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The Last Lecture  By  cover art

The Last Lecture

By: Randy Pausch, Jeffrey Zaslow
Narrated by: Erik Singer, Randy Pausch
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Publisher's summary

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

A lot of professors give talks entitled "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.

This recording includes an interview with the author.

©2008 Randy Pausch (P)2008 Hyperion

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What listeners say about The Last Lecture

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  • 03-07-12

great "listen"

If you could sum up The Last Lecture in three words, what would they be?

thought i would be disappointed to

Any additional comments?

thought i would be disappointed to

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    4 out of 5 stars

Good

Good book - inspirational in its simplicity but obviously sad...

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Inspiring yet funny!

loved every minute of this audiobook. Found myself running extra miles just to keep listening and Randy's positive attitude and inspiring stories kept me going.

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Life-changing

We often live our lives as if we are immortal, this book gives us a wakeup call that we are not and at any time we could be gone. So live life as. If tomorrow will not come.

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Highly recommend

Don't sweat the small stuff. We only have one shot at this life. I love the story

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    5 out of 5 stars

The Last Lecture

I thoroughly enjoyed this book it was well written and wonderfully read. It really makes you stop and think about what's important in life.

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    4 out of 5 stars

Why not just watch or listen the last lecture?

What did you love best about The Last Lecture?

It is a great story, but better heard from Randy Pausch on youtube. The actual lecture does have less content, but this is one of those things that I feel is more powerful if you hear it straight from the source.

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    4 out of 5 stars

Very good; only one complaint...

If only Randy Pausch had felt up to providing the narrative himself! That would have made an inspiring story even better.

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Honorable although nothing new

I find it hard to write this review because I don't want to disrespect the writer and his memory. The book was eloquent and well-written. To me the life lessons didn't present anything new. I suppose I read a lot of self-improvement, spiritual books and this book didn't bring anything new to the table. For those that are new to this genre of literature this book is a great starting point. For me it is unlikely this book's message was profound enough to add it to my favorites and listen to repeatedly.

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The Last Lecture

I have listened to this book a couple of times. I feel inspired to grow my talents.

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