Book info

• Title A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Future
• Author Michael J. Fox
• Year 2010
• Genre Memoir

Michael J. Fox abandoned high school to pursue an acting career, but went on to receive honorary degrees from several universities and garner the highest accolades for his acting, as well as for his writing. In his new book, he inspires and motivates graduates to recognize opportunities, maximize their abilities, and roll with the punches--all with his trademark optimism, warmth, and humor. In A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Future, Michael draws on his own life experiences to make a case that real learning happens when 'life goes skidding sideways.' He writes of coming to Los Angeles from Canada at age eighteen and attempting to make his way as an actor. Fox offers up a comically skewed take on how, in his own way, he fulfilled the requirements of a college syllabus. He learned Economics as a starving artist; an unexpected turn as a neophyte activist schooled him in Political Science; and his approach to Comparative Literature involved stacking books up against their movie versions.

Thoughts

A super quick read, this is aimed at graduates and students as they embark on the world after leaving education. Fox is keen to reiterate he’s not giving advice but rather telling the brief story of his life to illustrate that things will probably work out okay, as long as you work hard.

Having previously read the more detailed autobiography, this was really just a rehashing of those facts that meant I sped through it in super quick time. But it was nice to be reminded of the lessons learned, and most importantly to come to the end sentence: “Live to learn.” That’s my goal, anyway.

Rating: 3 / 5