Lucky Man : A Memoir

Rating:
Summary: The Greatest Autobiography/Biography I've read!
Review: As a young fan of Mr.Fox, I knew I was going to buy his new book the first day it came out. Yet little did I know what I was in for. This book is beautifully written, describing Mr.Fox's rise to stardom, and the struggle to stay there; and to also have a measure of personal privacy wanted by nearly all celebritys. When I read this book, I took it to heart, like if he was trying to say that I could become an actress.(which I really want to) I had a high respect for him before I read this book; and now after I've read it, I have an even greater respect for him.

Rating:
Summary: 80's Crush Survives
Review: "Never meet your heroes," is the foreboding warning of Julia Phillips in her book on Hollywood, "You'll Never Eat Lunch in this Town Again." So, it was with some reluctance that I decided to read Michael J. Fox's book, "Lucky Man."

Not that Michael J. Fox is a hero of mine. And it's only a memoir. It's not like you're actually meeting him. It's just that I've had this crush on him since the "Back to the Future" series and I didn't want the book to reveal that he "turned into some kind of jerk or something."

I am not a fan of sit-coms and have never seen "Family Ties," though I'm told by a friend who is equally humorless that it was a pretty good show. So it was in the "Back to..." series that I noticed his adorable energy that I love. I could see him, spinning out of my bathroom after leaving the toilet seat up, smashing his forehead with his palm saying-"Gosh, I can't believe I did that," in a way that would bring about immediate forgiveness.

When I read some years ago in a magazine, while outside a hockey rink, waiting for my own game to start, that he was coming to my hometown of Boston to play hockey in a fundraiser-with Bobby Orr no less-then I knew we must marry.

Then I learned that he ignored this inevitable providence by marrying some one much thinner, more beautiful, blonder and taller (Did he really need taller?) than me-never mind that she also happened to be rich and famous. And I betrayed him too, by marrying another.

Still, when I heard he had been stricken with P.D. I found myself concerned for this person that I don't even know. I was surprised by how I was drawn to the story, reading excerpts from the book from every source I could find.

Yet I was still reluctant to buy the book. For one I am cheap, and so am always hesitant to buy a hardcover. I also found the title, "Lucky Man" irritating. Was he trying to invoke Lou Gehrig here? "Never meet your heroes," sang in my mind.

But at a healthy percent off, and knowing that the money from the book was going to a good cause, I gave myself permission to buy it. I was finally willing to "meet" my formally energetic crush.

Seriously though, I think what made me read the book was when I saw Fox on an interview on PBS's "Charlie Rose" program. The deterioration of his condition from the time of his famous Barbara Walters interview horrified me, and I have to say I was disappointed in how I reacted.

He explained that his body's "rolling" was a consequence of his medication. I thought maybe if I bought the book it would help me better understand what was happening to him.

However, like the title, I found the first part of the book irritating. He seemed to me to carry a sense of inevitability about his fame and fortune, an event even predicted in some sort of vague way by his clairvoyant grandmother.

Though that characterization is a bit overly simplistic, there is a tone in the writing that leads you to completely understand why his brother wanted to punch his shinning star lights right out in the wake of a family crisis.

Still, to Fox's credit, he recognizes his arrogance, and though I found this element of him mildly disappointing, I had to come to realize that only a personality that has a certain degree of over-the-top confidence would have the audacity to drive out to Hollywood from Canada, of all places, to become a movie star. In other words, the very thing that made him a success (and endearing to strangers like me) also made him a bit irritating to his family and I am sure to other people who knew-him-when.

As the book progresses it gets better. Fox says repeatedly that he is not a writer, but he underestimates his talent. The book seems honest. His assessment of himself and his situation and his life reflects what must have taken a lot of work, both physically and spiritually.

Thankfully, after reading the book, I still have a crush on him, maybe more so now than ever.

I cannot say that I have a good understanding of P.D., however, even after reading the book. Do the meds lose their effectiveness to the point where they eventually no longer work at all? Does it go to your heart and lung muscles? Will he die from this if no cure is found?

There was this brief moment in Hollywood when Fox was failing and his family told him to come home. But he didn't. Probably because the working class world that was waiting for him in Canada would be intolerable because of the vulnerability of his size and because of his artistic spirit.

A kind of living death was waiting for him in Canada so he held out, hoping for a miraculous resurrection.

Now he is evoking all the power he has gained to resurrect himself again-this time through the tools of money and influence. Research may be able to save him, and money and influence directs research.

Unfortunately, those of us who play the part of the audience have to hope that somebody influential gets whatever ails us. The greatest set of lies ever perpetrated on the work-a-day world is that money cannot buy happiness and that God cares.

It can and He doesn't.

Finally, this book probably would be enjoyed by anyone who liked Lance Armstrong's "It's not about the Bike." (See review.)

Rating:
Summary: A book for any med student who cares about the patient
Review: I read this book as an assignment. I learned from this book that no matter what happens the patient is a person, too. This book tells the good and bad things that have affected his life and how he dealt with them. Any medical student and anyone who will deal with people should read this book. It is probably the best book that I have read in a long time. I would reccommend it to anyone. I hope that everyone reads it and cries through it as much as I did.

Rating:
Summary: It is one to read...
Review: I really liked how Mr. Fox mixed and transitioned his life and career into his illness. He also reflects on many of the ironys and metaphors he sees now that he looks back on everything.

This book is not a "feel bad for me" or a "well, I am rich and famous so I was bound to be sick at some point." This book is a very honest representation of how he felt.

Also, how he feels about his family and many of their reactions are frank -- it is touching to see this man admit he was afraid his wife didn't want to have more kids when he became ill. These issues are very personal but the very private Mr. Fox allows them to show in his book.

He won't preach and demand you change your life or encourage you to, he will only tell you about his. This is not a book to learn how to live, you learn how he lives.

We can all take the perspective from it, if nothing else. If you get nothing out of his talking about his disease, then you will be entertained to learn how he filmed movies and got into television and acting. Also a very quick read at only about 250 pages...

Rating:
Summary: And we're lucky readers!
Review: I usually avoid celebrity bios. I believe actors, like writers, can be judged by their craft. Professionally, what we do should be more important than who we are.

However, I've always had a soft spot for Michael J. Fox in Family Tie, Doc Hollywoods and the first Back to the Future. He played earnest young men on the brink of adulthood -- playful and yet open about their own struggles to make sense of their world and their own values

Like the young men he played, Fox seems earnest and open as he describes the way celebrities live, enclosed in a bubble. He knows he gets special treatment from police officers ("Slow down, Mike! We love watching Family Ties!) and he knows ordinary mortals won't get same-day appointments at world-class neurological centers.

He reminds us that celebrities are distanced from the minutiae of everyday life, Agents, managers and producers intervene even when he buys or sells a house. Yet few mortals have to hire armed guards to gain privacy for their own wedding.

And Michael's work schedule calls for superhuman powers. Back to the Future was made on less than three hours of sleep.

Michael never forgets the bubble is there. He stays close to his Canadian family of origin,. He remains a dedicated husband and father, acknowledging the sacrifices his wife makes to raise the children. He openly admits his battle with alcohol. And Parkinsons tears the bubble wide open. Michael realizes he can use his fame to help others, equally stricken, who lack access to money, microphones and medical care.

In a telling episode, Michael's therapist refuses to send a bill to the accounting service. She wants Michael to write a check and hand it to her, personally. And Michael understands. In this office, he must be a person, not a celebrity. The bubble disappears.

Lucky Man makes it hard not to like Michael J. Fox. Readers will learn a lot about Parkinsons as well as the Hollywood scene. Mostly we learn how an ordinary person becomes an improbable superstar -- and the hero himself does not miss the irony.

Rating:
Summary: Memoir that will leave you appreciating Fox--and life!
Review: Enjoyed reading LUCKY MAN: A MEMOIR by Michael J. Fox,
the story of the talented comedic actor's rise to fame--and then his having to deal with the fact that he had been diagnosed with Parkinson's disease . . . I found his depiction of the last ten years to be particularly moving . . . . during this time--with the support of his wife, family and friends--he has dealt with his illness in a courageous fashion . . . in fact, it has given him the chance to appreciate both a wonderful life and career, as well as the opportunity to help
search for a career and spread public awareness of the
disease . . . consequently, Fox feels as if he is a very lucky man!

There were many memorable passages; among them:
A word about rejection. Auditions, most struggling actors will
tell you, [stink]. You get a few pages of a script and read it over and over in hopes of picking up some clue to the character, some insight that will give you an edge in translating written words into a living, breathing, engaging, and profound approximation of human behavior. If you can do this better than any of the other actors in the competition for the role, you get to eat; if you can't, you don't. At least, you delude yourself into thinking it's that simple. It's not.

At one point or another, during times of personal struggle or
loss, we've all heard people tell us they would "pray for us." Just an expression, I'd always thought, until I felt the power of that sentiment when it is offered, and meant, by tens of thousands of people. The feeling is overwhelming: I have no doubt that being on the receiving end of so much spiritual energy has gone a long way to sustain me over the last couple of years. I no longer underestimate the value of prayer.

Snippets of my testimony [to the Senate Appropriations
Subcommittee Hearing] were featured on several of the nightly
news broadcasts. One line in particular from my prepared
statement got a lot of play: "In my forties, I can expect
challenges most people wouldn't face until their seventies and
eighties, if ever. But with your help, if we all do everything we can to eradicate this disease, when I'm in my fifties, I'll be dancing at my children's weddings."

Rating:
Summary: Refreshingly honest and not your typical celebrity book...
Review: I hate celebrity books and have always avoided them, since most come off as spoiled brats who think they have something besides their craft to offer. So I was reluctant to buy this book, figuring it would be self promoting and everything I hate. Well, it proved to be a darn good book.

The author writes as if you are visiting with him as you make dinner, and interweaves memories of his growing up with his experience of "growing up" in the entertainment arena. There are some tidbits where he comes off as if he could live in our own communities.

Having the income and medical care he needed that made his life easier than it would have been had he been your average Joe is a given. Especially when you have a debilitating disease. All you need do is ask the millions of Americans who lack any medical insurance and those who have restrictions on what care is covered.

But the book is good. It was actually a pleasant surprise (other Hollywood types take notice) to read the author admit he partied to hard and made some poor choices in life. It was equally nice to read about his love for his family and kids. And how he deals with Parkinsons at such a young age. And that's the great part of the book. I cant imagine how awful it must be to have to live with headlines in gossip magazines that you have some mysterious disease and how it effects the people one works with. I think the author is terribly blessed (he agrees) to have had such loyal friends who never spilled the beans, and that it was the author himself who on his own terms made the announcement and in doing so is doing a lot to help with funding for medical research and hopefully a cure.........

Rating:
Summary: Heartwarming accounts from likeable actor
Review: Long-time fans of Michael J.Fox will have their feelings confirmed about what a genuine person he is and others will be won over by this book.
Seemingly almost totally lacking pretension (is he the only person in Hollywood who doesn't think the world revolves around him?)and well aware of his flaws and faults, this book is a fascinating chronicling of his early film and TV days through to his battling of PD and being a vocal spokesman for research of same.
Not full of dirt (which would have been out of character and unseemly)but he points fingers back at himself and reveals someone who, like every other human on the planet, has good and bad days, makes mistakes and isn't superhuman.
I've been a fan of his since FAMILY TIES and the BACK TO THE FUTURE movies (ok, maybe NOT part 3)and can only say that after reading this book my thoughts are with him and his family while he battles PD.
The book is called LUCKY MAN, but I think WE are the LUCKY ones for having someone like Fox around to inspire us.

Rating:
Summary: A RARE GEM
Review: Some "star" autobiographies are pretentious and unreadable, or heavily ghost-written. LUCKY MAN is neither of these. Michael J Fox's book is a rare gem. In it he reflects on his life and career with intelligence and self-deprecating wit, to his diagnosis with Parkinson's Disease and how he learns to live with it with the support of his family and friends. While you are reading you feel as though he is actually in the room with you talking to you, his personality shines through in his writing. He also raises some controversial topics such as stem cell research. Anybody who thinks that this work is unethical should read this book (especially any NZ Green Party members who are not too stoned to concentrate on the book). Simply, this is a great book and should be high on your list of must-reads for 2002.

Rating:
Summary: Good read
Review: This book is classic MJF. His brand of humor stamped on a very subjec that deserves respect. I recommend it. It is a easy read, and everthing leads to this moment he's in right now. the ending kind of came out of nowhere, but in this case, teh journey's better than the destination.