Always looking up : the adventures of an incurable optimist / Michael J. Fox.

Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:

There are many words to describe Michael J. Fox: Actor. Husband. Father. Activist. But readers of Always Looking Up will soon add another to the list: Optimist. Michael writes about the hard-won perspective that helped him see challenges as opportunities. Instead of building walls around himself, he developed a personal policy of engagement and discovery: an emotional, psychological, intellectual, and spiritual outlook that has served him throughout his struggle with Parkinson's disease. Michael's exit from a very demanding, very public arena offered him the time-and the inspiration-to open up new doors leading to unexpected places. One door even led him to the center of his own family, the greatest destination of all.

The last ten years, which is really the stuff of this book, began with such a loss: my retirement from Spin City. I found myself struggling with a strange new dynamic: the shifting of public and private personas. I had been Mike the actor, then Mike the actor with PD. Now was I just Mike with PD Parkinson's had consumed my career and, in a sense, had become my career. But where did all of this leave Me? I had to build a new life when I was already pretty happy with the old one..

Always Looking Up is a memoir of this last decade, told through the critical themes of Michael's life: work, politics, faith, and family. The book is a journey of self-discovery and reinvention, and a testament to the consolations that protect him from the ravages of Parkinson's.

With the humor and wit that captivated fans of his first book, Lucky Man, Michael describes how he became a happier, more satisfied person by recognizing the gifts of everyday life.

Reviews provided by Syndetics

Library Journal Review

Fox (www.michaeljfox.org), whose 2002 memoir, Lucky Man, was a No. 1 New York Times best seller, here continues his story, sharing the personal philosophy that has carried him through life and presenting touching accounts of, e.g., his sister's death, a cross-country car trip with his youngest son, and his struggle with Parkinson's disease and its effect on his family. Through all the pain and joy, Fox stays positive, never slipping into self-pity. This successful abridgment will appeal to fans of Fox and people dealing with Parkinson's disease. [Audio clip available through www.hyperionbooks.com; see Major Audio Releases, LJ 3/15/09; the Hyperion hc, published in March, was a New York Times best seller.-Ed.]-Stephen L. Hupp, West Virginia Univ. Lib., Parkersburg (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Publishers Weekly Review

Considering that this audio book opens with the author detailing the laborious steps necessary just to get out of bed, it's miraculous that Fox's voice sounds just as charming, stalwart and nearly as steady as it did during his long film and television career. There are no frills of any kind with this recording, but none are needed; Fox's tale is engrossing on its own. He pulls no punches describing the hardships--both physical and emotional--that accompanied his diagnosis with Parkinson's, but listeners are quickly reminded that for every challenge the disease brought, Fox trained himself to find the silver lining. The first CD is enhanced with five photos (both viewable and printable) featuring Fox; his wife of two decades, Tracy Pollan; their children; and his eponymous foundation--photos are accessible by using the embedded PDF or via a Web link. A Hyperion hardcover. (Apr.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved