Stages & Pages

Something is off.

Surely, a chapter must be missing from my book. I fervently flip through the 205 pages of "The Last Lecture" again to make sure. Nope, all pages are intact, as is my untouched box of Kleenex next to me.

Could it be? Is it possible to read about a dying professor's final reflections without losing it?

47-year-old Randy Pausch proved me wrong – it is. The Last Lecture is based on a poignant talk given at Carnegie Mellon University, where Pausch taught computer science. Jeffrey Zaslow, a columnist at The Wall Street Journal and The Last Lecture co-author, attended the 70-minute speech titled "Really Achieving Your Childhood Dreams."

Inspired, he quickly passed on Randy's tale to his column readers. With the aid of Zaslow's publicity, Pausch's lecture became an overnight YouTube sensation. A month and a half later, the book version was in the hands of a publisher.

"My father always said if there's an elephant in the room, introduce it," Pausch said in his Sept. 18, 2007 talk, in front of an auditorium packed with students, colleagues and his wife, Jai. The elephant in the room: Pausch is dying of pancreatic cancer, and will die in three to six months. He stopped teaching months ago, but returned to Carnegie Mellon for his "last lecture."

Professors are often asked to give the talk under hypothetical pretenses, so when he was asked to do it post-diagnosis, he knew it would be a hefty emotional investment. He accepted, however, using the video-taped opportunity to pass on a lifetime of advice to his children – Dylan, 6, Logan, 4, and Chloe, 2.

The Last Lecture isn't about dying. It's about living. Like the similarly plotted Tuesdays with Morrie, I read the book prepared to cry and mope, but instead felt incredibly rejuvenated by its finish.

Pausch is not in denial – he knows he's dying. But he's not dead yet. He's simply squeezing the most joy out of each remaining day without a second wasted.

"I won't let go of the Tigger inside me," he wrote, citing the jubilant "Winnie the Pooh" character. "I just can't see the upside in becoming Eeyore. Someone asked me what I want on my tombstone. I replied: 'Randy Pausch: He Lived Thirty Years After A Terminal Diagnosis.' I could pack a lot of fun into those thirty years. But if that's not to be, then I'll just pack fun into whatever time I do have."

Pausch radiates a goofy, childish enthusiasm in all aspects of life. His trademark energy pushed him to achieve his childhood dreams, which he describes in enjoyable storytelling detail.

As a child, he wanted to become a Disney Imagineer, write a World Book Encyclopedia entry, meet Captain Kirk from "Star Trek" and play in the NFL. He didn't quite make it to the NFL, but worked on Disney World's "Aladdin: The Magic Carpet Ride," authored the World Book entry on virtual reality, and eventually did meet Captain Kirk.

His book is punctuated with what I like to call "Pausch-isms." They're simple, but highly useful tidbits of advice to use in everyday life. Each epithet is backed up with personal life experiences, adding to its impact in the reader's mind.

"Loyalty is a two-way street," he said, describing past colleague relationships.

Pausch's personality is a mix of practicality and passion. It leaps right off the page. He has a sound logical side that competes with a booming, often nerdy personality.

"During my cancer treatment, when I was told that only four percent of pancreatic cancer patients live five years, a line from the Star Trek movie 'The Wrath of Khan' came into my head ..." Just when I'd be ready to reach for the tissues, I'd laugh out loud.

The last thing Pausch wants in The Last Lecture is the reader's tears. Instead, he aims for his audience to make the most of life, regardless of circumstances.

"We can't change the cards we are dealt," he said, "just how we play the hand."

Interview with the author: