Wednesday, December 30, 2009

Always Looking Up: The Adventures of an Incurable Optimist by Michael J. Fox

★★★★

A really easy and satisfying read. Always Looking Up picks up where Lucky Man leaves off, both in content and time. Once again, I am struck by Michael J. Fox's writing abilities. He writes with grace and wit, even humor (especially when he writes about being a father). As in Lucky Man, he jumps around chronologically, so you really want to read the date at the beginning of each passage, if you want to put events into context.

This book focuses primarily on Fox's experiences with Parkinson's Disease, and he does a remarkable job describing the symptoms and helping the reader to understand what a PD patient goes through. For Fox, it's not so much a "battle" with PD; the way he explains it, it's more like a journey.

Through his chapters on work and politics, Fox illustrates why celebrities are so uniquely positioned for philanthropy: besides bringing attention to whatever particular cause they support, they also have the money and means to fundraise and simply "get things done."

Having known nothing in advance about Fox's ideas on religion, the chapter on faith was particularly interesting. I was impressed with his self-awareness and insight. The kind of acceptance and inclusion he writes about spoke to me in terms of my own religious outlook.

Overall, an uplifting book. In his late 40's, Fox is younger than the age at which most patients are diagnosed with Parkinson's, yet, having Young Onset PD, he's lived with it for 18 years already. Still, he seems genuinely appreciative of every piece of good fortune in his life.

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