"Always Looking Up: The Adventures of an Incurable Optimist"

by Michael J. Fox, non-fiction, 2009, 279p, rating=4

"At the turn from our bedroom into the hallway, there is an old full-length mirror in a wooden frame.  I can't help but catch a glimpse of myself as I pass.  Turning fully toward the glass, I consider what I see.  This reflected version of myself, wet, shaking, rumpled, pinched, and slightly stooped, would be alarming were it not for the self-satisfied expression pasted across my face.  I would ask the obvious question, 'What are you smiling about?' but I already know the answer:  'It just gets better from here.' "

This is the second autobiography that Mr. Fox (kinda weird to be so formal considering I had posters of him all over my bedroom wall as a giddy teenager) wrote.  The first titled Lucky Man, which I haven't read.  This one basically memoirs his life after retiring from his hit TV sitcom, Spin City in 2000.  He divided this book into four parts:  work, politics, faith, and family. 

Non-fiction books can be a tedious read so finding an interesting subject becomes essential.  Needless to say, Michael J. Fox was an interesting "subject" for me.  Then having read this book, I find him even more interesting.  He's quite a stand up guy.  Inspirational, funny, intelligent, philanthropic, and yes, optimistic.  Most of his adventures were a delight to read.  It was a refreshing look at his personal life.

I most enjoyed his stories involving his families ...parents, siblings, wife, and kids.  His story of his sister K.C. was especially heartwrenching.  Moreover, his relationship with his wife and kids jumped out as sincere love and devotion.  I'm such a sucker for stories reflecting solid marriage and parenting.

Of course, he discussed his adventures with having Parkinson's disease.  He went through a grieving process but quickly turned it into a fight and built a Michael J. Fox Foundation with an initial pitch of "I need you to help me go out of business." (pg 55).  His determination to find a cure eventually lead him to be in the political arena, namely pushing for the stem cell project.  There he found hurdles but some good news in the long run came.

This was an overall lovely read.  A good man sharing his hopeful journey with upbeat perspective.