The Last Lecture
The best-known introduction to Zaslow's collaborative nonfiction and a natural entry point to his work.
Author guide
Jeffrey Zaslow Books in Order
Jeffrey Zaslow (1958–2012) was an American journalist and author who wrote for the Chicago Sun-Times and The Wall Street Journal. He authored and co-authored nonfiction books including The Last Lecture with Randy Pausch, Highest Duty with Chesley Sullenberger, and Gabby with Gabrielle Giffords and Mark Kelly. His solo books include The Girls from Ames and The Magic Room, as well as earlier books based on his advice and celebrity-interview columns.
nonfictionbiographymemoirself-help
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Novels (4)
- Talk of Fame: Good Advice from Great Celebrities
nonfiction · 1997
- The Magic Room: A Story About the Love We Wish for Our Daughters
nonfiction · 2012
Nonfiction (4)
- The Last Lecture
memoir · 2008
"We cannot change the cards we are dealt, just how we play the hand.” —Randy Pausch When Randy Pausch, a computer science professor at Carnegie Mellon University, was asked to give a last lecture," he didn’t have to imagine it as…
- The Girls from Ames: A Story of Women and a Forty-Year Friendship
memoir · 2009
As children, they formed a special bond, growing up in the small town of Ames, Iowa. As young women, they moved to eight different states, yet they managed to maintain an extraordinary friendship that would carry them through college and…
- Highest Duty: My Search for What Really Matters
memoir · 2009
- Gabby: A Story of Courage and Hope
memoir · 2011
Frequently asked questions about Jeffrey Zaslow
Who was Jeffrey Zaslow?
Jeffrey Zaslow (1958–2012) was an American journalist and nonfiction author from suburban Philadelphia. A Carnegie Mellon creative-writing graduate, he wrote for The Wall Street Journal and the Chicago Sun-Times.
Sources: jeffzaslow.com (opens in a new tab)cmu.edu (opens in a new tab)
How did Jeffrey Zaslow begin his journalism career?
He entered a Chicago Sun-Times contest to replace advice columnist Ann Landers while working at The Wall Street Journal, competing against about 12,000 applicants. He won the job, later returned to the Journal, and wrote the life-transitions column “Moving On.”
Sources: jeffzaslow.com (opens in a new tab)cmu.edu (opens in a new tab)
What influenced Jeffrey Zaslow’s writing?
Zaslow focused on life transitions, compassion, and what he called “matters of the heart.” Attending Randy Pausch’s 2007 Carnegie Mellon lecture inspired a widely read column and their later collaboration.
Sources: cmu.edu (opens in a new tab)cs.cmu.edu (opens in a new tab)
What awards did Jeffrey Zaslow receive?
His honors included the 2000 Will Rogers Humanitarian Award, recognition as the National Society of Newspaper Columnists’ best general-interest columnist in 2003 and 2005, and the 2008 Distinguished Column Writing Award from the New York Newspaper Publishers Association.
Sources: cmu.edu (opens in a new tab)cs.cmu.edu (opens in a new tab)
How is Jeffrey Zaslow remembered today?
He is remembered for empathetic journalism that connected with readers and for encouraging young writers. Carnegie Mellon honored him with a memorial plaque and scholarship, while the National Society of Newspaper Columnists named a college-columnist scholarship after him.
Sources: cmu.edu (opens in a new tab)columnists.com (opens in a new tab)