The Last Lecture

By Randy Pausch, Jeffery Zaslow

First a word of warning. Don't read this book in public. There's a good chance you'll end up tearing up so be forewarned. That said The Last Lecture goes hand in hand with the actual Last Lecture given by Randy Pausch which you can watch here. In The Lecture book and live, Randy gives an uplifting talk about what it takes to achieve your dreams. His philosophy on life and a healthy does of stories about his life and his family. It really was very touching. Made more so because Randy had terminal caner and at the time of the lecture had only a few more months to live.

The advice in the book is really not meant for you or I. It is for his children who will only really know him through the videos and letters than he has left for them. It really is good advice on how to live your life. I gathered that Randy was a pretty direct guy, who didn't really mess around with the trivialities in life. He tried to concentrate on what's important. Now I realize that what one person thinks is important may be different than another, but I found myself agreeing with a lot of what he said.

The book is pretty short and you can read it through in a couple of hours. So give it a go. You'll be pleasantly surprised.