contemplative
This audio is not the "last lecture" Randy gave. It is, instead, an extension of that lecture and several other discussions he had over the course of a month or so. However, it is still riveting to listen to. For anyone unfamiliar with the story, Randy Pausch has terminal cancer. As he stepped down from his teaching position, he gave a "last lecture" one that has made the rounds of the TV shows and You Tube (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X3PubKXu-04). His wit, his courage, his humanity struck a resonant chord in so many. Thus, the video, the book, and the audio. Randy is not the narrator. I was surprised since, naturally, that is what I expected. The narrator is his is calm and understated. I think it needs to be just that given the situation. It is not at all maudlin or morose though it is incredibly bittersweet.
Since I have some experience with losing folks to cancer, it does affect me in some ways that actually surprise me, catch me off guard. I am curious to see how the residents of the back room react. My only criticism is that I would have preferred to listen to the lecture live and not from the confines of the recording studio. I felt the same way with Ann Patchett's WHAT NEXT?