Always Looking Up: The adventures of an Incurable Optimist, Michael J. Fox (3)
This is Michael J. Fox’s 2nd of 3 non-fiction memoir-like books, the first in 2003, this in 2009 and recently in 2010. I was drawn to it as I’ve always enjoyed his acting work, I appreciate his efforts to further stem cell research, and, frankly, I just find him very likable. There were 3 things about this book that I really liked: (1) his warm stories of everyday life that show him as a very loving and appreciative father; (2) the details of a famous person battling a personal and political challenge from the ground level; and (3) his very strong relationship with his wife (not all famous people act like Arnold or Mr. Weiner!). Oddly, as optimistic as he is, I didn’t think the theme was overly optimistic. I was somewhat depressed by what he’s had to go through. A large part of the book deals with the last days of his acting in ‘Spin City’, his transition to philanthropy for Parkinson’s and his political obstacles. I was uplifted by his ability to move forward and appreciate all he has, but I was saddened by the delays in research based on who is in the oval office (in the early 2000’s, public support was for stem cells use in research, congress and the senate passed it, but Bush would veto. Not until a midterm election, where the democrats won the senate, did they get the 2/3 majority to override the veto.) No matter what your views on politics, Michael J. Fox does have a very interesting story and I left the book with even more respect for him and his attitude than I had started it.
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