The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch & Jeffrey Zaslow

I'm not a fan of self-help, business biography & 'you can do it, too!' books.  But in a lot of ways I enjoyed Randy Pausch's The Last Lecture.  I've not yet seen the video of the actual last lecture that Pausch delivered at Carnegie Melon University, but I knew about it.  I added the book to my school library on the recommendation of several people, and picked it up as a quick weekend read during a time when my own state of mind was frazzled at the end of a long, trying school year and  the end of two sports coaching seasons.  The reason this book works is that Pausch knew he was dying when he gave the lecture and co-authored the book.  He had the chance to sum up his own philosophy in a way many people can't.  Much like Buck O'Neil's undying optimism, Pausch tries to see the positives in his death sentence through pancreatic cancer.  In various short chapters he tells both his life story, his philosophy, his personal achievements, and how he has helped others achieve their own dreams.  And of course he muses about what he'll be missing--- and what his kids will be missing without a father.  Perhaps the popular success of this book comes from the 'what if that was me' effect.  As you read, you can't help but wonder how you would react to the news that you would be dead in a few months, that there was nothing you could do to prevent it.  It's a refreshing read that puts a lot of the trivial stresses in life in perspective.  I don't highly recommend it, but it's a worthwhile read when the world is getting you down.