Publisher's Weekly Review
Made famous by his "Last Lecture" at Carnegie Mellon and the quick Internet proliferation of the video of the event, Pausch decided that maybe he just wasn't done lecturing. Despite being several months into the last stage of pancreatic cancer, he managed to put together this book. The crux of it is lessons and morals for his young and infant children to learn once he is gone. Despite his sometimes-contradictory life rules, it proves entertaining and at times inspirational. Surprisingly, the audiobook doesn't include the reading of Pausch's actual "Last Lecture," which he gave on September 18, 2007, a month after being diagnosed. Erik Singer provides an excellent inflective voice that hints at the reveries of past experiences with family and children while wielding hope and regret for family he will leave behind. The first CD is enhanced with photos. Simultaneous release with the Hyperion hardcover. (May) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Guardian Review
It's routine in America for professors to give a "last" lecture, ruminating philosophically on life, death, ambition, achievements and so on. When, in 2006, Pausch, then 45 and a computer science professor, was invited to give his, only he and his family knew that he had terminal cancer. His wife assumed he would refuse: he'd be spending every minute of his remaining time, she thought, with her and their three small children. She was wrong. The video of his lecture, Pausch said, would be his legacy to his family. So he began with a slide of his tumour-riddled pancreas, a few jokes, some press-ups to show he was still in good shape, and then on to the nitty gritty about life. It was a knockout. Invitations from Oprah, the Pittsburgh Steelers, Hollywood and the Senate poured in, and he made the Time Magazine 100 Most Influential People On Earth 2008 list before he died 16 months later. Inspiring, but a bit creepy. Caption: article-audio30.3 It's routine in America for professors to give a "last" lecture, ruminating philosophically on life, death, ambition, achievements and so on. When, in 2006, Pausch, then 45 and a computer science professor, was invited to give his, only he and his family knew that he had terminal cancer. - Sue Arnold.
