Book Review: The Last Lecture

Book Review of “The Last Lecture”

Book by Jeffrey Zaslow and Randy Pausch

I loved and hated this book at the same time. This book is about Professor Randy Pausch and his life-ending journey with pancreatic cancer. The book was published posthumously with Jeffrey Zaslow providing the finishing touches and ending to the book after Pausch passed. I love this book because it is an honest and intimate perspective from someone dealing with the challenge of cancer. Pausch explains in detail his emotions, thoughts, and actions as he goes through diagnosis, symptoms, treatments, and physical deterioration.

I hated this book because it hit me hard. I started reading it knowing only the basic outline of the content. Reading has always been my solace and I am rarely without a book in my hands or on my phone. I came across this book during a time of personal turmoil. My father was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. I was closer to him than anyone in the world and made myself his primary caregiver (alongside my mother) once his cancer was diagnosed. Terminal cancer. The doctors said without treatment he might live 6 months. With chemo he might extend the time he had left, but there was always the question of what that would do to his quality of life. Chemotherapy is brutal on the body. When people say cancer sucks it seems a tremendous understatement for what the patient and the family must go through. This book gives insightful perspective from the individual actually diagnosed with the disease and dealing with the symptoms.

I happened to start reading it to pass the time while my father was in the hospital recovering from one of his many complications caused by cancer. I had no idea Pausch was diagnosed with the same cancer as my father when I started reading the book. Pausch’s words were a revelation. They made me cry, even sob at some points, because it helped me gain an understanding of what my father was going through at that very moment. The book is poignant and provides tremendous insight into the mind and body of someone with a terminal illness. A must read in my opinion, but have some tissues nearby because this book will bring out all your feelings.