Adam

It means even more rereading 13 years later. When the author's Last Lecture went viral, I was a twenty-something computer science graduate. It spoke to me then, perhaps because I was a lot like Pausch's students. Now, as a father of young children, I see it all very differently. I hope I'll know my children into adulthood, but mortality is at the forefront in this memoir that also serves as an advice book and personal legacy for Pausch.

Another thing that's much clearer now are his personal faults. I lapped up his workaholism on the first reading in a way that I actively avoid now. Despite his blanket optimism, there's a cynicism that comes through in parts about people who don't do what he considers the necessary, hard work. These don't bother me, because they remind me he's a complete human—just like all of us who have our own strong opinions that run counter to another's way of life. Plus, through his death he found clarity about the things that really matter. And I hope that's what I take away, as I read this on a Sunday while my kids are playing independently. Maybe it's time we all play a game.

Pure Billy Crystal in this memoir mixed with comedy bits on aging. I'm not in the 65 year-old age group, so I didn't identify as much with the “people our age” angle of some of the chapters. These were interspersed with decade-based chapters chronicling his rise to fame. Everything was conversational and I could imagine Billy Crystal saying it. That made some sections verbose, but it was usually worth the laughs. The approach of the book flowed so well, it didn't have the “slow opening” of some memoirs. It was an easy, delightful read.

Don't read this book. Listen to it.

I'm not sure this would have been a five star book had I held it in my hand, read each word, and turned pages. I grabbed the audio book so I could read while my wife consumed the hard cover book.

I'm so glad I listened to this book, because the author's came through even benign passages. There were guest readers, including her family, friends, and random famous folk like Patrick Stewart. The Parks and Recreation chapter included co-creator Michael Schur (former SNL writer and friend of Amy Poehler) is a can't miss. It was more like a podcast conversation, with Schur interjecting frequently, as the two bantered about some memories.

As I said, don't read this book. You really must listen to it.

It reframed my thinking about how much of my thinking could be reframed.

There's plenty of the “just do it” mentality of being able to accomplish anything within this book. It is all about embracing the possible, after all. However, it also acknowledges the hard things that you must overcome in order to find the possibilities. The lessons in this book are about reframing situations and acknowledging that it's not always easy. There are counter forces at play—within us and within others.

It will take many years of practice to make use of these lessons, but I'm grateful to be starting now.

Like many memoirs, the early years started a little slowly. It was nice to see where Steve Martin came from, but the real fun came in the second half, and the book became a real page turner.