La última lección

Escrito por Randy Pausch y Jeffrey Zaslow

Narrado por Gustavo Dardés

¿Qué sabiduría impartirías al mundo si supieras que es tu última oportunidad?

«No podemos cambiar las cartas que se nos reparten, pero sí cómo jugamos nuestra mano.»
Randy Pausch

Muchos profesores pronuncian conferencias con el título «La última lección». En ellas, los organizadores suelen pedirles que se planteen su propia muerte y consideren qué es lo que más les importa en la vida.

Cuando se invitó a Randy Pausch -profesor de ciencias informáticas de Carnegie Mellon- a impartir esta conferencia, no tuvo que echar mano de su imaginación, porque le acababan de diagnosticar un cáncer terminal. Sin embargo, su conferencia titulada «Cómo alcanzar los sueños de tu infancia» no trataba de la muerte, sino de la importancia de superar los obstáculos, de hacer posibles los sueños de los demás, de aprovechar cada momento. La conferencia fue la suma de todo aquello en lo que creía Randy. Era una conferencia sobre la vida.

Reseña:
«Una lección de vida y muerte que se ha convertido en un éxito mundial.»
El Mundo

• Idioma: Español
• Editorial: Penguin Random House Audio
• Traductor: Cruz Rodríguez Juiz
• Fecha de lanzamiento: 27 jul 2023
• ISBN: 9788425365119

Randy Pausch

Randy Pausch (1960-2008) fue profesor de ciencias informáticas, interacción humana con ordenadores y diseño tecnológico de la Universidad Carnegie Mellon. Entre 1988 y 1997 impartió clases en la Universidad de Virginia. Ha recibido varios galardones por su tarea como profesor e investigador, y ha trabajado con Adobe, Google y Walt Disney Imagineering. Fue pionero del proyecto Alice.

Comentarios para La última lección

[thegalaxygirl · Calificación: 4 de 5 estrellas]

I read this book because a coaching client who had been diagnosed with terminal cancer wanted to write something like this. At first, it felt kind of schmaltzy, to be honest. It would have had more impact (for me) if Pausch had been a little more aware of his own privilege (white, male, handsome, well-educated), and incorporated some of that into his message. Meaning, he took a lot for granted.

Despite that, he does have a good message. Be true to yourself. Help others if you can. Be Tigger, not Eeyore.

[kwagnerroberts · Calificación: 4 de 5 estrellas]

So good. Very inspirational.

[treebeard_404 · Calificación: 3 de 5 estrellas]

Do yourself a favor: watch the lecture on YouTube first. Then decide if you want to read this, because 90% of the book is contained in that recording.

[marigoldjackifitz · Calificación: 5 de 5 estrellas]

Every person on the planet should read this book.

[kwskultety · Calificación: 1 de 5 estrellas]

Meh...too much talking about how wonderful his childhood was and how all his dreams came true. The last few chapters were ok, with the bits of wisdom--but just barely.

[kaida46_1 · Calificación: 5 de 5 estrellas]

The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch (5 stars)
I put off reading this book because I knew I would cry at the end, and I did not want to open myself emotionally to read it. It was wonderful, did pull at my heartstrings and is hard to describe without getting emotional. Especially relevant for those who are a spouse or a parent. An ode to the value and importance of people living ordinary lives and how, even if they think they are no one special, they can leave a wonderful legacy for their time here on earth. Just read it.

[foof2you · Calificación: 5 de 5 estrellas]

The Last Lecture is a book taken from Randy Pausch lecture given at Carnegie Mellon and expanded on. Diagnosed with a terminal cancer and wants to leave something for is wife and three small children.

[nosborm · Calificación: 3 de 5 estrellas]

A quick but worthwhile read, especially coming from a professor in my field who worked at a top university.

[mithril_1 · Calificación: 4 de 5 estrellas]

Simply written and highly accessible, effective advice.

[crtsjffrsn · Calificación: 5 de 5 estrellas]

Beyond inspiring and a very quick read, I picked this up based on the recommendation of a friend. Mr. Pausch's amazing journey is one that makes you think about the important things in life and how to make the most of the time you have. As it is derived from an actual lecture, the book has a conversational tone that allows you to truly connect to the story. You'll walk away with a bit of a smile but finding yourself moved in some incredibly emotional ways.

[ssperson_1 · Calificación: 5 de 5 estrellas]

I listened to this on audio. What an amazing book. I cried throughout, but especially during the last three or so chapters, when he was talking about how he was preparing for his death, what he was doing for his wife and children. Makes you want to go home and hug all of your family. And maybe never let go.

[stevesbookstuff · Calificación: 3 de 5 estrellas]

Short read. As someone else on here said - "inspiring but far from mind blowing". For what it is, which is a rememberance of the author for his children, it's a warm and positive one.

[salsabrarian · Calificación: 3 de 5 estrellas]

This has been in my stack for a couple years. Thanks to stay-at-home, I finally got around to reading it. I found it very accessible, pragmatic, and inspirational. You get to thinking about your own life and dreams, and what kind of impact you can bring to the world. My next step is to watch his lecture online.

[jmcdbooks · Calificación: 4 de 5 estrellas]

Rated: B
Touching commentary about lessons learned in life of a college professor, husband, dad as he faces the short time that remains.

[addunn3 · Calificación: 3 de 5 estrellas]

The author discovers that he has only a few months to live and embarks on sharing is view of life in a series of short chapters. Some interesting takes and advice.

[lvstrongpuff · Calificación: 5 de 5 estrellas]

If you haven't read this book, what are you waiting for? This man as an amazing outlook on life. Even before he knew he was going to die he was living his life to the fullest. He was an amazing man. Check out this book. You won't be disappointed.

[daniel5estes · Calificación: 4 de 5 estrellas]

The Last Lecture is a wonderful and fitting testament to Randy Pausch's too-short time on this planet. The wisdom he wishes to bestow is all well and good, but I think the book could've been stronger by focusing more on the struggle of those final months in and less on the call to action to work hard to make your childhood dreams come true.

[tirana-11 · Calificación: 5 de 5 estrellas]

Excellent book!

[lissabeth21 · Calificación: 5 de 5 estrellas]

Beyond moving.

[lisahistory · Calificación: 4 de 5 estrellas]

A good book on living well, but it is written by a man optimistic even as he has a few months to live.

[thursbest · Calificación: 3 de 5 estrellas]

I really did think it was going to be a book full of wonderful advice on how to enjoy life, getting that fatherly advice on life and lessons, etc. but all it was (for me, at least) a bit of an overdone autobiography. I got nothing out of this book, except the few times he puts down newer generations (very "back in my day" type of guy) and a sense of bragging of his life's achievements with no actual advice.

[laphenix · Calificación: 4 de 5 estrellas]

Though Pausch's last lecture video had me in tears, the book did meet my expectations. That said, there were many poignant parts and wonderful anecdotes.

[mirrani_1 · Calificación: 3 de 5 estrellas]

I don't mean to offend, but I can't understand the people who smother this book with overwhelming praise. Was it interesting? Yes, in a sense that looking at a man's life through the eyes of impending death from cancer can be interesting. Was it touching? Sometimes I felt that way. Was it remarkable? I didn't think so.

I think that in the end people will get out of this book what they want to. Some have found it to be mostly a man congratulating himself on his achievements before his last days, others have felt moved by his desire to leave something for his family to remember him by. I think if you understand that this is a book written with that last thing in mind, you can understand why it is a little high on self praise. A lot of people don't want to leave their kids with the legacy of their failures and mishaps. That just isn't uplifting unless it is done exactly the right way. It is much easier to say, “Hey kids, look at what I have done and what my life was like,” in a way that might inspire them to find their own goals and reach for them.

Yes, the author has passed on, but many authors have passed on in my lifetime. Some were great, others were not. I am not going to judge a book by the living or passing of the author, I can only honestly share my experience with the words they left behind. This time, it was just an average day of reading.

[rascalstar · Calificación: 5 de 5 estrellas]

This little text is chock full of wonderful wisdom and snippets for living well and kindly, passionately, meaningfully. I listened to this on audio and promptly bought the book for a dear friend of mine fighting cancer. This book is for everyone however. We don't need a crisis to wake us up. Dr. Pausch can help us with that. I paid attention to every word of this and would like to listen to it again.

Imagine being an Imagineer!

[indygirl_1 · Calificación: 2 de 5 estrellas]

a very intelligent individual, professor, imaginary…fighting with cancer. Gives a last lecture "really achieving your childhood dreams, "and then book to leave behind a legacy to his children and wife.

[memccauley6 · Calificación: 3 de 5 estrellas]

I’m confident that Randy Pausch’s advice on living, loving, morality and ethics is very inspiring to millions of people. Is it horrible to admit that this sort of book is not my cup of tea? I agree with pretty much everything he says, and it sounds like we were raised on a lot of the same principles… there is nothing to make me examine myself or question my beliefs.

[sasham-1 · Calificación: 4 de 5 estrellas]

Uplifting, Inspirational and sad all at the same time.

[richjj-1 · Calificación: 3 de 5 estrellas]

Very easy to read. Fast paced and enjoyable.

For me, this book is about three things:

1. How to live your life: Pausch lived passionately and had a lot of wisdom to share. He was a natural teacher and had high standards for his students. Many of these chapters are brief interesting stories from his life that correspond to some nice life lesson.

2. How much Randy Pausch loved his family: He was fearless in his career, but even more dedicated to his family, which he rightly valued above everything. It was crystal clear how much he wanted to be with them and build meaningful memories.

3. How to face death: This was the most moving part for me and I probably can't fully digest all of his valuable advice until I have to more closely consider my own death.

Maybe all these are the same thing. I don't know if this will change what I do with my life since I see myself as a very different person than Pausch, but I certainly value his wisdom.

[bookconcierge · Calificación: 3 de 5 estrellas]

3.5***

Randy Pausch was a professor of computer science at Carnegie Mellon University when he was asked to prepare a presentation for the popular “last lecture” series. The idea is that the professor would imagine s/he was close to death and these would be his/her final words to the students. But Randy Pausch was actually dying; he had been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and, at the time he gave the lecture, was expected to live less than six months more.

Much of what Pausch relates here is found in many other books, lectures, essays, and articles. Dare to follow your dreams, apologize when you have hurt someone, have fun, cherish your family, don’t be a jerk, remember that no job is beneath you, be a team player, and choose optimism. What makes this so poignant is the personal story of his circumstances. He is a father with little children – children so young they likely will not remember him, save for this video.

And that fact is also what made it somewhat less impactful for me. For in the end Pausch admits that he wrote that last lecture NOT for his students, or fellow faculty members, but for his kids. It was a personal journal he could leave for them. I applaud him for doing so, but it didn’t have great impact on me.

Erik Singer does a fine job performing the audio version.

[debbiemccauley-2 · Calificación: 4 de 5 estrellas]

Based on the 'Last Lecture' by computer science professor at Carnegie Mellon University Randy Pausch titled "Really Achieving Your Childhood Dreams". The lecture was given at Carnegie Mellon on 18 September 2007 and was recorded. Pausch had been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer a year earlier and a month prior to the lecture had been told it was terminal. The book is an expanded version of the lecture and is divided into six parts: The Last Lecture; Really Achieving Your Childhood Dreams; Adventures... and Lessons Learned; Enabling the Dreams of Others; It's About How to Live Your Life and Final Remarks.

An interesting autobiography by a high-achieving person who has accomplished much in his life. As he said in the book, he gave the lecture and wrote the book for his young children so that they would have something to remember their father by. I didn't cry at all whilst reading the book, but I did cry when I watched Diane Sawyer's interviews with Randy and Jai Pausch which screened as an ABC Special in April 2008.