The Last Lecture, the book based on an actual speech by (now-deceased) Carnegie Mellon professor Randy Pausch after he was diagnosed with cancer, was the winner of the “inspirational memoir” category at last night’s Books for a Better Life Awards, which were presented at midtown Manhattan’s Millennium Broadway Hotel.
The ceremony also featured the addition of Michael F. Roizen, MD and Mehmet C. Oz, MD, the co-authors of YOU: The Owners’ Manual and its sequels, into the Ardath Rodale Hall of Fame, along with HarperStudio publisher Robert Miller. The awards were created in 1996 by the New York City chapter of the National Multiple Sclerosis Society to honor authors whose books are aligned with the Chapter’s mission of inspiring people to live their best lives; the annual ceremony has raised more than $1.5 million in contributions to support services and other educational programs—and Drs. Roizen and Oz have issued a pledge to match up to $10,000 in contributions made after the ceremony.
The complete list of winners is as follows:
Audiobook: Hot, Flat, and Crowded, Thomas L. Friedman
Childcare/Parenting: The Trouble with Boys, Peg Tyre
First Book: The Middle Place, Kelly Corrigan
Green:Made from Scratch, Jenna Woginrich
Inspirational Memoir: The Last Lecture, Randy Pausch with Jeffrey Zaslow
Motivational: Learning from the Heart: Lessons on Living, Loving, and Listening, Daniel Gottlieb
Psychology: My Stroke of Insight, Jill Bolte Taylor
Relationships: September Songs, Maggie Scarf
Spiritual: The Wise Heart: A Guide to the Universal Teachings of Buddhist Psychology, Jack Kornfield
Wellness: In Defense of Food, Michael Pollan