Rating: 
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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Summary: Nothing Is Impossible - By Ben
Review: The title speaks for itself Nothing Is Impossible. Christopher Reeve is just the person that can prove this point. After a tragic accident he became paralyzed. This book talks about how he has dealt with his new life and how he helps others with the same disability he has.
Chris wrote this book to make people aware of paralysis. He wanted the public to understand what it was and for people to want to find a cure. As you read this, stem cell research (something that could help save people who have been paralyzed) is a big controversy. Should it be legalized? Should it be illegal? Bush gave scientists a few stem cells to work with to try and help progress the technology of stem cell research. But scientists needs more, and that is a point Chris tries to get across.
Superman. We all know him as the hero who fights for "Truth, Justice and the American way." Many of us may know Christopher Reeve who once played Superman on screen. In the first chapter of this book we are introduced to Chris and the decisions he had to make when he became paralyzed. When he was first paralyzed he considered suicide was the way to go. He didn't want to be a burden for the ones he loves. He thought the only way he could make it easier on the people he lived with, and on himself, was suicide. However, his wife convinced him otherwise. His kids are one of the reasons his wife asked him to think twice. How would their life be with no father? Would anyone want to go through life with no Dad? Probably not. Chris realized this and it made him think that being there for his kids would be better then not being there.
As he adapted to being paralyzed, his kids did too. He helped them get through things when they were having trouble. His son Matthew was going through some stressful times during his first year in College, so Chris decided to invite him to come back home and spend a weekend there. He told Matt they were going to see a Rangers game but the real thing he wanted to do was talk. He was there for Matt when he needed someone to talk to which is very important in a someone's life. Chris was always there for his kids whether they wanted him to be or not. Often it is tough for people to deal with it when someone they know is hurt badly. If someone you knew and loved was paralyzed it would be not only a burden on them but you as well because you would have to help them through their lives. Everyone in Chris's life deals with his accident; well they are all willing to help and none of them make him feel bad about what happened to him.
In my opinion this book was great. It made me think about many things in life. One of them being how lucky I am to not be paralyzed. Everyday that I realize this, I'm grateful for people like Christopher Reeve who are paralyzed and who deal with it and try to help others. So someday if this happens to me or someone I know there will be better technology that can help them through it. Chris also makes some really good points about life and why people shouldn't take it for granted. His words truly inspired me to think about life itself and the fact that `Nothing is Impossible'. No book is flawless, and this book can't break that rule. I believe almost every aspect of this book is good. The one thing I don't like about it however is that since he is a celebrity he gets better treatment then everyone else who is paralyzed he can do things that people who aren't famous can't do, and that isn't how it should be.
If someone is looking for an inspiring book, or a book that really shows you how lucky we all are, then this is a great book for you. If you find reading about other people boring and dull, this is still a great book. I don't like reading, and I don't like autobiographies but I like this book and recommend it to anyone who is willing to give some time to read it.
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Summary: Excellent REading, Only Missing an Index and Bibliograpy
Review: This autobiograpy by Christopher Reeve was excellent reading . Not only did it give insights into the emotions of himself ,his family,his friends, his neighbors and his "Health Providers"..but it allows the reader to enter into the "world of "rehabilitation" in a so clever yet not overwhelming textbook way.
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