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Always Looking Up

the Adventures of An Incurable Optimist /
Jan 31, 2010Hazelnut rated this title 4 out of 5 stars
In Always Looking Up Michael J. fox takes you through the last decade of his life. Rather than being chronologically organized this book takes a thematic approach of his life through work, politics, faith and family. He shares the physical and emotional hardships of life with Parkinsons but like the title suggests Michael is an optimist. Instead of letting Parkinsons disease box him into a corner he actually pulls out the advantages in it. By working less he is able to spend more time with his family and sees this as a blessing not otherwise bestowed upon him. He takes great pride and a sense of accomplishment in his political influence regarding laws on stem cell research and with the remarkable success of the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinsons Research. At times his stories can be somewhat repetitive as situations overlap in the themes of the book and the medical jargon can be a bit bewildering but this is overshadowed with his casualness and honesty. It sometimes felt like he was sitting beside me recounting his life experiences. As a fellow army brat I could really relate to the humour in his childhood stories of growing up in Canada but any fan or anyone struggling with a disease themselves or a family member would definitely be inspired by Michael’s positive attitude.