Book Review “Last Lecture” by Randy Pausch

“The Last Lecture” is a one hundred fifty page, inspirational and thought provoking book written by Randy Pausch. It engages your emotions and reasoning skills on a higher level than most. Mr. Pausch is writing his incredible thoughts during the last few months of his life. It is awing that the horrible diagnosis of cancer did not leave him depressed and unable to live a fulfilling life. We, as readers, go on an amazing journey with him as he leaves a written legacy for his students, colleagues, and family.

 

He begins,“With thanks to my parents who allowed me to dream, and with hopes for the dreams my children will have.” He describes how his parents encouraged him to reach for and achieve his dreams, and invites us to look into his past through the stories of his childhood, young adult life, and through his successful career. He claims to have won the “parent lottery”(pg 21). You gain a glimpse of his magical life through his childhood anecdotes. He was able to dream without boundaries because he was able to see past the “brick walls” that render most people incapable of achieving their goals.

“The brick walls are there for a reason. The brick walls are not there to keep us out. The brick walls are there to give us a chance to show how badly we want something. Because the brick walls are there to stop the people who don’t want it badly enough.”

Throughout the book he says, “The brick walls are there for a reason. The brick walls are not there to keep us out. The brick walls are there to give us a chance to show how badly we want something. Because the brick walls are there to stop the people who don’t want it badly enough.”(pg 51-52) I love this quote. He struggled with achieving some of his goals and describes his battles to reach them. Each “brick wall” he faced shows us that it is not always reaching the goal that is important, but rather the journey you go on to get there. He took to heart his parent’s legacy of goal oriented inspiration and passed it on to his students, encouraging and helping them to reach their many goals as well. By writing this book, he was able to leave his children a piece of himself to carry with them through their lives they would, inevitably, live without him. I have taken many notes, for my own life, to remind me of his perspective while I achieve my dreams and goals. Some of my dreams are huge and will take time to achieve. I am content with being patient and learning from the journey, as I get closer to reaching my goals. There will be “brick walls”, sometimes seeming insurmountable, but my determination and desire will get me over those obstacles and turn my dreams to reality.

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