Biographies

What would you do if you knew you were going to die? For most of us, that is a reality that we push to the back of our minds as someday, but not soon. In the case of Randy Pausch, that reality came much sooner than he expected with a diagnosis of terminal, pancreatic cancer. In The Last Lecture, Randy Pausch, a computer science professor at Carnegie Mellon, shares the PowerPoint presentation he gave as his last lecture on September 18, 2007.

Besides the salient points and accompanying stories from his lecture, The Last Lecture includes much more. Not in the least maudlin, The Last Lecture is a book about daring to dream the impossible and achieving those dreams. It is a book of hope and inspiration. He opens the story with the reasons that motivated him to consider this last lecture, then delves back into the past to show the many influences on his life’s journey, especially his remarkable, loving parents, mentors, teachers, or coaches who profoundly influenced his life.

Each chapter is short and to the point. While it would be easy, as with any autobiography, to fall into the trap of naval gazing, it is a refreshingly honest portrait of his life and life’s situation, his strengths and human failings.

In a world filled with negative news, it is uplifting to read his genuine love and admiration for his parents and those who encouraged him along the way, as well as had the honesty to point out his faults, so that he could become a better person.

The book is broken down into five sections: The story behind the last lecture, achieving his dreams, the lessons he learned, enabling the dreams of others, “It’s about How to Live Your Life,” and closing thoughts.

With humor, wit, and common sense, Pausch relates his quest for happiness through achieving his childhood dreams. Over the years, he has gained much wisdom, from his parents, mentors, teachers, and students. His advice as a teacher can be applied to many situations.

In The Last Lecture, he shares this legacy of memories, hopes, and advice for his three young children to see someday. As a teacher, he wanted to continue to teach them long after he was not with them; the result was this inspiring lecture about the joy of life; each day is a gift.

Incredibly uplifting, full of hope and inspiration!

Thank you, Randy for sharing your story. Thank you, Jai for sharing Randy during your precious time together.

Randy Pausch died on July 25, 2008.

I have not yet read this story, but my daughter read it to herself and enjoyed it very much even though she already read St. Therese and the Roses.

This new title from Bethlehem Books follows the tradition of Jeanne Bendick with her books on Archimedes and Galen by making scientific concepts accessible to ordinary people.

Dr. Wiker is a prolific author of articles on matters relating to science and the faith. He has taught at Thomas Aquinas College and Franciscan University of Steubenville.

Wiker takes us all the way back to the Neolithic era to begin his story of mankind's fascination with metals that started the development of the science of Chemistry. The various scientific characters that play a role in this story - from ancient Greek atomists to brilliant modern scholars - are interesting in and of themselves. We learn of the diligent John Dalton (1766-1844) who kept a daily journal called "Observations on the Weather" for 57 years; the daring and foolhardy Humphry Davy (1778-1829), who discovered laughing gas and a whole slew of elements, and Dimitrii Mendeleev (d. 1907) who discovered the order of the elements by 'playing cards.' A great deal of scientific content that led to the development of the Periodic Table is presented in these middle chapters. The content is made particularly accessible through Wiker's humorous, engaging style and the connections he makes between each scientist's interest in a particular subject and what that meant to scientific progress. He also has fun pointing out the errors scientists made that ironically caused some of the very greatest leaps in scientific knowledge.

The last three chapters can be a little harder to follow and students will benefit from working through them slowly and carefully studying the numerous diagrams. The publisher recommends that, although the book is generally accessible to ages 10 and up, these later chapters might be more understandable to slightly older children. I found that drawing up additional diagrams of my own helped me to follow the text better (particularly diagrams of the structures of the electron "shells"). Diligence in studying these last few chapters really pays off, though, as the final discoveries about the Periodic Table and the well-ordered nature of the relationships between the elements are absolutely fascinating.

Now, you might be asking yourself "Why would someone who teaches at Catholic colleges and writes for Catholic publications be so interested in the Periodic Table?" The answer is simple: The Periodic Table shows the relationships between the most basic elements that comprise everything on earth. It is phenomenal and mind-boggling how mathematically-ordered these elements are. This kind of order seen in nature is a powerful argument against random and chaotic theories of the origins of the world. I should also note that, although Dr. Wiker's interest in this topic is likely related to his faith, he never directly brings up the topic in his book. I'm really glad that he didn't. There's a time for laying it all on the table and a time for a little more subtlety. This sort of book allows readers to discover some of the "Wow!" of Science and later, gradually make the connection between the order of the elements and the awesomeness of the Creator who designed it all.

Highly and enthusiastically recommended! Probably the most fun I've ever had reading a science book. :)

Click here for Study Questions

Disclaimer: best suited for high schoolers due to an incident where Thomas Aquinas is tempted by his brothers when they bring a prostitute to his room one night. Also, there are a few quick references to 'wenches' .

The dust jacket reads that the "theme of this novel was suggested to Louis de Wohl, in a private audience, by His Holiness, Pope Pius XII in 1948". The Quiet Light was printed two years later.

The book tells the story of the life of Thomas Aquinas from the eyes of his family members. It is a well-written novel, with an exciting plot and a complement of well-rounded characters. We see Thomas Aquinas as a shy, and supposedly dull-witted, schoolboy who earns himself the name of "The Dumb Ox". It isn't until college that his legendary genius is revealed. We learn how Thomas's wealthy family are terribly opposed to his decision to become a Dominican, and of their many attempts to thwart his personal plan. The author makes Saint Thomas Aquinas come alive, and we are left with a deep impression of the impact that this saint made in his time.

The novel is also noteworthy for its historical content. It is a wonderful case study of life in the thirteenth century in Europe. We learn of feuding barons, fleeing popes, politically-motivated marriages, chivalry, feasting, the crusades, and life in a monastary.

Most importantly, this is a Catholic novel. We are touched by the depth of the faith of St. Thomas Aquinas, and awe-struck by the miracles that occur later in his life.

For highschoolers studying the Middle Ages, or anyone who wants to learn more about this important saint, The Quiet Light is highly recommended.