COMPETITION BOOK #1
Title: The Last LectureAuthor: Randy Pausch
Genre: Self-Help
Pages: 224
Publisher: Hyperion
Website: http://www.thelastlecture.com/aboutbk.htm
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, 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.
Review:
Books for medical reading usually bore me to sleep, but as soon as I saw this on the self-help section and the unbelievable amount of copies shoved into the shelf, I knew it would be interesting. The book was apparently a best-seller, so there will probably be numerous other reviews of it. Bear in mind that I'm only doing this as part of my competition study routine, so it might not even make sense. Moving on:
I've always considered self-help books to be interesting, for the most part at least. I feel like the writers have experiences that gives them the credibility to promote self-change. Randy stood out to me as a normal human from the first sentence. For a man "sentenced" to death with pancreatic cancer, he sure has a healthy sense of humor. He regards to his diagnosis as an engineering problem, which (as horrible as it seems) was terribly amusing to me. Throughout the introduction, I remember thinking that the guy was extremely too happy to be dying in a few months. If it were me, I'd have to be on medication or something, but Randy seems...thrilled.
Of course, there IS that underlying sense of dread and sadness, but instead of regretting all the time he won't be alive, he spends looking back on what he's done. The section on fulfilling childhood dreams was definitely my favorite. In his lifetime, Randy was able to experience zero gravity, write an article for the World Book Encyclopedia, meet Captain Kirk, and become a Disney Imagineer. If that wasn't a fulfilling life, then I don't know what is.
The book was an eye opener for appreciating what we have now, and never taking anything for granted. Unlike most other books of its kind, Randy was able to convey this message without a hint of cheesyness. Not to mention that the book was a quick read. It's perfect for a nice long train ride or a quiet night with a warm coffee. And if you're not into reading (wait, why are you reading this then?) you can actually watch the video of Randy's Last Lecture he gave at Carnegie Mellon. You can find all the info at the book's website listed above.
Randy & his wife Jai with their three kids: Logan, Dylan, and Chloe.
Randy makes a 5 Sec. Cameo in the new Star Trek movie!
Randy Pausch died July 25th, 2008.
Hey, I didn't know how to respond to your comment in any other way, so I'll just reply here. Cute blog, by the way! Both of them!
ReplyDeleteBut as for purchasing my prints, paypal is super easy; you don't even need an account. You'd just receive an email form me that would be a receipt type thing and it will say how much it would cost, then you'd just put in your credit/debit card info. It's easier than it sounds. It's much easier than etsy or anything.
If not that, I also accept money orders. I'd just have to receive the money before I could ship the prints. :)
Just wanted to let you know, email me (kayleyhyde at gmail) if you have any other questions! Thanks for the compliments on my photographs.
xx Kayley Hyde