Book Review: The Last Lecture

Many of you remember The Last Lecture on YouTube. Randy Pausch, a professor at Carnergie Mellon, gave his last lecture in Sept. 2007 before succumbing to pancreatic cancer a few months later. The lecture was titled "Really Achieving Your Childhood Dreams" where Pausch talks about his the lessons he learned as a kid and as an adult and how he tried to live his life to the fullest even before hearing he had a few months to live.

This book was born from the lecture and goes into further detail about his decision to give the lecture and details the stories that inspired him.

One of my favorite parts in the book is when he talks about his childhood and his amazing, supportive parents. I kept reminiscing about my childhood while reading how Pausch's parents let him paint his bedroom walls (my parents let me color our basement walls) and how he read the World Book but mainly looked at the pictures (I flip through the pages of the Britannica Encyclopedia that my grandparents had at their house). Sometimes being a good parent is find the balance between educating them and letting them have fun and be a kid.

This book is for everyone no matter how young or old. I really liked some of the lessons he gives: try to see the best in everyone, don't be afraid to ask, don't complain; just work harder. You really feel like it's your dad imparting his wise words on you. That's what Pausch wanted to create. He wanted this book to be something that his children could remember him by. It's a great read. I highly recommend it.