The Last Lecture is a book written by Randy Pausch, who was a professor for many years. He has also been diagnosed with terminal pancreatic cancer. You would think this book would be quite the downer. However, it is just the opposite. Randy talks about what a good life he has had, even though it has been shortened due to his disease. He also gives tips on how to live out your own life to fullest. I was extremely moved and inspired by this book.
Randy decided to write this book based on his last lecture presented at Carnegie Mellon (the college he taught at). The theme of his lecture focused on achieving childhood dreams. As a teenager, I began thinking about my dreams when I was reading this book. Randy had already developed specific goals for his life at my age and here I am, with almost no clue about my future. I know I want to be a teacher, so that's a start. But for now, I guess I will just have to start thinking about my future goals more carefully.
Proving his eternal youth, Randy compares life to Winnie-the Pooh. Towards the end of the book he states, "As I see it, there's a decision we all have to make, and it seems perfectly captured in the Winnie-the-Pooh characters created by A. A. Milne. Each of us must decide: Am I a fun-loving Tigger or am I a sad-sack Eeyore?" (180). I have always loved Winnie-the-Pooh. I grew up watching the cartoon and still have my stuffed animals of the characters in my room. I hope that I will always hold onto these pieces of my childhood, just like Randy has. I also hope that I will always be a Tigger in life. Of course, everyone has their Eeyore days but overall remaining happy is very important. I loved how Randy incorporated childhood memories to teach lessons about staying true to your childhood.
The last book I read was also about a person struggling with cancer (A Time for Dancing). Both characters end up losing their battle to cancer in the end. But, these characters are very different from each other. While Julie in A Time for Dancing chose a sooner death over painful chemotherapy, Randy has done all he can to enjoy a few more moments of life. Now I am surely not passing judgement on either of their decisions; I have never had to make such a tough decision. But it was interesting to explore the contrast between the two.
I believe everyone should read this book. It was a real story with truly valuable lessons. Randy says at one point in the book that he is not grateful for his diagnosis, but he is grateful for the time that it granted him to live. He said that he preferred death to come with a warning, rather than say a heart attack or car accident. Each person should take his appreciation for time and live their lives out to the fullest.
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Your blog is really insightful. You explain the book as well as explain how this book has impacted your way of thinking. I think that's a really good thing to do in your blogging because it allows the reader to understand how you feel about this book and why you think it's such a good read. I also how you connected to a prior book in your blog. It demonstrates even further how much you appreciate the books you read. Your analysis on the themes of the novel makes your blog interesting to read.
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