Rating: 
Summary: Inspirational!
Review: I picked up this book at my school's library and started glancing through it. It's possibly one of the most motivational and inspirational books I've seen! Reeve recounts all of his trials and how he learned to function again. Throughout it all, he stayed strong with his wife Dana, who supported him through everything. A must read!
Rating:
Summary: Great book! Truly inspiring!
Review: I will be reading and re-reading this book for years to come. It is a look at Christopher's life thru his eyes since his tragic horseriding accident. It discusses such things as his view on religion, his family and how they react to him since the accident, his sense of humor and politics. He makes great arguements for the stem cell research ban to be overturned. I found this to be a wonderful book and I'm giving them as early Christmas gifts to my friends & family. He is a super man!
Rating: 
Summary: Way To Go Superman"
Review: I'd like to say that I have always been a huge fan of Christopher Reeve, and I'd like to add that I also think he is a very brave and wonderful man. He has always been and continues to be an inspiration to many, many people. As Eddie Murphy would perhaps say, 'Ya got to keep on truckin!
Rating:
Summary: Moving
Review: I'm trying to understand some of the negative reviews of this book claiming Christopher Reeve's shared too much of his real experience as a disabled person, or conversely did not write authentically enough. After reading this book I was struck by Mr. Reeve's unpretentious cander and humor. Instead of boring me, I found his portrait of life vividly carried me into a world I have not been aware of, and also thrilled me because of the exciting possibilities in this century of unlocking not only the secrets of nervous tissue regeneration from new research with stem cells, but from the body's own regenerative abilities. This book affected me on three levels -- it was stimulating mentally, and emotionally (great story), and last but not least, spiritually moving -- it stuck with me, and changed me in ways I could not have expected when I picked it up.
Rating:
Summary: A Restorative Tonic of Hope & Compassion
Review: In NOTHING IS IMPOSSIBLE, Christopher Reeve describes his life after becoming paralyzed from a fall off a horse. He awakened every morning, "to emerge from the dreams in which I'm completely healthy and able to do anything and adjust to the reality of paralysis." As Reeve learned to find humor in everyday life as a way to cope with his anger, his family, friends, and medical care-givers helped him maintain a regular program of physical exercise. Because he believed it was possible to recover his health and he never gave up a regular exercise program, he was able to shock his doctors one day by wiggling his fingers! While he has not yet freed himself from his wheelchair, the very fact that Reeve is regaining motor control below his neck provides hope to people everywhere. I was profoundly moved by NOTHING IS IMPOSSIBLE, because Reeve so clearly conveys the importance of cultivating compassion; when we feel and respond to the needs of others, there is hope for us all. When Reeve writes, "It is impossible to legislate compassion, yet that is what is needed most," he explains how it is possible for people to rise above any challenge by helping one another. Reeve's message of hope and compassion is truly a restorative tonic for our times.
Rating:
Summary: Why all the sour grapes?
Review: In reading some of the slam reviews, I have to wonder why some people were offended by Mr. Reeve's discussing his medical condition and daily life. A little too much reality for them maybe? I read the book yesterday in one sitting and was glad to hear his perspective on the different topics. His writing shows him to be a person of intelligence, courage, and no small amount of self knowledge. Catastrophe does that, doesn't it? Makes us bitter or makes us better; our choice.
Rating:
Summary: An Inspiration
Review: My experience has been that physically challenged people are some of the happiest people I know. Since most of us have all our faculties, and are often unhappy, we have so much to learn from people like Christopher Reeve. He and others like him are a true inspiration.
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Summary: Nothing Is Impossible
Review: Nothing is Impossible is a book about Christopher Reeve's life after becoming a quadriplegic, paralyzed from the shoulders down, after a horse riding accident. His amazing attitude in dealing with this horrific tragedy is truly remarkable. The struggles he must face just to attempt the basic activities of daily life are mind-boggling. He is truly an inspiration. He would wake up every morning, "to emerge from the dreams in which I'm completely healthy and able to do anything and adjust to the reality of paralysis." Thinking that living life like a "fourty-two-year-old infant" wouldn't be acceptable he had thoughts of suicide. His wife and children still thought of him as the same man, only different, so he decided to forget about suicide. Chris learned to find humor in everyday life. By developing some motor skills and being able to move his left fingers he has shocked doctors and provided hope for many people.
This novel exposed a lot of the ideas Chris has on life, religion, and the world. He writes, "I firmly believe that medical research is the key to eliminating disease, reducing human suffering, and lowering health care costs." He has made a big impact on raising funds for spinal cord research and working to raise lifetime caps on insurance and make the cost decrease.
I like how the different stories he included make the book flow nicely. One example of a story he tells is about a nurse that was helping him. She asked how he was doing that day and he replied, "Well, my throat's a little scratchy, I have an itch on my nose, and my fingernails need cutting. Oh-and I'm paralyzed." The parts of the book I didn't like were the chapters about faith and religion. I don't think that these chapters fit into the message the book was sending.
I would recommend this book to other readers. It's a fast book that's easy to read and it holds your attention throughout the entire book. The book also sends a message and really makes you think about how hard it would be to live with a spinal cord injury.
Rating:
Summary: Inspirational and informative, despite its short length
Review: NOTHING IS IMPOSSIBLE is a slender book, but its size does not matter. A book doesn't have to be weighty to contain a good story or a powerful idea --- and author Christopher Reeve has both. The first part of Reeve's story is familiar enough; he experienced a fall from a horse that rendered him suddenly unable to even breathe on his own due to a spinal
cord injury. His physical abilities nothing like the Superman we have come to equate him to. However, Reeve's disability did not overshadow his abilities. He eventually was able to return to work and a productive life directing one movie and starring in another. The unique part of the story would come later, and that is the story that is chronicled in NOTHING IS IMPOSSIBLE. After undergoing an initial period of rehabilitation for his injuries, Reeve started on an aggressive regimen of physical therapy, involving exercise and electrical stimulation. Unlike many people with spinal cord injuries, Reeve had the financial resources available to continue physical therapy after the period stipulated by his health insurance policy. Generally, people with spinal cord injuries may experience some improvement shortly after their injuries, but little improvement years after. By using a stationary bicycle and a specially designed table allowing his body to tilt to an upright position, Reeve hoped to regain some level of functionality, and perhaps even walk again. The results so far have been extraordinary. Reeve recovered to an extent that doctors thought would be impossible so long after his injury; regaining feeling and sensation over a large part of his body, and moving the index finger on his left hand independently. These small steps show large amounts of progress for Reeve, and may result in new thinking about treatments for others with spinal cord injuries. This is a story that, by now, is almost familiar due to the concentrated media coverage the media has devoted to Reeve's progress. However, this story is only a small part of NOTHING IS IMPOSSIBLE. Only one chapter in the book is devoted to Reeve's recovery, with the rest of the book discussing other issues such as the role of humor in his life, and his experiences parenting his children. As Reeve has spent considerable time and energy in
advocating for stem-cell research and insurance reform, there are long stretches of the book that deal with his efforts to work with members of Congress to reach these goals. And for such a thin book, there is a surprising amount of information about Reeve and his evolving religious beliefs --- including his wry retelling of two visits from purported "faith healers". There are two very common errors that people make when writing about disability. The first is to treat people with disabilities as objects of pity; passive victims in a world they never made. The second is to treat people with disabilities as heroes; crediting them for immense amounts of courage and valor for doing things that others take for granted. Reeve, as you might expect, falls into neither trap. NOTHING IS IMPOSSIBLE is written completely without either corrosive self-pity or false vanity. In many ways, it is a completely ordinary book --- and that may be its greatest strength. Its greatest weakness, however, is that the book is perhaps too small to tell Christopher Reeve's extraordinary story as it deserves to be told. --- Reviewed by Curtis Edmonds ....
Rating:
Summary: Inspirational
Review: Nothing Is Impossible is an inspirational book with stories by Christopher Reeve about his life after his spinal cord injury.
There is no better way to learn than directly from someone who has already been through it all. And this book is definately an amazing lesson on life.
I was interested in reading about his views on religion and his marriage. He was a great actor, and really was inspiring with his message.
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