Adult Review Tags

I am a Michael J .Fox fan and think he is a very classy Canadian, so I loved reading his book “Always looking up: the adventures of an incurable optimist”. This follows on from his 2002 book "Lucky Man" which was also a good read.

I was really saddened when I first heard that he suffered from Parkinson’s Disease, a disease that my father struggled with in his later years, so it’s a condition I am very familiar with. I was really heartened when I read this book. In face of all his challenges his personal philosophy has enabled him to have a positive outlook this uplifting account tells how he has become a happier and a more satisfied person by recognizing the gifts of everyday life. It reads like a breath of fresh air.

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 served him throughout his struggle with Parkinson’s disease.

This is a memoir of the last decade – after quitting his TV sitcom “Spin City” and coming to terms with being just Mike with Parkinson’s disease. He talks about his daily struggles and the work he is doing as an activist after having begun the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research. As much as I enjoyed Michael J. Fox, the brilliant comic actor, I admire Michael J. Fox, the optimistic man seeking to improve himself, even more.

(P.S. I also enjoyed his brief, comedic speech about the meaning of being Canadian at the Olympic Closing Ceremony).