Always Looking Up

The Adventures of an Incurable Optimist

by
Michael J. Fox

Hyperion, March 2009, 279 pp.
ISBN: 978-1-4013-0338-9

Genre: Non-Fiction

Subgenre: Autobiography / Parkinson's Disease
Reviewed: 8/18/2009

Reviewed by: Conan Tigard

Book Cover

Excerpt

The Phone Rang Again.

It was my mom. She didn't even ask if it was me, but instead, immediately led with the question "Are you okay?"

There's a way people ask that question, teeming with the certainty that you aren't, that makes you do a quick scan of your extremities and put the back of your hand to your forehead just to make sure that indeed, you are, before answering in the affirmative.

"What an idiot that man is. I'm so mad I can't see straight."

"Mom, it's all right."

"He's just ignorant. He has no idea what he's talking about!"

"That's why it's okay. No serious person will take him seriously."

As we talked, it became clear that what had my Mom especially fired up, aside from the natural maternal instinct to defend her kid, was her recollection of the day the ads were filmed, how upset she was to see me struggle with dyskinesias.

"I didn't even know you were listening to his show."

"I don't," she said. "But other people do, and they've been calling. Then I saw him imitating you on TV and I was so livid."

"You saw him doing what?" I said. This was the first I'd heard of this.

"He was imitating you, making fun of you--wiggling, shaking, squirming around."

Jesus, Hunter S. Thompson was right. When the going gets weird, the weird definitely do turn pro.

My subsequent telephone conversation with Tracy went a long way toward keeping my head in the right place. Sensibly, she was neither as angry as my mother nor as baffled as I still seemed to be.

"Congratulations," she said. "You got their attention."

Tracy, as she so often does, had hit the nail on the head. I has the attention not only of Rush Limbaugh and his "ditto heads," but also of those in the media and general public drawn to the sound of their complaints. The attention had created an opportunity to educate. I'd have to give a little more thought as to how best capitalize on that opportunity. In the meantime, John's first public comment on my behalf was a step in the right direction. "It's a shameful statement. It's appallingly sad that people who don't understand Parkinson's disease feel compelled to make these comments. Anyone who understands the disease knows that it is because of the medications that Parkinson's sufferers experience dyskinesias."

Synopsis

The book is divided up into four sections:

1. Work - In this section, Michael J. Fox talks about his struggles to act on Spin City and some of his movies with Parkinson's disease,
2. Politics - This section is about how Michael formed the Michael J. Fox Foundation and his struggle to get stem-cell research funding,
3. Faith - This section is about how he and his wife have raised their kids in the Jewish tradition, and Family - This final section talks about his struggles with Parkinson's disease and how his family has helped him though the hard times.

Throughout these four sections, Michael J. Fox discusses what Parkinson's disease is, how it affects him, and how he and his foundation are trying to rid the world of this debilitating disease.

Always Looking Up: The Adventures of an Incurable Optimist is a nonfiction book about Michael J. Fox's struggles with Parkinson's disease through Work, Politics, Faith and Family and the steps has has achieved to cure this debilitating disease.

Review

I grew up watching Michael J. Fox on Family Ties as Alex P. Keaton. Since he is only a few years older than me, I always felt a kinship for Michael and he became one of my favorite actors. Then, when Back to the Future hit the theatres, I went and saw the movie twice because I love it so much (I cannot even count the number of times I have watched it on VHS and DVD since). Spin City was one of my favorite comedies in the 1990's and I was bummed when Michael had to leave the show because of Parkinson's disease. His last movie, The Frighteners, is one of my favorites. I absolutely love it while my daughter enjoys watching Greedy People.

To say that Michael J. Fox was a powerful influence in my life growing up is an understatement. When he announced that he had Parkinson's disease and would no longer be acting, I felt for him and knew that I would miss seeing him on television and the big screen.

As for Always Looking Up: The Adventures of an Incurable Optimist, I absolutely loved it. I am not a huge non-fiction reader, and have barely read any autobiographies, but I can say that this book will remain a part of me long after I have finished reading it. Michael does a wonderful job with his story-telling and the book is both fun and insightful.

My father sent me this book because he just found out this year that at age 77 he has Parkinson's disease. While talking on the phone with him a month ago, he found out from his tests that he does not have a severe case, although I don't know what that means. What it has affected is his memory. He definitely isn't as sharp as he used to be, or as a mechanical engineer who graduated from US Berkeley should be. This book has given me an indication to some of the things that my father may have to go though in the near future.

Overall, Always Looking Up: The Adventures of an Incurable Optimist is an excellent read and I highly recommend it.

I rated this book a 9½ out of 10.