfrey Show before he passed away in July of 2008.

The Bottomline: The book described the lecture well and I felt the passion and emotion through the written words. I was inspired by some of his stories and life lessons, and I appreciated his vulnerability and frankness. After reading the book, I watched the lecture on YouTube, and I would say watching and listening to the lecture is 10x more powerful. He was a captivating lecturer, and you could tell there was a tremendous amount of respect from his students and faculty who provided a long standing ovation before Randy even started to speak. The bottom line, The Last Lecture is powerful, relevant, and inspiring, especially after the long month of January.

Recommendation: I recommend anyone to watch The Last Lecture on YouTube to get the most value out of lecture. If you don’t have two hours to spare, I recommend watching the condensed 10-minute version of his speech that he presented on The Oprah Winfrey Show.

Kenzie Bertrand

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The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch, Summary

If someone asked you, “what’s unique about you” how would you answer  you'd probably stop dead in your tracks. and more than likely, you'd take time to think before you answered. that’s the question randy pausch asked himself when he was about to prepare his presentation for the last lecture series. the book, the last lecture by randy pausch, was eventually published ., initial thoughts on the last lecture by randy pausch.

Many of you have probably heard about Randy Pausch, and have seen the video – to date viewed over 18 million times – that went viral a couple of years ago. Pausch had pancreatic cancer, and the treatments he underwent did not work.

He desperately wanted to live because he loved his wife deeply. And he had three children five years and under whom he wanted to live for. He wanted to see them grow up, but that was not to be the case.

Randy Pausch's Last Lecture  YouTube Video

If you cannot view Randy Pausch's Last Lecture on YouTube, please click here .

At many universities, professors are asked to do a presentation on their last lecture, which deals with topics that really matter to them. In this instance, Pausch who was a professor at Carnegie Mellon , was really going to be giving his last lecture. He had been given six months to live, and hence he asked himself the question, “What’s unique about me?”

He knew it wasn’t cancer, because there are many people suffering from cancer.

“ Pancreatic cancer has the highest mortality rate of any cancer; half of those with it will die within six months, and 96 percent die within five years.”

And according to Natural Health Dossier Health Watch, every 55 seconds someone dies from cancer in the United States.

For Pausch, what made him unique was the fact that he achieved his childhood dreams. How many of us can honestly say that?

Pausch wanted to leave a legacy for his young children, he wanted to leave them things to remember him by. The book, The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch is one of the things he left behind as a legacy for his wife and children.

What is The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch is About?

The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch is an easy read, that’s packed with a lot of punch. It’s a collection of 61 short stories and is a celebration of a life worth living. Pausch packed a lot of living into his 47 years.

To achieve his childhood dreams, there were often obstacles in his path – the proverbial brick wall.s And in The Last Lecture , Pausch walks us through how he went through these brick walls. For instance, when he was a child, he dreamed that he would some day work at Disney.

He got the opportunity to be an Imagineer at Disney because he was a computer scientist with a lot of experience in virtual reality. But the brick wall he faced was to get a six-month sabbatical from his professorship. It wasn’t easy, but he built his case and even had to go a level up in the university bureaucracy to get the time off that he needed. Pausch found a way to push through the brick wall. And you see the many brick walls he pushed through to achieve his childhood dreams.

Pausch says there are three parts to an apology and when you read what he says, it makes sense.

• What I did was wrong.
• I feel badly that I hurt you.
• How do I make this better?

Nothing less will do, and explaining yourself dilutes the apology. As far as he is concerned, no apology is better than a poor apology.

There are many nuggets of wisdom interspersed throughout The Last Lecture .

“When you go into the wilderness, all you have is what you take with you. What’s the worst case scenario and plan for that,” says Pausch.

When I read this, I was reminded of some conferences that I attended where the technology failed to work and the presenters either fell apart and got mad, or the show went on. For those who recovered quickly, the difference? They were prepared for their presentation. To them, PowerPoint was only a tool that they could do without if the need arose. They were able to engage the audience, even without the flash.

Seven Great Ideas from Pausch in The Last Lecture

• If you want something bad enough, don’t give up.
• Luck = Preparation + Opportunity (Seneca).
• Recognize when it’s time to change your strategy. “I signed up for the hardest treatments that could be thrown at me because I wanted to be around as long as possible to be there for my kids.” When Pausch realized that, that was not going to be the case, he changed his strategy to leaving a legacy and spending quality time with his wife and each of his three children.
• Get the fundamentals down for everything. Have you mastered the fundamentals for your job?
• Your attitude affects the outcome of every situation.
• Complaining does not work as a strategy.
• Value people more than you value things.

Pausch wasn’t perfect because no one is. In The Last Lecture he talks about being a recovering jerk. A professor who saw his potential, called him on his attitude and that was critical to how much he achieved in his life.

“I’ve been lucky enough to benefit over the years from people like Andy [his professor], who have cared enough to tell me the tough-love things that I needed to hear.”

Do you take the time to give tough-love to those you care about, without diminishing them as a person? And how well do you accept the tough-love that's given to you?

While reading The Last Lecture , I gleaned three questions to differentiate us, and I’m still trying to answer them for myself:

• What are three things that matter the most to you?
• What’s unique about you?
• What do you alone truly have to offer?

Final Thoughts on The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch

The Last Lecture is a powerful and emotional journey, a testament to the strength of the human spirit in the face of adversity. Randy Pausch's wisdom, courage, and determination to continue to inspire readers to look beyond their challenges and focus on what truly matters. The main message is to live life fully and help others achieve their dreams.

Life is short and unpredictable, but it offers many chances to learn, grow, and make a difference. His lessons inspire readers to have a positive attitude, keep going despite challenges, and work towards their dreams, no matter the size.

I recommend The Last Lecture   by Randy Pausch because you’ll get some nuggets of wisdom. I am confident that you’ll take away at least one thing from it.

Wondering what to do next, you can do all of:

Buy my new book, leadership reading: spilling the tea on how top leaders read, if you want to consult 1:1 about effective reading strategies, subscribe to my youtube channel, join the art of learning membership site, download unlock your genius power reading tips sheet, buy me a cup of coffee, if you want access to my bookish notes, please consider joining my membership site, the art of learning ..

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UPDATE : This was first published in May 2011.

About the Author  Avil Beckford

Hello there! I am Avil Beckford, the founder of The Invisible Mentor. I am also a published author, writer, expert interviewer host of The One Problem Podcast and MoreReads Success Blueprint, a movement to help participants learn in-demand skills for future jobs. Sign-up for MoreReads: Blueprint to Change the World today! In the meantime, Please support me by buying my e-books Visit My Shop , and thank you for connecting with me on LinkedIn , Facebook , Twitter and Pinterest !

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Originally Published on OpEdNews

The Last Lecture

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.

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Rob Kall has spent his adult life as an awakener and empowerer-- first in the field of biofeedback, inventing products, developing software and a music recording label, MuPsych, within the company he founded in 1978-- Futurehealth, and founding, organizing and running 3 conferences: Winter Brain , on Neurofeedback and consciousness, Optimal Functioning and Positive Psychology (a pioneer in the field of Positive Psychology, first presenting workshops on it in 1985) and Storycon Summit Meeting on the Art Science and Application of Story-- each the first of their kind.  Then, when he found the process of raising people's consciousness and empowering them to take more control of their lives  one person at a time was too slow, he founded Opednews.com -- which has been the top search result on Google for the terms liberal news and progressive opinion for several years. Rob began his Bottom-up Radio show , broadcast on WNJC 1360 AM to Metro Philly, also available on iTunes, covering the transition of our culture, business and world from predominantly Top-down (hierarchical, centralized, authoritarian, patriarchal, big)  to bottom-up (egalitarian, local, interdependent, grassroots, archetypal feminine and small.) Recent long-term projects include a book, Bottom-up-- The Connection Revolution, debillionairizing the planet and the Psychopathy Defense and Optimization Project. 

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The Last Lecture: A Recommended Read For Teens

This wonderful collection of stories is a great read for all ages. Accessible and relevant, it teaches life lessons without becoming preachy.

I love reading with my kids . When they were younger, I’d read stories to them while they ate meals. I loved that we knew the same characters, and we often made up sequels or new endings. More importantly, however, was the fact that sharing this experience really united us as readers.

Even today, we still read together. In our house, reading the same article from Sports Illustrated , a short story, or a common novel provides opportunities to have conversations that our kids, as they get older, are reluctant to engage in. When we discuss a character’s motives, argue about the ending, share our frustration or delight with the plot or theme, we are talking about other people, but we are also talking about ourselves.

One tried and true book that engenders wonderful dialogue is Randy Pausch’s The Last Lecture.   After being diagnosed with terminal cancer, Pausch compiled this collection of life lessons in an effort to leave his family with a sense of the ideas and values that directed his life.

The content is relevant to adolescents’ experiences, and the narrative style of the book provides a great balance between storytelling and advice-giving.

It is also a book that can be read in increments, a chapter at a time, or even randomly. Then reading together doesn’t seem like such a Herculean endeavor.

My favorite chapter describes his experience with Coach Graham, a no-nonsense pee-wee football coach who pushed his puny ball players to work their absolute hardest at all times. Pausch realized that the relentless badgering was not done because the coach reveled in torturing his players. Rather, he was trying to demonstrate that he believed his athletes were capable of accomplishing challenging tasks.

In these few pages, there are so many wonderful questions for teenagers and parents alike:  Would you want to play for this coach? What do you do when you get frustrated?  How do you respond to criticism?  It’s impossible not to have an opinion and therein lies the true beauty of reading The Last Lecture together with your teenager.

Jody has spent her life around teens, as a teacher and as a parent of three.

The Last Lecture Summary

1-Sentence-Summary: The Last Lecture  is a college professor’s final message to the world before his impending death of cancer at a relatively young age, offering meaningful life advice, significant words of wisdom, and a great deal of optimism and hope for humanity.

Favorite quote from the author:

Randy Pausch seemed to have it all: a loving wife, three children, and a successful teaching career. However, the one thing that he did not have was good health. At 46, he was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. His doctor gave him three to six months left to live. The Last Lecture explores the meaningful insights one man gathered through his last moments on earth.

Following the tradition of giving a last lecture at the end of an academic year, Randy gave his colleagues and students a last speech. He talked about the meaning of his life and what he thinks one should leave behind as a legacy.

His beautiful words impacted the audience greatly, leaving behind valuable lessons for life and a room filled with emotions . At the end of his speech, he dedicated a part to his children, whom he loved very much. As a matter of fact, he was concerned that he wouldn’t be able to finish his speech as he got quite emotional when talking about them.

He stated that the sorrow he felt came from the idea of leaving his young kids behind to grow up without a father, and not so much from the idea of dying. Still, he felt that he lived his life fully and that he achieved his childhood dreams. As such, he tried to inspire others to do the same before he passed away.

Here are my three favorite lessons from the book:

• If you never give up on your dreams, eventually, some of them will come true.
• True satisfaction comes from helping others succeed.
• The simplest advice is often the most valuable.

Let’s attend the last lecture, shall we?

If you want to save this summary for later, download the free PDF and read it whenever you want.

Lesson 1: Sticking to your dreams and ambitions will make them eventually come true .

Randy Pausch had a lot of dreams growing up. All of us do. Unfortunately, not all our childhood dreams come true. In fact, most of us don’t end up becoming what we thought we would when we were kids. Still, Randy managed to accomplish much of what he wished for.

Even though he didn’t become an astronaut due to poor eyesight, he developed an experiment with his students that eventually happened on NASA ‘s “Weightless Wonder,” a special simulation plane. However, this opportunity didn’t come easy, as they rejected him first. Still, he kept insisting on how he would document this experience for positive publicity. Eventually, NASA accepted him. 

Another dream that seemed unattainable was becoming Captain Kirk. Of course, this never happened the way he thought it would, but Randy received a visit from the actor himself, asking him to visit his lab. Pretty close, right? Still, the man had even more dreams, such as becoming a Disney Imagineer. Although he applied for the job numerous times, they still rejected him. 

Then, in 1995, he managed to convince the company to take him in as an expert in computer science. Not long after, he became the Imagineer he always wanted to be. For Randy, this was another dream come true. The lesson here is to never give up on your dreams. Even if they don’t come true the way you expect them to, sometimes you may be surprised about how well things turn out for you if you just keep on pushing hard.

Lesson 2: We find p leasure often in giving, so helping others succeed can help you reach great levels of satisfaction .

Randy was a tough audience for his students. He often used a firm approach to encourage his class to become better and better. When his students presented projects in his “Building Virtual Worlds” class, he was receiving incredible projects. Still, he was always telling them to do better next time.

By constantly pushing them harder, he helped make their dreams come true. The best part is that he was happy about it, and he made a habit out of it. Randy found that by helping others, he felt just as rewarding as if he was helping himself. He says the best ways to help his students included honest feedback , tough love , and tons of support.

Therefore, he was hard to please. On top of that, his feedback always relied on data, so it was hard to contradict. By the end of the semester, each student would know their best qualities, where they need improvement, and what to focus on in the future. This helped them retain feedback better and create a brighter future for themselves.

Finally, his desire to contribute to society made him create a computer programming tool named Alice. It helped many users learn how to code even after his death. The key lesson is that helping others can fulfill and satisfy one’s soul and give meaning to life. Giving back to the community is a rewarding feeling that can help us create an even bigger synergy with those around us.

Lesson 3: Simple advice does not necessarily mean poor advice, but rather the opposite .

Randy’s courses were interactive and fun. He used to divide his class into groups and give them a handbook. The handbook contained information on how to form better connections and kick off a group session properly. Learning each other’s names, fostering brainstorming , and eating before work are pieces of advice he shared.

The majority of students reacted as if they were treated like children when receiving these handbooks. They were tired of hearing cliché pieces of advice. However, the groups who took it seriously and implemented the instructions were the ones who had the best scores in the end. Why is that?

Well, the simplest advice is often the most meaningful. Randy learned that he should never take advice for granted but rather pause and really reflect on its meaning. 

Sometimes, we receive advice that seems obvious or overrated. However, the reason we hear it so frequently is because it is full of wisdom. Therefore, next time you hear “work hard” or “be patient”, try to reflect on the words’ meaning and how they can be applied to your situation. You just may be surprised by how helpful they will be in turning around the next negative event in your life.

The Last Lecture Review

After getting his terminal diagnosis, Randy Pausch decided he would give The Last Lecture . The resulting book is awe-inspiring, thought-provoking, and will make you smile as well as look to the future with optimism in your heart. A highly recommended book!

Who would I recommend our The Last Lecture summary to?

The person who wishes to reconnect with his life and discover a deeper side of it, the person looking to give new meaning to their life after a traumatic event or a depression episode, or the book lover who’s interested in real-life emotional stories.

Last Updated on May 25, 2023

While working with my friend Ovi's company SocialBee, I had the good fortune of Maria writing over 200 summaries for us over the course of 18 months. Maria is a professional SEO copywriter, content writer, and social media marketing specialist. When she's not writing or learning more about marketing, she loves to dance and travel all over the world.

*Four Minute Books participates in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising commissions by linking to Amazon. We also participate in other affiliate programs, such as Blinkist, MindValley, Audible, Audiobooks, Reading.FM, and others. Our referral links allow us to earn commissions (at no extra cost to you) and keep the site running. Thank you for your support.

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Book Review: The Last Lecture

"The Last Lecture" is a non-fiction book based on a lecture delivered by Randy Pausch, a computer science professor diagnosed with terminal cancer. Pausch's lecture, titled "Really Achieving Your Childhood Dreams," was delivered at Carnegie Mellon University and became a sensation, garnering millions of views online. The lecture was eventually turned into a book by Jeffery Zaslow. In the book, Pausch expands on the themes from his lecture, sharing his wisdom, insights, and life lessons as he confronts his mortality. He encourages readers to pursue their passions, live fully in the present, and embrace the power of perseverance and resilience. Pausch's poignant and inspiring message serves as a reminder of the importance of cherishing every moment and making the most of the time we have. I believe his heart-wrenching story should be shared with everyone. We are all mortal in the end, but most of us choose to act as if we are not; Pausch encourages us to not waste the valuable time that we have.

Book Review : The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch

"We cannot change the cards we are dealt, just how we play the hand." – Randy Pausch

Introduction

It was sometime in 2007 that I first came across Randy Pausch’s "The Last Lecture" video in which Randy talked about about "Really Achieving Your Childhood Dreams". It has been an influential talk in my life and I have seen the video a couple of times since then. Recently I bought the "The Last Lecture" book by Randy which is based on this popular video. The book goes through the same topic as the video, but also has interesting additional material including background material on the lecture. This is my review of the book.

Randy Pausch was a computer science professor at Carnegie Mellon University in Pennsylvania, US. His expertise was in virtual reality and he went on to create the Alice project . At the age of 46, he was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. Carnegie Mellon had a lecture series called "the last lecture" (now known as journeys) where faculty members share their reflection on their life journeys. In the case of Randy, "the last lecture" was really like his last lecture since he had only months to live due to his terminal cancer.

On September 18, 2007, Randy Pausch gave his "last lecture" titled "Really Achieving Your Childhood Dreams". The lecture outlined his childhood dreams and how he went about achieving it in his life. It is in essence a short summary of his life and he said he intended the lecture as a message to his children. The video of the lecture became viral and as of writing this article, it had over 15 millions page views!

"The Last Lecture" soon became an internet sensation and Randy went on to do appearances in ABC Network , Oprah Winfrey Show , Time Magazine and also gave a speech at commencement ceremony in Carnegie Mellon . He also wrote a book titled "The Last Lecture" which was sold over 5 million copies world wide.

Randy died from pancreatic cancer on July,2008 at the age of 47. However his book and his lecture will remain a source of inspiration for the future generations.

(I) The Last Lecture – A background on the last lecture at Carnegie Mellon.

(II) Really Achieving Your Childhood Dreams – Much of the material here are also in the video.

(III) Adventures … And Lesson Learned -This is a collection of his life experiences and what he learned.

(IV) Enabling the Dreams of Others

(V) It is About How to Live Your Life – Randy lists the rules by which he tried to live his life.

(VI) Final Remarks

The first thing you notice is that the book assumes that you have seen the last lecture video. Many chapters refer to the background of the video and if you have seen it, you immediately make a connection.

When you read the book, it feels as if you are going through the entire life of Randy in a few minutes. We learn how he achieves his childhood dreams even when there are some really hard obstacles. According to him, the obstacles are there for a reason, it is to keep the "other" people out!

One of the things he mentions in his book is that when you want something, just ask. I have applied this principle even when I thought asking will lead to 100% rejection. Surprisingly, the actual rejection rate was something like 50% and even in those cases I think if I am persistent enough it would have worked. As Randy says,

"The brick walls are there for a reason. The brick walls are not there to keep us out; the brick walls are there to give us a chance to show how badly we want something"

Most of his advice on life is actually ancient wisdom and clearly these are all principles valid till the end of humanity (importance of hard work, dreaming big, showing gratitude etc.). It is interesting to see them in the context of Randy’s life. If you are looking for any soft of deep philosophical discussions, this is not the book for you.

His view of "failures" is that it is what gives us experience. He even had an award for "glorious failure" in his "building virtual worlds" course. As Randy says,

"Experience is what you get when you didn’t get what you wanted"

At just over 200 pages, "The Last Lecture" is a small book. In every page you find a man’s agony in knowing that soon his children won’t have a father to protect & guide them. Randy writes in such a honest and passionate way that you will find it hard to stop once you start reading the book.

My Rating : 8/10. This is a good book. It may have a positive influence on the way you live.

Other Notable Quotes by Randy Pausch

"If I only had three words of advice, they would be, Tell the Truth. If got three more words, I’d add, all the time."

"When you’re screwing up and nobody says anything to you anymore, that means they’ve given up on you."

"It’s not about how to achieve your dreams, it’s about how to lead your life, If you lead your life the right way, the karma will take care of itself, the dreams will come to you."

Online Resources

• The Last Lecture Video
• The Last Lecture Book
• The Alice Project
• Time Interview (10 Questions)
• ABC Interview (April 2008)
• Appearance at Carnegie Mellon Commencement Ceremony (May 2008)

2 Comments to “Book Review : The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch”

Hello Jayson,

I visited your web page and found it quite interesting and useful. It’s a great service that you’re doing. I got into your page while searching for info about the Ponmudi Golden Peak resort and got a very good description. Thank you

Dear Jayson, I posted a video of the speech made by Steve Jobs at Stanford University Commencement with Malayalam sound-over, to keep a word I gave my students at their farewell. https://www.facebook.com/thomas.km.56?fref=nf While working on it I thought it might benefit Kerala school children and posted in in my Malayalam tutorial channel which has a few other assorted tutorials. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oFvjCCPmc7M&feature=youtu.be As it involves a good amount on investment with time I don’t want to blotch it. You have read the book. If you can spare 15 minutes on the ‘Connecting the dots’ video and express your critical suggestions, it would be useful for the work and also earnestly appreciated. Thomas.

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The Last Lecture

57 pages • 1 hour read

A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more. For select classroom titles, we also provide Teaching Guides with discussion and quiz questions to prompt student engagement.

Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Section 1, Chapters 1-3

Section 2, Chapters 4-5

Section 2, Chapters 6-7

Section 2, Chapters 8-11

Section 3, Chapters 12-15

Section 3, Chapters 16-19

Section 3, Chapters 20-22

Section 4, Chapters 23-24

Section 4, Chapters 25-27

Section 5, Chapters 28-31

Section 5, Chapters 32-34

Section 5, Chapters 35-37

Section 5, Chapters 38-40

Section 5, Chapters 41-45

Section 5, Chapters 46-50

Section 5, Chapters 51-55

Section 5, Chapters 56-58

Section 6, Chapters 59-61

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Summary and Study Guide

The Last Lecture , published in 2008, is a best-selling memoir that repurposes the final lecture delivered by Randy Pausch , a computer science professor at Carnegie Mellon University. The book, which was co-authored with Wall Street Journal columnist Jeffery Zaslow, fleshes out Pausch’s lecture, delving into the background behind the speech and detailing the months after its delivery, ultimately becoming a record of Pausch’s life. He admits that “under the ruse of giving an academic lecture, [he] was trying to push [himself] in a bottle that would one day wash up on the beach of [his] children” (x).

Pausch was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in September 2006. Despite aggressive treatment, in August 2007 Pausch’s doctor gave him a terminal diagnosis of three to six months. Pausch partnered with Carnegie Mellon to deliver this last lecture a month later, in September 2007. Since it was filmed and posted on YouTube, Pausch’s last lecture has been viewed over 17 million times.

The Last Lecture is divided into six sections, with short chapters centered on specific life lessons that Pausch learned over the years. The first section is comprised of three short chapters that cover his decision to give a final lecture and the early logistics of putting the talk together.

Section 2 explores Pausch’s childhood and adolescence, namely his relationship with his parents and the enduring lessons he learned from them, particularly those about encouraging children to exercise their imaginations. It also honors Pausch’s former football coach Jim Graham , a mentor Pausch credits with teaching him how to build his confidence and self-esteem.

Section 3 fasts forward to survey Pausch’s adult years. It does not shy away from discussing the brutal reality of pancreatic cancer, the most fatal of all known cancers. It also recounts the early days of Pausch’s relationship with his wife Jai before transitioning to examine fatherhood. Pausch and Jai had three children together: Dylan, Logan, and Chloe.

Section 4 shifts to Pausch’s work with students and highlights the important lessons he tried to convey in his classroom, many of which focused on important people skills. Section 5 is the longest section, with many short chapters, each imparting an important life lesson learned in the classroom or in childhood.

The weight of Pausch’s mortality is heavy in Section 6, where Pausch engages in realistic and personal reflection about his dreams for his children and his wife. This final section becomes a love letter to his kids as he describes their unique qualities and his wishes for their future. He finishes the book contemplating the nature of his lecture, revealing to the reader that his last lecture was really a way for him to impart wisdom not only to all of us but especially to his children, for whom this book and its lessons are his final legacy.

Randy Pausch died in July 2008 at age 47, a few months after the memoir’s publication. The Last Lecture became a commercial success following his death, selling more than 5 million copies and remaining on the New York Times best-seller list until 2011. A new edition was released in 2012 with a brief reflective foreword written by Pausch’s widow, Jai.

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Keeping Priorities Straight, Even at the End

By Tara Parker-Pope

• April 8, 2008

As a professor of computer sciences at Carnegie Mellon University, Randy F. Pausch expected students to pay attention to his lectures. He never expected that the rest of the world would listen, too.

But today, more than 10 million people have tuned into Dr. Pausch’s last lecture, a whimsical and poignant talk about Captain Kirk, zero gravity and achieving childhood dreams. The 70-minute talk, at www.cmu.edu/randyslecture, has been translated into seven languages, and this week Hyperion is publishing “The Last Lecture,” a book by Dr. Pausch and a collaborator, Jeff Zaslow, that tells the story behind the story of the lecture.

“The whole thing is very strange,” Dr. Pausch said over lunch at a diner near Norfolk, Va. “I just gave a talk. I gave talks my whole life.”

But of course, this wasn’t just any talk. “Let’s not ignore the obvious,” he said. “If I’d given that lecture but I weren’t dying, it wouldn’t have had the gravitas. Context is everything.”

Dr. Pausch, 47, is dying of pancreatic cancer, a disease that kills 95 percent of its victims, usually within months of diagnosis. Except for a pill bottle on the table in front of him, there were no outward signs of the deadly tumors growing inside him. Though he had just recently recovered from heart and kidney failure, he looked boyish, with a red knit shirt and a head of thick dark-brown hair.

Last fall, after doctors told him that he would probably have no more than six months of good health, Dr. Pausch stepped down from his academic duties and relocated to be closer to his family. But he decided to give one last lecture to a roomful of students and faculty members at Carnegie Mellon.

The lecture was not about cancer. Instead, he says, it was simply a father’s effort to digest a lifetime of advice for his children into one talk — a talk that Dr. Pausch knew he would not be around long enough to deliver in person. The children are Dylan, 6; Logan, 4; and Chloe, almost 2.

Although he could have set it up on a home video, he liked the idea that one day they would watch his last lecture and see their dad at work, in his element.

“I’m speaking only to them,” he said. “I didn’t set out to tell the world about how to live life.”

After Mr. Zaslow, a Carnegie Mellon alumnus who is a columnist for The Wall Street Journal, wrote about the talk, it quickly became an Internet sensation.

With the clarity of thought that perhaps only a person facing death can muster, Dr. Pausch, in his lecture and his book, outlines his recipe for a happy life and achieving dreams.

He talks of reaching his childhood goals of experiencing zero gravity, writing an article in the World Book Encyclopedia, winning giant stuffed animals at amusement parks and being a Disney “imagineer.” Much of his talk is about tenacity and how he managed to scale the “brick walls” that stood in the way of achieving some of his dreams. Other lessons are those that all parents hope to teach their children — show gratitude, tell the truth, no job is beneath you.

And he urges parents to let their children draw on the bedroom walls — where the young Randy Pausch painted a quadratic equation, a rocket, an elevator and, from one of his favorite stories, Pandora’s box. At the bottom of the box, he added the word “Hope” that a friend later preceded with “Bob.”

Dr. Pausch says he is trying to use his unexpected celebrity to draw attention to the lack of financing for pancreatic cancer research. Testifying before Congress on behalf of the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network (www.pancan.org), he showed a picture of his family. “This is my widow,” he said pointing to his wife, Jai. “That’s not a grammatical construction you get to use every day, but there aren’t many diseases where you know it will be fatal.”

Because Dr. Pausch has outlived his initial prognosis, a few bloggers have begun to speculate that he is not really dying. Doctors at the M. D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston and the University of Pittsburgh have confirmed Dr. Pausch’s diagnosis and treatment.

“There’s nothing to be cynical about in how he’s choosing to approach these last months of his life,” said Robbee Kosak, vice president for university advancement at Carnegie Mellon. “He’s always been very passionate. He’s always very pragmatic. He knows exactly what his priorities are. People like Randy are so rare. We should all be really happy that so many of us have had a chance now to see that it’s possible to live your life with passion and energy and candor.”

Although Dr. Pausch let Diane Sawyer prepare a one-hour special for ABC-TV about his talk and cancer battle that will be broadcast on Wednesday evening, he has turned down movie offers and even declined an approach from a documentary filmmaker. “It was time I didn’t have,” he said.

Dr. Pausch said that his wife persuaded him to write the book, but that he was worried it would take too much time away from the children. Because he rode his bike every day to keep up his strength, he spoke with his co-writer, Mr. Zaslow, by phone on 53 one-hour bike rides.

The real wisdom of Dr. Pausch is that he tries to enjoy every day he has left with his family, while at the same time trying to prepare them for life without him. To that end, he is videotaping himself spending time with Dylan, Logan and Chloe so they can look back and see how he felt about them.

“I’ve always said I only care about the first three copies of the book,” Dr. Pausch said. “The lessons learned are the lessons I’ve learned and what worked for me. But so many people wrote to me and said, ‘This was a jumping-off point to have conversations with my kids we haven’t had.’ ”

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Book Review: The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch

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The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch is his memoir. It is his biography that narrates his last days after being diagnosed with terminal cancer. So, this is an uplifting and motivating story of a common man who suddenly finds that his living days are now numbered. How he decides to live his last days and what he does to leave behind a legacy for his children is beautifully described in this book. Full of motivational quotes, and life’s lessons, this book will alter your life for the better. So, read the book summary, book review, reading age, genre, and the motivational quotes in this post below.

The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch Book Review:

What will you say?  What is it that you will convey to your loved ones, friends and colleagues before you die? What wisdom will you impart to the world if you knew it was your last chance to do so?

The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch Book Summary:

When Randy Pausch, a computer science professor at Carnegie Mellon was asked to give such a lecture he didn’t have to imagine himself dying as he had been recently diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and had only a few months to live.

Randy, a dying man wanted to leave a legacy for his children, a guide that would help them achieve their dreams, a medium to know their father who would soon be dead and not be a part of their lives. So he did what he was good at. Being a professor, he lectured and named it “Really Achieving Your Childhood Dreams” .

If I were a painter, I would have painted for them. If I were a musician, I would have composed music. But I am a lecturer. So I lectured.” The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch Quote

The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch Review:

It’s a touching journey and the last lecture that will force you to re-evaluate your life.

He was faced with the challenge to deliver a lecture which would be his last offering to everyone and that is what it became. An unforgettable legacy to people around the world about living your life to the fullest, enjoying each moment, achieving your dreams and adopting a never say die attitude.

Randy aptly named his last lecture as   “Really Achieving Your Childhood Dreams”   which was not about dying. But about overcoming obstacles in your life, achieving your dreams while enabling the dreams of others, seizing each opportunity you get to make a memory because

…time is all you have… and you may find one day that you have less than you think.” The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch Quote

As he said,

We cannot change the cards we are dealt, just how we play the hand.” The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch Quote

and that’s what he did. He played the cards that were dealt to him to the best of his capabilities. Although he was dying but Randy was giving death a run for its money by not letting himself succumb to the grief, hopelessness and sadness associated with his condition. He was living his life, was busy creating memories with his kids and wife and preparing his family for life after his death.

This book is a legacy for his children as well as for everyone. It acts as an eyeopener to the fact that life is unpredictable and while we have it we should be grateful and never have any regret in our lives. He has combined his wisdom with humor, intelligence, inspiration and a moral that will be shared for generations.

Experience is what you get when you didn’t get what you wanted. And experience is often the most valuable thing you have to offer.” The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch Quote

Things I liked:

Randy shares his experiences from his life and provides a deep insight into his life, his beliefs, his inspirations and the motives that drove him.

The experiences, situations, the decision phases that he faced feel valid for our lives also. The morals, conclusions, wisdom give a solution to some or the other situation that we faced or might be facing. The story is saddening but inspiring and leaves you feeling sad for the family and for Randy. I also felt cheated. Cheated of an opportunity to interact with this terrific guy because I got to know of this book and about him too late. He had already left this world.

Randy proved that no matter what card he was dealt he was capable to taking the best of it. He was a man who is an inspiration and will continue to inspire all through his book to go out there and succeed. Work hard and   “Dreams will come to you”. This one is my absolute favourite book of all time and a story that not only touched my heart but also inspired me at a time when I was drowning in my life. This is a book that moved me immensely and made me re-evaluate the choices that I was making. It inspired me to take chances and work hard to achieve my goals and even if I fail at least have the satisfaction of having tried.

Conclusion:

All in all, The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch   is a must-have on everyone’s book list and is a compelling story of a dying man who lived thirty years in a matter of a few months. He enjoyed life till the very end and even in death came out a winner who never quit.

So, I give   The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch super shiny 5 out of 5 stars . An ultimate guide on how to live your life, Njkinny recommends it to everyone. 

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2 thoughts on “ book review: the last lecture by randy pausch ”.

Awe inspiring book. A must read for everyone.

yeah.. You are so correct.. 🙂

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About the Book

The last lecture: the legacy edition enhanced ebook.

The classic bestseller, now updated and presented as a truly immersive multimedia reading experience. New features include:

• Video clips from Pausch's lecture throughout the book, providing readers with the complete reading and viewing experience
• A new foreword by Pausch's widow, Jai Pausch
• The book's audio introduction read by Randy Pausch
• Brand-new photos
• Never-before-seen video with the book's coauthor, Jeffrey Zaslow
• Memorable clips from the ABC News special with Diane Sawyer
• Pausch's commencement speech to the Carnegie Mellon Class of 2008
• An excerpt from Zaslow's convocation speech to the Carnegie Mellon Class of 2014
• A new "Your Last Lecture" section with questions that help readers put the book's message into action in their own lives

In this enhanced eBook Legacy Edition, readers will be able to experience, firsthand, the energy and love of life that made Randy Pausch so inspiring. They will also be encouraged to think more deeply about how they can apply its messages in their own lives.

• BarnesandNoble.com
• Download The Last Lecture Educator's Guide [pdf] , written by Jeffrey Zaslow.
• Download a guide for reading groups [pdf] .
• Read the chapter that Randy cut from the book [pdf] .
• Read the full acknowledgements [pdf] that were mentioned on the last page.

The Last Lecture goes beyond the now-famous lecture to inspire us all to live each day of our lives with purpose and joy

"We cannot change the cards we are dealt, just how we play the hand." — Randy Pausch

A lot of professors give talks titled "The Last Lecture." Professors are asked to consider their demise and to ruminate on what matters most to them. And while they speak, audiences can't help but mull the same question: What wisdom would we impart to the world if we knew it was our last chance? If we had to vanish tomorrow, what would we want as our legacy?

When Randy Pausch, a computer science professor at Carnegie Mellon , was asked to give such a lecture, he didn't have to imagine it as his last, since he had recently been diagnosed with terminal cancer. But the lecture he gave — "Really Achieving Your Childhood Dreams" — wasn't about dying. It was about the importance of overcoming obstacles, of enabling the dreams of others, of seizing every moment (because "time is all you have...and you may find one day that you have less than you think"). It was a summation of everything Randy had come to believe. It was about living .

In this book, Randy Pausch has combined the humor, inspiration and intelligence that made his lecture such a phenomenon and given it an indelible form. It is a book that will be shared for generations to come.

Watch the lecture that inspired the book .

Listen to Randy read the Introduction of The Last Lecture [mp3] .

Buy the Book in the U.S.

Hyperion Books is proud to publish The Last Lecture .

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Buy the Audio Book in the U.S.

Buy the book in canada.

• Chapters-Indigo
• McNally Robinson

Buy the Book in the U.K.

Hodder & Stoughton are proud to publish The Last Lecture in the U.K.

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