Always Looking Up: The Adventures of an Incurable Optimist Review
Michael J. Fox has been a world-famous actor since bursting onto the small screen in the 1980s with the popular television series "Family Ties." He hit his peak with the Steven Spielberg-produced Back to the Future trilogy. However, when he woke up one morning 19 years ago with a hangover and twitching left pinky finger, he had no idea what new direction his life would be taking. He was diagnosed then with early-stage Parkinson's disease and now wakes up most mornings with the left pinky finger perfectly still while the rest of his body shakes uncontrollably. He suffers, additionally, from dystonia, a regular complement to Parkinson's that severely cramps his feet, curling them inward.
At times, it is difficult to separate the cherub-like young actor who portrayed Alex P. Keaton and Marty McFly from the 47-year-old man stricken with such a horrible, debilitating disease. With his first memoir, LUCKY MAN, Fox went through his life leading up to his battle with Parkinson's. His latest effort, ALWAYS LOOKING UP, deals specifically with the past 10 years of his life. He has broken the book up into thematic sections rather than a chronology, which represent the primary driving forces of his current life: work, politics, faith and family.
In "Work," Fox talks about his decision to leave his last regular television series, "Spin City." He decided halfway through the fourth season that his physical condition would not allow him to do a fifth, and even struggled to finish that difficult fourth. He kept his condition a secret to everyone involved with the show, though it became obvious to those around him that something was wrong. He jokes about the condition known as Parkinson's Mask that would freeze his face, thereby giving the appearance of being upset and non-responsive --- personality traits quite unlike what he usually portrayed. Following "Spin City" he devoted himself to battling and raising awareness about Parkinson's. Ironically, he had to quit his day job to do his life's work.
Witnessing other celebrities raising awareness for their own illnesses --- particularly Lance Armstrong in his battle against cancer --- pointed Fox in the direction he needed to go. In October 2000, with the assistance of Debi Brooks (formerly of Goldman Sachs), he formed The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research to raise money for the global treatment of Parkinson's. Along with other famous people also stricken with this disease --- Muhammad Ali, Pope John Paul II, Billy Graham --- Fox has been able to put a public face on this horrible disease. The foundation has funded nearly two million dollars, making it the leading private organization of its kind.
Being a Canadian, Fox was not terribly involved in U.S. politics. This quickly changed with the formation of his foundation as he was forced to venture into the political arena to ensure that proper funding was given to the battle and research of Parkinson's. In the Politics section of the book, he discusses his becoming a spokesman for scientific freedom and stem cell research. The foundation does not receive any federal funding, which has allowed him to remain non-partisan. However, the Bush administration's strong stance against stem cell research did not make things easy for him. Fox realized he was knee-deep in a political battle when the infamous accusations of Rush Limbaugh in 2006 went public regarding Fox's pro-stem cell commercials that ran during the World Series. Limbaugh went so far as to call Fox a "faker" and claimed he purposely refused to take regular medication in order to look more pathetic on the televised ad. While never directly receiving an apology, he at least scored a minor victory when Limbaugh retracted most of his statements publicly. As Fox puts it: "To characterize hope as some sort of malady or some kind of flaw of character or national weakness is really counter to what this country is about."
With the Faith section, Fox speaks not only to his own faith as a lapsed Catholic, but to his support of Judaism, the religion of his wife, Tracy. They have raised their four children under Judaic guidelines and gave each of them the choice of having a Bar or Bat Mitzvah; they all decided to go through with this important transitional ritual. He had become happily immersed in the community and culture of American Reform Judaism. His first child's name, Sam, was appealing because it respected the faith of his wife. Fox jokes that he has always had a Jewish influence in his career, and producer Garry Marshall complemented him on his Jewish timing with comedy. He also points out that the midwestern WASP character of Alex P. Keaton on "Family Ties" was largely the creation of a team of Jewish writers led by Gary David Goldberg from Brooklyn. This section ends with the sad recollection of the death of his sister, K.C., as the result of a massive brain hemorrhage. As the family gathered in her hospital room to say their goodbyes, they were crying, laughing and singing --- but all had faith!
The final section of the book is entitled "Family." The Foxes are blessed with four healthy children --- one son and three daughters, including a set of twins. Fox indicates that Parkinson's is always putting him in a box, and Tracy has become an expert at folding back the flaps, tipping it over, and easing him out. The most touching part of this section is when Fox recounts one of the many road trips his family made across Canada during his youth --- and the bonding effect this had on everyone. He then describes what he calls The Great Road Trip of '97 when he and Sam did a cross-country tour of the U.S. The most powerful family story is when he describes the impact of 9/11; he was in California and secured a personal driver to take him all the way to New York City to be with his family, who had been so close to Ground Zero on that infamous day.
Fox's attitude throughout the writing of this memoir is indeed very optimistic. As a longtime fan of his, it is nice to be able to see him again on the small screen as part of a four-episode arc on FX's "Rescue Me." ALWAYS LOOKING UP puts you right inside Fox's battle and efforts against Parkinson's, and constantly reminds you of the most important things in his life that make this struggle all worthwhile.
Always Looking Up: The Adventures of an Incurable Optimist Overview
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.
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