Book info

• Title Lucky Man
• Author Michael J. Fox
• Year 2002
• Genre Memoir

In September 1998, Michael J. Fox stunned the world by announcing that he had been diagnosed with Parkinson's disease - in fact, he had been secretly fighting it for seven years. In this candid book, with his trademark ironic sensibility and sense of the absurd, he tells his life story - from his childhood in western Canada to his meteoric rise in film and television and, most importantly, the years in which - with the unswerving support of his wife, family and friends - he has dealt with his illness. He talks about what Parkinson's has given him: the chance to appreciate a wonderful life and career, and the opportunity to help search for a cure and spread public awareness of the disease. He feels as if he is a very lucky man indeed.

Thoughts

We were watching the recent Back to the Future documentary when it suddenly occurred to me that I’m a huge fan of the films and of Michael J, but I haven’t yet read his books. It was easy to put that right, and very hard to put this one down.

Fox has such an easy way of writing, making you comfortable with his style and grace, despite some of the difficult subjects at hand - dealing with fame, that awful diagnosis, and how illness can change you for the better.

I was hooked from the beginning, revelling in this calm and rational way of looking at and dealing with the world. It can be a difficult place, but Fox has such a humour and humility about it all, that it was inspiring to read. I liked how it dipped back and forth a bit, but was generally chronological, from his childhood through to his recent advocacy work with his Parkinson’s Disease foundation. Inspiring and insightful, I highly recommend this whether you’re a fan or not.

Rating: 5 / 5