Review: The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch

This was a very exciting read for me. I listened to this book on audio and I actually enjoyed it! I've tried audio before but felt like it wasn't for me. I decided to give it another try because 1. I have so many books on my physical TBR and 2. I have only 24 hours in a day. I found I was choosing to read instead of doing things I actually needed to do which is a common problem but I really hate days where I can't read at all. But with audiobooks, I read everyday which is the ultimate dream. I don't think I can read just any book on audio but so far memoirs are definitely my thing. I also can't do absolutely anything and listen because I can easily get distracted, visually. But taking my pup for a walk, housework, and driving are perfect places to listen. I use Overdrive because I'm trying to listen to books I already own so I don't want to pay anything else. That means my options are definitely limited and most books I have to put on hold but overall, a lot of books I own I can borrow through there.

The Last Lecture was the best way to start off this audiobook thing. Randy Pausch was a Professor at Carnegie Mellon, who was diagnosed with terminal cancer in August 2007, given 3-6 months to live. He decided to give a Last Lecture, which is quite common for professors who are leaving the profession. His decision to do this was mainly for his three children, as a way of teaching them things even when he wouldn't be there. It turned into quite a phenomenon and Jeffery Zasner contacted Pausch about writing a book based on the lecture.

The theme of the lecture was "Really Achieving Your Childhood Dreams". The book focused on Pausch's life, growing up with his parents and sister, meeting and marrying his wife, and having their three children, as well as all the ways he achieved many of his childhood dreams and a list of things anyone can do to achieve theirs and really live life fully. There was a great balance of humor and emotion and it really kept me interested in all parts of the book. The narrator was fantastic and the book was broken up into small chapters so it was easy to dip in and out of throughout the day.

I've had this book for 7 years and I had a feeling I would enjoy it, which I'm so happy to say that I did. I would recommend this for anyone who enjoys memoirs, quick reads, both humor and emotion in a book and not too much of either, or well-narrated audiobooks.

*****