Randy Pausch and Jeffrey Zaslow - The Last Lecture

Pros: An emotional, touching story of one man's life. It is about living, not dying.

Cons: Keep a tissue box nearby.

The Bottom Line: The Last Lecture emphasizes believing in others, challenging them to do their best, and giving them the settings, the skills, and the guidance to do just that.

Review: ... Update below, July 2008 What would you do if you were told you had three months to live..?? ...six months to live..?? What if you had three young children, all under five years of age..?? ...and a loving wife..?? What would you do..?? ...

Pros: enjoyable read with great insight given; pictures throughout

Cons: ending was particularly sad

The Bottom Line: Pausch fought cancer the American Way, not only with ever more toxins but courage, humor and hope. He remained a Tigger from A.A. Milne's Winnie the Pooh book.

Review: Wearing a Disney logo and name badge from his work as a Disney Imagineer, Randy Pausch gives, literally, his last lecture to his Carnegie Mellon University colleagues, students and friends just a month after receiving the news that he had but six months ...

Pros: Meaning. Relevance. Heartbreaking and Uplifting.

Cons: None.

The Bottom Line: The must read of 2008.

Review: Preamble It's been awhile since anyone or anything (or any product) has moved me enough to want to write about it and share it with all of you. But here it is and if there's only one book that your purchase this year, then let it be this one - ...

Pros: easy reading that can make a positive change

Cons: sometimes it's unbelievable that a guy had this much good fortune, even if cancer stricken

The Bottom Line: very much worth reading and re-reading every few months - don't hesitate to purchase your own copy and grab a highlighter too

Review: A string of 61 brief chapters make up this fabulous, inspirational book advising on how life is best lived. It comes from the eyes, words, thoughts, and experiences of a very intelligent man who was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer at a time when, even ...

Pros: easy to read, not too long, very moving

Cons: none except I wish it were longer!

The Bottom Line: I recommend this book to everyone of all ages- it is an amazing story of how everyone should lead their life.

Review: Randy Pausch is many things: witty, funny, kind, compassionate, smart, and charming. He is also a father, a brother, a son, a dad, someone’s cousin, and a pretty amusing uncle. Randy Pausch is also a computer science professor at Carnegie ...

Pros: The book was easy to read, real and thought provoking.

Cons: I was saddened thinking of such a good man with such little time left.

The Bottom Line: This book, these stories, this man should be in your heart.

Review: I saw Randy Pausch on Oprah. The rest of that evening, I could not stop thinking of this man. The manner in which he was facing his terminal illness, with such total love and concern for his family and bravery really grabbed my attention. When I watched ...

Pros: I loved it.  Never lost my attention.

Cons: I wish I could have read this sooner.  I will definately be living life different.

Review: The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch is written as a last bit of advice for his children for when he is gone.  Randy is given 3-6 months to live when he is diagnosed with Pancreatic Cancer and his three children are all under the age of 5.  They ...

Pros: contains many useful life lessons and truths, broken into short chapters, easy to read

Cons: reading the words of a dying man

The Bottom Line: This book will remind you to slow down, enjoy your life and family, and do the very best that you can. It is a powerful message from an incredible man.

Review: Although I usually stick to chick-lit and cheesy romance novels for my summer reading, I was fresh out of books and willing to grab just about anything on the latest trip to Target. My husband said that he had heard about The Last Lecture on the ...