Ratings6
Average rating3.7
There are many words to describe Michael J. Fox: Actor. Husband. Father. Activist. But readers of Always Looking Up will soon add another to the list: Optimist. Michael writes about the hard-won perspective that helped him see challenges as opportunities. Instead of building walls around himself, he developed a personal policy of engagement and discovery: an emotional, psychological, intellectual, and spiritual outlook that has served him throughout his struggle with Parkinson's disease. Michael's exit from a very demanding, very public arena offered him the time-and the inspiration-to open up new doors leading to unexpected places. One door even led him to the center of his own family, the greatest destination of all. The last ten years, which is really the stuff of this book, began with such a loss: my retirement from Spin City. I found myself struggling with a strange new dynamic: the shifting of public and private personas. I had been Mike the actor, then Mike the actor with PD. Now was I just Mike with PD Parkinson's had consumed my career and, in a sense, had become my career. But where did all of this leave Me? I had to build a new life when I was already pretty happy with the old one... Always Looking Up is a memoir of this last decade, told through the critical themes of Michael's life: work, politics, faith, and family. The book is a journey of self-discovery and reinvention, and a testament to the consolations that protect him from the ravages of Parkinson's. With the humor and wit that captivated fans of his first book, Lucky Man, Michael describes how he became a happier, more satisfied person by recognizing the gifts of everyday life.
Reviews with the most likes.
Michael J. Fox is an interesting man, but for some reason, this book is not as interesting as he is. But I did learn a lot about Parkinson's and Parkinson's research, which I think is a great thing to come away with.
I enjoyed this one, with it's understandable focus on the stem cell issue, as well as an update on how Michael J. Fox is doing.
It shames me that I keep working toward an optimistic nature, only to find myself kinda falling back toward negativity, while people who have it a lot rougher persevere and inspire.
The author is a class act and I share in his hope that PD will be cured in the next few years.