"Never lose the childlike wonder", that is the main message of Randy Pausch's memoir, The Last Lecture. They book is not only a very emotional book, at times it is heart-wrenching as Pausch does an excellent job in describing his situation and what he had to go through. This book was written by Pausch with the help of a ghost author, and it was written because Pausch was dying with terminal cancer. As he last wish, he wanted to let others know what he had learned during his short years on the Earth. By doing so, he ended up creating a masterpiece and a book that is not only depressing but also very uplifting. I heard great things about this book before reading it, and all of my expectations about it were most definately met.
Randy Pausch takes the reader through all the stages of grief: denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance. As the reader you undergo all the same emotions and stages just as Pausch goes through them. It is very emotional and through reading I found myself thinking about my own death and about if I died tomorrow, would I be happy with my life? Pausch also teaches important life lessons and gives his opinion on what he values essential to living a happy life.
I really liked this book and I would definitely recommend it to someone that is going through a tough time in their life. Even the whole concept of death is extremely dark, Pausch does not portray it as something that people should be afraid of. Instead, he focuses on his life and shows the reader that instead of concentrating on death, concentrate how what you can achieve in your life before death.