The Best Commencement Speech Of 2013 Is Set To Become A Book

YouTubeAlthough its been almost three months since author George Saunders spoke at Syracuse University's commencement ceremony, his speech recently began to receive a lot of attention. And its about to get an even wider audience.

The Associated Press reports that Saunders' address will be immortalized next year as a book. Titled "Congratulations, by the Way" after a line in the speech, the book will hit stores in Spring 2014 courtesy of Random House.

The speech is funny, moving, and meaningful, and is certainly deserving of all the accolades it has recieved so far. Saunders hits on major themes important to recent graduates — from regret to opportunity to, most importantly, kindness.

In one of the most poignant parts of his talk, Saunders describes a girl who joined his class in seventh grade. The girl — who he dubs "Ellen" — was small, shy, and wore "blue cat’s-eye glasses that, at the time, only old ladies wore." He goes on to say:

Eventually, Ellen moved away. Even though Saunders was never mean to her, something still bothers him over 40 years later, he says.

Here's his brilliant takeaway from the seemingly inconsequential situation:

Saunders graduated from Syracuse in 1988 and is currently an English professor at the university.

Read the full speech at the New York Times>