A memoir in which actor Michael J. Fox shares the story of his life, discussing his childhood in Canada, his career in show business, his marriage and family, and his struggle with Parkinson's disease. The fact that Fox wrote this memoir himself was enough to hook me! I thought it was very well done. I was taken in by the conversational tone of the book, and how he interweaves the past and present. I found this book, on one level, easy to read and, as a fan of Family Ties and Back to the Future, satisfying.
As we were looking for titles intended to inspire and motivate students could this book work? How many students would know who Alex P. Keaton was? Did they ever see Back to the Future or Doc Hollywood? Would they pick up this book? I'm not sure. It might take some selling, but for students, either with parents suffering from an illness, or if they are battling an illness themselves, I thought this book could be extremely inspiring. I am amazed that, after reading this book, Michael J. Fox had me convinced that he was indeed a better man because of his struggles with Parkinson's disease. No easy feat. I appreciated his optimism and honesty in talking about his early Hollywood years (did not gloss over too much) and with his struggles.
I am anxious to see what you all thought, I wonder if my opinion is clouded by my age and television viewing habits!
Lucky Man was a great book, a quick read as well as something I really enjoyed reading. First, to have say I was inspired that Michael J. Fox wrote this book himself. He appeared to be honest in his accounts of his life, mixing some of the good with some of the not so good. I was surprised when he claimed that being afflicted with Parkinson's disease made him a lucky man. I really liked the way he looked at what made him lucky instead of feeling sorry for himself.
ReplyDeleteI have to agree with Kathy unless students know Michael J. Fox and his career they may not be interested. However, if they know someone dealing with an illness it may be an inspirational read. I found myself thinking of the many universal concepts (from the English 4 portfolio project) that are included in Fox's story. Perhaps this is a book we can use for the seniors.
Overall, I really enjoyed reading Lucky Man. I look forward to reading his newest novel, Always Looking Up.
"Lucky Man" was a good book. As Kathy said, I may be influenced by the fact that I saw the first run of Family Ties (which I loved as a teen) and most of Michael's movies. It was a very honest look at his life and illness told in conversational style. It was clear that his life in the "bubble" was on the fast track to destruction until he began dealing with his illness. The way he turned his life around and remained positive is inspirational.
ReplyDeleteI'm not sure if the story would appeal to students who are unfamiliar with his work. Following the behind the scenes dealings and tracking the progression of his illness in relation to his work was a large part of the appeal for me, but it may be lost on someone unfamiliar especially when he jumps around chronologically. If a student was interested in or researching Parkinson's disease I could see this book as a good, entertaining source.
This was a great first choice!
I have to admit that I was a big fan of Alex P. Keaton's, and of the relationship that brewed on the set of Family Ties between Michael and Tracy Pollen's characters. I was even further entertained by their actual romantic relationship in real life. Yes, I was one of those mentioned in the book who also closely followed Princess Diana's life and death, I still have the newspaper and magazine clippings to prove it.
ReplyDeleteDid I enjoy reading the book? Yes, but only in its entirety. I struggled through the first fifty or so pages as Michael was delving into his family history. I found this part of the book difficult to follow, in part as a result of Michael's writing style and also because I was turned off to constant drinking references and use of obscenities. As I progressed through the story, I realized that the story had to be written this way so that Michael could evolve into what was a "Lucky Man".
The book was an easy read, and I admired Michael's courage in sharing such a personal story. I truly value the message at the end. Happiness for Michael wasn't found so much in fame or fortune, but in the blessing and joy that comes from appreciating his family and honestly opening his life up to others. In the end, a great message for our students.
I don't know if our students have enough of a memory of actor Michael J. Fox to follow the story with genuine interest. Students might be intrigued by the rise of his acting career and also might enjoy his writing style. Once into it, the message is a great one. Personally, I think Michael's wife Tracy is to be admired for her courage, strength, and devotion.
I agree with the previous comment...that the story needed to be written in such a way as to illustrate the decadent life style Michael lived for many years, before turning things around and becoming "lucky." As I said earlier, I can't believe it, but he really did convince me that his contracting Parkinson's really did save his life. I think he would have been a Hollywood statistic by now if he hadn't.
ReplyDeleteAnd, I'm glad I'm not the only Family Ties fan in the group! :-)
I was recently talking with someone who read the new Andre Agassi autobiography and she mentioned reading about Andre's similar out of control Hollywood lifestyle. It struck me how common the abuses are within the celebrity community. Just as when Michael described his lawsuit defense as being out of touch with his own life, it seems Andre had his own entourage or "bubble" who took care of everything. I agree that Michael's message of what is truly valuable in life is great for our students.
ReplyDeleteI have to admit that I had a bit of trouble getting into the book. The obscenities turned me off, but I did not find they too offensive. I had more of a problem following his writing style. It seemed that he would begin a story, go off on a 5 page tangant, and then return to his original story. Although I did not feel compelled to read the book, once I started I enjoyed the relaxed nature of his storytelling.
ReplyDeleteI feel that by describing his Hollywood lifestyle, Fox was painting an accurate picture of his past and not leaving any parts out. I think it was also serving as a warning to others just how "different" a Hollywood lifestyle can be from a normal life. I was relieved that Fox found his saving grace before getting in too deep.
I highly doubt that our students would enjoy this book... they have no clue who Michael J. Fox is (such a shame)! As an avid fan of Family Ties and Back to the Future I was glad that I read the book and saw Fox describe how a seemingly negative life change can actually become a positive
I was extremely excited to hear about the book choice. I love and have always loved Michael J. Fox. I was not just a Family Ties or Back to the Future fan, but I also enjoyed Teen Wolf and Doc Hollywood. These shows were a memorable part of my childhood and teen years. However, with that said, I am not sure if many of our students could recognize these shows when mentioned by name. But this created a wonderful interest and excitement to learn more about his life - his life, not the life that was portrayed on television.
ReplyDeleteI struggled to get into the book at first like Cheri shared. It felt too detailed to me, mentioning every aspect of his life, not leaving anything out and I lost interest. As a result, I put it down for a few weeks and finished it this weekend. Once I got past the first 40 pages or so it was a quick read. It was inspiring and eye opening. I'm glad that I gave it a second chance.
I have a few friends in my life right now that are going through cancer and like Parkinson,the illness can drain you, break you emotionally and crush your spirit if you let it. Michael's adversity, perseverance, and story was incredible to read. In addition, my friends are inspiring...they are sharing their story, making a difference and finding this negative illness and making themselves a stronger person. They don't find themselves lucky, but blessed to find out the strength that they have inside them that they never knew existed.
Michael also starred in the movie, The Secrets to My Success at a peek in his career. This movie portrays life as success in your job, making money, fame, and climbing up the corporate ladder. In this movie and the sterotype that many have of hollywood actors you see that their goal and see that as their definition of success. Often times, our students see that as well. But often times the message about success being family and friends, taking negatives and turning them into positives, perseverance and dedication are often not shared.
I was not excited about reading this book, but I liked it enough to finish. I am impressed with how intelligent he is. His language is engaging and enjoyable. I liked the comments and anecdotes about his grandmother. I feel a connection because I had an aunt who always believed in me.
ReplyDeleteI think my thespian students may enjoy the book but don't think I could hit the masses with this one. I thought of one student in particular and speaking to him about the book was fun. I think he may try to read it once his performance in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory is over.
The one thing about reading non fiction is that you pick up these pieces of trivia that stay with you. I will never forget how he actually hung himself on the set of Back to the Future.
I really respect his honesty!
So, I feel like the odd duck. I just did not like this book. I felt like he didn't really address a large audience. If you didn't know him or weren't familiar with his work, I just don't know that this book would be as powerful as it could have been. The description of the whole Hollywood lifestyle, the bubble, the out-of-control nature of life at that point for him just lost me as an interested party. I agree that his writing style was disjointed. And not in a Holden Caulfield effective stream-of-consciousness kind of way. It was distracting and detracted from his overall purpose in my opinion. I always liked him, I respect him as an intelligent individual who has struggled through things I have been lucky enough to avoid thus far. I just felt that this book, as a whole, failed to come across as a strong, cohesive piece.
ReplyDeleteI guess I'm another one of the Michael J. Fox fan club from long ago. So I was very happy to have an excuse to read his book. Like all of you, my response to it was a mix of disappointment and admiration, depending on what part of the book I was reading. I enjoyed reading about his early life and was able to get past the mental meanderings on which he took us. I tired very quickly of the "I have so much pressure on me because I'm a Hollywood star" rantings. I remembered faintly hearing about his drinking problem but never really believed it was as bad as the tabloids gossiped about.
ReplyDeletePart of me thinks that if it weren't for his relationship with his wife, the guy would probably have drank himself to death. Her strong personality and her strong faith in him (and them together), I think, was the one stable factor he had.
I found the final chapters in which he really illustrated for us what Parkinson's has been for him and how it's changed him to be much more satisfying. I guess it all added up to character development but I just got lost for much of the middle of the book. I admire him for his honesty and realize that for an autobiography this is probably a pretty good one. I think I'm just a person who tires of the confessional tones one always gets in an autobiography. I would never pick up this autobiography except for the fact that he struggled with Parkinson's at such a young age. The fact that he has now become a spokesman when in the beginning he did not have an interest in doing so and did not even want to go public, makes this a worthwhile read for me. However, I don't think I would make it a whole class read, as many of you have stated. I agree with this for all the same reasons you've stated. I will keep it in mind for individual reads for students interested in people struggling with disease.
I was definitely inspired by reading about Michael J. Fox's journey with Parkinson's disease. It is something that very few people know much about. I had heard of the disease, but really didn't understand the full implications of it. When he received his diagnosis he could have gone into (and stayed in) a desperate tail-spin, but, with the help of his family, he was able to make the most of a difficult situation.
ReplyDeleteUnfortunately, as many of you have mentioned, Michael J. Fox does not have the star appeal with today's youth as he did back in the 80s and 90s, so I don't think students would appreciate the lessons and inspirations of his life the way they would if it were a present-day movie or tv star.
Overall, it was a great, and inspiring read, but only because I enjoyed watching Michael J. Fox while growing up, but I don't think that students as a whole would be interested enough to stick with it and take the important lessons and inspirations from it.
I remember Family Ties and the Back to the Future movies. My first thought was to buy a copy for my son who grew up during the "Future" series. The book was very inspirational and effective at making us look at the really important things in life. I loved his grandmother and wished I had a relative like her. It was interesting that his very structured, traditional family backed him in his quest. Reading this book made me feel like I was going through his denial, acceptance, and embracing his illness with him. I agree that our students would have to be prompted to pick up the book because they are not familiar with the name. Did anyone notice him on the Vancouver ads during the Olympics? Once we got the students to start, I don't think they would put the book down util they was finished.
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