The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch

If you have not yet read this book, what are you waiting for?

If you have not heard about it, it is written by Randy Pausch, a computer science professor at Carnegie Mallon who was asked to give "the Last Lecture", a talk traditionally given by professors in which they "consider their demise and ruminate on what matters most to them" (from book jacket). When Randy was asked to give such a lecture he didn't have to imagine it as his last, he had recently been diagnosed with terminal cancer. More from the book jacket "But the lecture he gave-"Really Achieving You Childhood Dreams"-wasn't about dying. It was about the importance of overcoming obstacles, of enabling the dreams of others, of seizing every moment (because "time is all you have...and you may find that one day you have less than you think"). It was a summation of everything Randy had come to believe. It was about living. Unfortunately, Randy lost his battle with pancreatic cancer on July 25, 2008 which just makes this book all the more poignant. He is survived by his wife and three small children.