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sereia8's review against another edition
5.0
Perhaps this had an especially powerful effect on me because I lost my scientist father at a young age and would love to have the gift of his wisdom. And Randy Pausch has an uncommon wisdom.
kitkat962's review against another edition
3.0
After reading this book, I have massive respect for Randy Pausch, his optimism, his strive for excellence and his ways of life in general (I particularly enjoy the chapter of the dents in his convertible)
The problem here is the "self-help" aura the book gave out. The lessons are short and easy to read, with (mostly) one example to demonstrate. This is an accomplished man who can do whatever he decided, and more conveniently, he is capable. Sure, he had minor flaws but overall, this is the man we can look up to, but never quite measure to his standard. The struggles (or the brick walls, as Prof. Pausch) are not portraited enough in this book (but again, this is the capable man, and I can't blame anything). Cancer was his greatest battle, and I admired his attitude towards it, but other battles (Imagineer, NFL, etc) are not relatable for me.
Overall, I think it is a book you can read and forget the next month. But if it helps to create the momentum you need to stop procrastinating, then sure, read it.
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After seeing the youtube video of the last lecture, I believe that it is more worthy of your time. And since it was intended for his children, so yeah, I withhold my judgment for this book.
The problem here is the "self-help" aura the book gave out. The lessons are short and easy to read, with (mostly) one example to demonstrate. This is an accomplished man who can do whatever he decided, and more conveniently, he is capable. Sure, he had minor flaws but overall, this is the man we can look up to, but never quite measure to his standard. The struggles (or the brick walls, as Prof. Pausch) are not portraited enough in this book (but again, this is the capable man, and I can't blame anything). Cancer was his greatest battle, and I admired his attitude towards it, but other battles (Imagineer, NFL, etc) are not relatable for me.
Overall, I think it is a book you can read and forget the next month. But if it helps to create the momentum you need to stop procrastinating, then sure, read it.
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After seeing the youtube video of the last lecture, I believe that it is more worthy of your time. And since it was intended for his children, so yeah, I withhold my judgment for this book.
vhsrising's review against another edition
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
4.25
lily_strawberry's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
sad
fast-paced
5.0
icespider's review against another edition
5.0
The last section had me openly crying.
I was in public.
10/10
A wonderful and heartbreaking book full of wisdom and optimism.
I was in public.
10/10
A wonderful and heartbreaking book full of wisdom and optimism.
blueberryajax's review against another edition
This book is very much just a cishet white man who thinks he knows everything about how the world works and how it should work. At times it seems as though he has something interesting to say but then it turns out that he has such unbased takes on most stuff and at best it's just really surface level. I was curious about what the life advice of a dying man wanting to leave something to his children would look like but after reading it, I'm more interested in what his children have come to think of this advice. He spends so much time interjecting boomer rants about how children are too sensitive these days and people need to be harder on their children and stop them from being so emotional leading me to believe that his kids are actually better off growing up without him in their lives. Would not recommend unless you are wanting the same feeling you get when the random old guy comes over to preach to you while your working about the way young people are ruining everything and how young people in his day were superior all while you're just trying to make it through your work shift.
saadnajmi's review against another edition
3.0
What struck me the most was the optimism I could hear in Randy Pausch's voice, as he's writing the last wisdom he can impart before he leaves this world. I didn't find much of the advice to be that groundbreaking or shading, but I enjoyed reading it nonetheless. I imagine a teenage me would have liked this book much more. I will say that one piece of advice he gave, "Brick walls are there to see how badly you want something" is diverting I had taken to heart a long time ago and only finally know where it came from.
goel_1996's review against another edition
4.0
One of my first books so I really loved it.
Thanks Randy for imparting such great wisdom.
While reading the book in 2018 I thought he was alive but when I found he died in 2008, it made the book extra special.
It was like someone I know had passed away.
We just value words of death people more.
Thanks Randy for imparting such great wisdom.
While reading the book in 2018 I thought he was alive but when I found he died in 2008, it made the book extra special.
It was like someone I know had passed away.
We just value words of death people more.