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.
Rob Kall Wikipedia Page
Most Popular Articles by this Author : ( View All Most Popular Articles by this Author ) What is the Opposite of Psychopathy? (6412 views) Expand Your Happiness and Pleasure Vocabulary: OMG? How Do YOU Say Something, Some Experience is Amazing, Awesome? (5525 views) Positive Psychology-- Promising a Better Humanity (3416 views) Awe is a Bottom-up Experience (3362 views) Goose Walk in Single File; A moment to Spontaneously Pause (3209 views) Visions of a Positive Future vs Fixing a Pathological Present (3099 views) Total Views: 25023
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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.
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.
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:
Let’s attend the last lecture, shall we?
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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.
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.
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.
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!
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.
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"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.
"We cannot change the cards we are dealt, just how we play the hand." – Randy Pausch
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.
"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."
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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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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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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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By Tara Parker-Pope
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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The book is divided into 6 parts: (1) the last lecture; (2) his six childhood dreams that he basically achieved prior to his lecture; (3) various anecdotes that taught him life lessons; (4) how he inspired others to achieve their dreams; (5) his list of advices for better living and (6) his final messages to his family - 3 kids and wife Jai.
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.
In "The Last Lecture", Professor Randy Pausch from Carnegie Mellon University shared his final words of advice for students — in achieving childhood dreams. These pieces of advice echoed ...
Randy Pausch, with Jeffrey Zaslow. Publication Date: April 8, 2008. Genres: Nonfiction. Hardcover: 224 pages. Publisher: Hyperion. ISBN-10: 1401323251. ISBN-13: 9781401323257. A number of professors give talks titled "The Last Lecture," where they are asked to consider their demise and to ruminate on what matters most to them.
The Last Lecture received numerous positive reviews. After giving his last lecture, people were eager to know more about Pausch's life experiences. After the book was released in 2008, 2.3 million copies were printed and it has been published in 29 languages. [4] The popularity of the book has made it almost impossible to find in stores. [6]
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.
Article: Book Review The LAST LECTURE by Randy Pausch - The first and only book that made me cry through half the chapters. Randy Pausch is dying of cancer. 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.
A computer science professor at Carnegie Mellon University, Pausch is the co-founder of the university's prestigious Entertainment Technology Center and has worked with such companies as Google, Electronic Arts and Walt Disney Imagineering. "I love thinking I might find a way to beat this late-stage cancer," he writes in The Last Lecture.
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].
Jeff is best known for The Last Lecture, written with Randy Pausch, which has been translated into 48 languages, and was #1 on best-seller lists worldwide. Five million copies have been sold in English alone, and the book remained on The New York Times best-seller list for more than 112 weeks.
A site dedicated to book lovers providing a forum to discover and share commentary about the books and authors they enjoy. Author interviews, book reviews and lively book commentary are found here. Content includes books from bestselling, midlist and debut authors.
The Last Lecture: A Recommended Read For Teens. By Jody Podl. February 9, 2012. This wonderful collection of stories is a great read for all ages. Accessible and relevant, it teaches life lessons without becoming preachy. Book Review: Montana 1948 by Larry Watson.
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. Read in: 4 minutes Favorite quote from the author: Randy Pausch seemed to have it all: a loving wife, three children, and a ...
Editorial Reviews. Over the years, numerous professors have given talks entitled "The Last Lecture." For Carnegie Mellon University professor Randy Pausch, however, the topic was no mere formality. When he presented his "last lecture" to hundreds of faculty and students last September, he already knew that he had metastatic pancreatic cancer.
Review "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.
Hardcover: 224 pages. Publisher: Hyperion. ISBN-10: 1401323251. ISBN-13: 9781401323257. A number of professors give talks titled "The Last Lecture," where they are asked to consider their demise and to ruminate on what matters most to them. When Randy Pausch, a computer science professor at Carnegie Mellon, was asked to give such a lecture, he ...
However his book and his lecture will remain a source of inspiration for the future generations. Book Review : The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch. The book is subtitled "Lessons in Living" and adds new material to the last lecture video. It is organized into 6 sections, (I) The Last Lecture - A background on the last lecture at Carnegie Mellon.
Pausch delivered his "Last Lecture", titled Really Achieving Your Childhood Dreams, at CMU on September 18, 2007. His last lecture was extra-special, as it was conceived after he learned that his previously known pancreatic cancer was terminal. But the lecture he gave wasn't about dying.
The "The Last Lecture" book summary will give you access to a synopsis of key ideas, a short story, and an audio summary. Categories For Business Coaching Login Start ... The Last Lecture Review. The Last Lecture (2008) is a moving account of a dying man's reflections on life. Here's what makes this book truly special:
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 ...
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.
In his book, Randy expounds upon his last lecture through greater reflection of his more recent life; after all, a presentation in which Pausch refused to talk about his wife or children must have left out several key lessons learned in his later life. In his book, Pausch says he approached his lecture with the purpose of addressing his children.
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.
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.