Taking a break from fiction, I read The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch. Everyone in the world has heard about this book, and about the author's passing earlier this year. My sweet friend Paula gave this to me for my birthday, so I started it, wanting to figure out what everyone was raving about.This book chronicles Dr. Pausch's last lecture, achieving your childhood dreams, which he gave after he was diagnosed with terminal cancer. All in all, the entire book is the stories and thoughts and ideas that he wanted to pass onto his three young children, so they would have some wisdom from him as they grow and so they could come to know their father, even though they were too young to remember much of him.
The last section of the book is specific letters to each child, and I cried all the way through them. The idea of not being around for your kids as they grow up and to see what kind of people they turn into is simply heartbreaking. This is, of course, the nonfiction counterpart to The Things I Want My Daughters to Know. Both books make me want to write down all my stories and all my advice (limited right now, since I'm still learning myself), just in case I'm not there to pass it on in person to my girls.
K
1 comment:
So I just realized that this is your reading blog (talk about being behind the times, but I love the updates on the family blog). I finally read this book a few months ago. I completely sobbed during the chapter where he shared the stories of taking his neice & nephew out for their special days, and how he ultimately asked them to do the same for his kids. It definitely makes one think about their life. Oh, and I bought Things I Want My Daughters to Know, but haven't read it yet...it's next on my list!
Post a Comment