Rating: 
Summary: Nothing is Impossible when you're Superman!
Review: Having been a fan of Christopher Reeve for many years, I was stunned and saddened to hear of his accident which left him paralyzed in 1995. In this book he goes into detail about his "new" life; how it has changed his family, friends, and outlook on life as well as his advocacy for others in his position. The book is truly inspiring, I found myself unable to put it down.
Rating: 
Summary: Not Especially Compelling or Uplifting
Review: I couldn't help thinking how lost Reeves is, despite his remarkable efforts to remedy his injury.
Only the discussions of his new post-accident actions and sensations he's been able to will his body to achieve are interesting.
I can easily see how someone with motor damage would find this book powerful. But, for the general audience...I can't see it. Then again, I was listening to the audio version and his vocalizations are necessarily flat.
Rating:
Summary: Inspirational Until...
Review: I found the book inspirational for reasons already well expressed on this board until I got to the part where Mr. Reeve seized the opportunity to take a couple cliched potshots at the Catholic religion. I've been very active in Catholic parishes and schools in several different cities and countries all my life and was never subject to the shame-ridden browbeating he depicts which is not part of Catholic teaching. I'm happy this unfortunate man finds his new-found religion fulfilling, but I wish people would make an effort to understand or update their information about groups other than their own before they go bashing, especially in such a public manner.
Rating:
Summary: On a More Positive Note...
Review: I found this book to be inspiring and very interesting, totally the opposite of the previous reader - being a nurse I take care of patients with paralysis everyday and appreciate what he has to say about his life now after his injury. In fact, I have recommended this book to my nursing school and their staff. You can only admire Christoper Reeves strength and tenacity, not only is he a star in the world's eyes; he is all heart.
Rating:
Summary: Response to reviewer #1
Review: I have not read this book, but I was struck by the first reviewer's comments. How can you put down the book for addressing the daily life of someone in a wheelchair? That is his reality. I think it is telling that you would be more interested in a book that skims over the surface or what would be a fictional account were the details of how his disease affects his life left out. I believe he did you a service to describe his daily life, perhaps it will open your mind to what life is actually like for the disabled instead of shielding you from it. Perhaps you will then see the importance of fighting for things like accessibility. Reeves is using his notoriety in the best possible way-- to attract attention to the struggles and successes of the disabled. Your overall reading enjoyment is a minimal consideration and propelling you into action is the goal. I would reread the book with these things in mind.
Rating: 
Summary: Book Is Impossible
Review: I have read this book and I can say that it is impossible for Chris Reeve to write a good book. Never have I seen such an attempt to market a book based on misguided publicity efforts, instead of a good story. It was depressing.
Rating:
Summary: An important new book by an amazing man
Review: I highly recommend Christopher Reeve's new book, Nothing Is Impossible. It is an easy, fast read and straight forward. I could well relate to certain life experiences he has had and his conclusions about certain things. It helped me clarify certain issues too which was of invaluable worth personally. I also have seen Reeve's recent tv interviews on Charley Rose and 20/20 in which Reeve handled himself superbly. Everyone should read his book and all that his book can offer many readers. Reeve is a man of worthwhile, powerful social change in a stubborn system. His book gives very important evidence and clues into how the human mind. body and spirit can and does work. Superman is someone we should all pay attention to and he has some very sound ideas and reasons. His book is now among my most selective works and for future rereadings. Great book cover too!
Rating:
Summary: incredible story
Review: I listened to the audio version of this book, read by Mr. Reeve. I found it to be very inspirational, and enjoyed it even more than Still Me. Mr. Reeve discusses in detail the emotional impact of his accident, and how his family helped him to regain his will to live. I liked hearing his views on parenting, religion, and politics. He comes across as very sincere, even detailing his experiences with the Christian Scientists and another alternative group, in his quest for spirituality. It is truly amazing what he has been able to accomplish with his type of injury. First of all, his surviving that type of injury was nothing short of miraculous, and now he has regained some movement and sensation, far beyond what Western medicine previously believed possible. I believe that he has completely changed the way people are going to view spinal cord injuries from now on. It is truly incredible what one person can do by refusing to give up.
Rating:
Summary: Another touching, thought-provoking book by Reeve
Review: I loved Christopher Reeve's autobiography, STILL ME . . . it was
both touching and thought-provoking . . . so is his latest book, NOTHING IS IMPOSSIBLE. This is a collection of stories from his own life, interweaved
with excerpts from speeches and interviews he has given . . . there are also moving pictures, taken by his son Matthew. Reeve contends that we are all capable of overcoming
seemingly insurmountable hardships . . . also, he teaches us
that life is not to be taken for granted--but to be lived fully
with zeal, curiosity and gratitude. Reading this had me laughing at times . . . yet it also
had me teary . . . I do recommend it . . . strongly. There were many memorable passages; among them:
* Occasionally I hear from people with spinal
cord injuries who have been sitting in a wheel-
chair for as much as twenty-one years. Some
tell me that there is no point in searching for a
cure; others even say they are happy with life
the way it is and don't want to be cured. It's
difficult for me to understand their point of
view, but I completely respect those individuals
as long as they don't try to interfere with
progress. Less than a generation ago it would
have been almost irrelevant to ask a patient
with Parkinson's, Alzheimer's, diabetes, muscular
dystrophy, ALS, or a spinal cord injury not to
stand in the way of progress, simply because
there wasn't much. Today all that has changed.
Since the time of my injury, scientists all over
the world have been steadily moving forward,
although they are not progressing as rapidly
as many patients would like. At least they have
been saying publicly, and most of us believe
privately, that it is no longer appropriate or
necessary to use the word "impossible." * I remember thoroughly embarrassing another
nurse her first day on the job. I had been treated
for a skin breakdown in the sacral area, which had
plagued me for months but finally healed. Lying on
my left side I asked her, "How's my butt?" She replied,
"It looks great to me." I said, "I know that. But what
about my skin?" She turned crimson. For a moment
I thought I'd lost her, but thankfully she came back
for her next shift, and after all these years she's still
here checking out my butt on a daily basis. * We spent most of the time talking. I quickly realized
that we'd never really done that before. When Matthew
and Al flew over from England to be with Dana and
me for at least a part of every vacation, I usually picked
them up at the airport in Boston. Then it was a three
hour drive across Massachusetts to our home in the
Berkshires. I remember listening to the radio together
on one of those trips when they were about nine and
five. We tuned in to a variety of stations that played
classical music, rock 'n' roll, contemporary top forty
and oldies. I asked them to identify the meter: Was the
piece in 1 / 2, 3 / 4, 4 / 4, 6 / 8, or something else? How would they describe the tempo of the classical
pieces: adagio, andante, allegro, or something else?
In the rock 'n' roll and contemporary pop selections
could they distinguish between the main melody and
the bridge, also known as the middle eight? Somewhere
along the mass Pike, Al piped up in her chirpy English
accent. "Do you know, Daddy," she said, "this is the first
time in such a long time that we've had a real conversation
about something?" I realized that she was right. Not that
we didn't talk, but usually it was while doing something
else. Now I gave them my full attention, and I soon learned
to listen more than talk. That began a process of discovering
that, in bringing up children and relating to others, some-
times being is more important the doing. I was also to
learn that even if you can't move, you can have a powerful
effect with what you say. One special day in Will's life is a good example. When he
was six, he was still afraid to ride by himself without the
training wheels on his bike. Dana spent hours killing her
back as she bent over to hold his seat as he pedaled
around timidly in front of our garage. I decided to see if
I could help. I told him to start with his left foot on the
ground and to set the right pedal in the fully raised
position. I told him to grab the handlebars, push hard
on the right pedal, and then put his left foot on the other
pedal and keep going, being careful not to over-steer. I
said if he kept his hand steady the bike wouldn't wobble
so much. He listened carefully and got into the ready
position. Then he froze, afraid to make that first push.
I told him to take his time, but added that I was prepared
to sit in the driveway all afternoon until he did it. I
reminded him that I would never ask him to do anything
too scary of too difficult. He didn't complain; he just sat
there for quite a long time assessing the situation. Then
I announced that on the count of three he should start.
I made it a long count, but after three I said, "Go," and
he did it. He pushed down, the bike moved forward,
he got his other foot on the pedal, and off he went. On
his first run he made a complete circle around the
driveway. As he came past my chair the first time, his
face was a study in fierce concentration. The second
time he came by, he was smiling. For the next fifteen
minutes he kept riding around our circular drive, gradually
picking up speed. After that he wanted to go down the
steep hill toward our mailbox, but we saved that for
another day.
Rating:
Summary: More Marketing Than Chris
Review: I mean no disrespect to Mr. Reeve, but he could not have written this book. If he dictated the book to someone it does not show it. While I was reading it I was trying to find Chris Reeve's voice, but I think I found his editor's voice instead. The book is more about marketing Chris Reeve than having him tell his story and because of this I can't say the book is worth reading.
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