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The same sharp intelligence and self-deprecating wit that made Michael J. Fox a star in the Family Ties TV series and Back to the Future make this a lot punchier than the usual up-from-illness celebrity memoir. Yes, he begins with the first symptoms of Parkinson's disease, the incurable illness that led to his retirement from Spin City (and acting) in 2000. And yes, he assures us he is a better, happier person now than he was before he was diagnosed. In Fox's case, you actually might believe it, because he then cheerfully exposes the insecurities and self-indulgences of his pre-Parkinson's life in a manner that makes them not glamorous but wincingly ordinary and of course very funny. ("As for the question, 'Does it bother you that maybe she just wants to sleep with you because you're a celebrity?' My answer to that one was, 'Ah...nope.'") With a working-class Canadian background, Fox has an unusually detached perspective on the madness of mass-media fame; his description of the tabloid feeding frenzy surrounding his 1988 wedding to Tracy Pollan, for example, manages to be both acid and matter-of-fact. He is frank but not maudlin about his drinking problem, and he refreshingly notes that getting sober did not automatically solve all his other problems. This readable, witty autobiography reminds you why it was generally a pleasure to watch Fox onscreen: he's a nice guy with an edge, and you don't have to feel embarrassed about liking him. --Wendy Smith

"Life is great. Sometimes, though, you just have to put up with a little more crap." --Michael J. Fox

In September 1998, Michael J. Fox stunned the world by announcing he had been diagnosed with Parkinson's disease -- a degenerative neurological condition. In fact, he had been secretly fighting it for seven years. The worldwide response was staggering. Fortunately, he had accepted the diagnosis and by the time the public started grieving for him, he had stopped grieving for himself. With the same passion, humor, and energy that Fox has invested in his dozens of performances over the last 18 years, he tells the story of his life, his career, and his campaign to find a cure for Parkinson's.

Combining his trademark ironic sensibility and keen sense of the absurd, he recounts his life -- from his childhood in a small town in western Canada to his meteoric rise in film and television which made him a worldwide celebrity. Most importantly however, he writes of the last 10 years, during 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 is a very lucky man, indeed.

Customer Reviews:

• Lucky Man
  I was not expecting this book to be so moving. Michael spoke with humor, honesty and insight. Very much from his heart--it touched mine. ...more info
• Fox invites us on an unlikely journey through his Hollywood career, family, alcoholic recovery, and Parkinson's Disease
  In this powerful memoir, Michael J. Fox takes us on a series of journeys, showing us how - despite his diagnosis with a degenerative, incurable disease - he is a lucky man. After an introductory chapter, he takes us through his childhood, through his time as a penniless actor, on to Family Ties and Back to the Future, and through his diagnosis with Parkinson's Disease.
  
  The book is a wonderful mix. The stories about getting started in Family Ties and Back to the Future are lots of fun for those of us who remember those programs fondly. Yet this book is more fundamentally about how he has grown as a person as he married, was surprisingly diagnosed with young-onset Parkinson's Disease (PD), grappled with an alcohol problem, and learned who he was and who he wanted to be.
  
  I felt like the initial chapters, about his childhood, were less interesting, but the end more than made up for it. This memoir of personal growth is much more than the sum of Fox's film and tv listings. Fox may be rich and famous, but his personal struggles are shared by people from all walks of life.
  
  Another excellent memoir by an actor (but that's not just about show business) is Sydney Poitier's Measure of a Man. And for those who care about this sort of thing, Fox's book does have a significant amount of strong language. It's not everywhere, but it comes up here and there....more info
• Amazingly Written, a Pleasant Surprise!
  With Lucky Man, Michael J. Fox has proven that he is not only a great actor in both comedic and dramatic venues, but he is also an amazing writer with a knack for storytelling. Although his story does not follow a chronological timeline, it is still wonderfully laid-out, and fairly easy to follow. Each section starts out with the date and location of the author, and each section is intricately matched up with the rest. It's almost as if Fox is putting together a puzzle of his life, piece by piece, and we are there to witness it. It is written with such powerful words and feelings, that I'm very glad he chose to write it himself. The passages, especially the ones dealing with his Parkinson's disease (a major player in the story), are extremely moving. You really feel like you are a part of Fox's life, as he is moving through the bulk of his career. It's funny, the second Back to the Future movie was playing one weekend when I was at that exact stage of the book, Fox describing his life on and off the set around that time. It really gives you a glimpse into the "real" life of one of Hollywood's most loved actors. In short, a brilliantly written, compelling book. A must read for men and women alike. Thank you, Michael J. Fox!...more info
• A Bit of Luck and a LOT of Inspiration Make This Book A Must Read!
  Michael J. Fox, one of my favorite sitcom actors from the 90's, has written a poignant and inspirational memoir "Lucky Man". Indeed some may see this title as a very ironic choice for Fox because of his story. The actor recounts some major transitions in his life depicting the meteoric rise of his television and film career alongside his battle with Parkinson's disease. The actor takes us through his initial reaction of denial and avoidance when he first receives his diagnosis. Battling an escalating drinking habit, Fox begins to shift the priorities in his life from fame & fortune to developing more substantial relationships with his wife and children. Eventually he begins to view his medical diagnosis as a `lucky' opportunity to live a more fulfilling and enriched life.
  
  In one of my favorite passages in Fox's book, the actor depicts his transformation from "struggling" with his Parkinson's diagnosis to eventual acceptance. He shares that he had the most difficult time dealing with his medical situation when he spent time thinking about the past, or worrying about the future. When he learned to enjoy each and every moment in the present, he was then able to move past his frustrations and reclaim his life. This made me think of one of my favorite inspirational books, Being Here: Modern Day Tales of Enlightenment, by Ariel and Shya Kane. The Kanes' book is filled with inspirational narratives as they depict stories of their friends and family members who also achieve happiness and satisfaction by living and enjoying each moment of each day. The Kanes, like Mr. Fox, have discovered that a fulfilling, satisfying life may be attained by simply living in the moment, without harboring regret for the past or worrying about what may or may not happen tomorrow. I suggest that you pick up both of these books for some significant insights on how to embrace all of the "possibilities" in life.
  ...more info
• Michael J. Fox
  If you remotely have any feelings for Michael J. Fox.... You would have already read this book!...more info
• this review refers to the audiobook
  Although I'm a fan of Michael J. Fox's work, I wasn't likely to read his memoir had it not been given to me. It was a tremendously pleasant surprise!!! He presented his story in a touching and captivating way - not just his plight against Parkinson's Disease, but also his early struggles to establish his career, and his family dynamics. I was impressed with the almost reverent way he spoke of his wife Tracy, an actress with whom I have very limited familiarity but now greatly admire for her strength and her support of him.
  
  At times, the PD part of the story got very medically technical, but that held special interest to me as a health professional. It's not just helpful to those suffering from the disease, but also to allow the general public to truly understand what PD patients go through. I also appreciated the unbiased way he explained the stem-cell research controversy, and although he is clearly in favor, I now understand the Catholic church and President Bush's opposition to it (that because they use embryoes created in IVF procedures, there is potential for unethical "farming" and need for stricter control to make sure no one is creating embryoes for the purpose of destroying them for research.)
  
  This book totally exceeded my expectations!
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• Inspirational
  Absolutely loved this book. I couldn't put this book down. I actually thought it might be a bit depressing but it wasn't. Michael J. Fox is such an inspiration. There are parts of this book that will make you laugh out loud. It is also a book I will read again and again....more info
• A Good Read
  It was a quick, fun, and inspiring read. If you have enjoyed Michael J. Fox's career, reading his life story will be time well-spent....more info
• Ironically, A Lucky Man
  I love reading autobiographies and biographies but prefer to stay away from life stories of Hollywood stars. In this instance, I was wrong and I'm glad I picked up this book.
  
  Michael J Fox is very candid in this memoir. He takes the reader on a emotional roller-coaster ride where one laughs, smiles, cries, struggles and rejoices with him. It inspires and gives hope. The parts in the book where he shares about his initial brush, struggles and triumph over Parkinson's Disease, in itself, is well worth the price of the book.
  
  Be prepared to be inspired. Highly recommended....more info
• What A Great Book
  It is humbling to read about someones journey back to reality. Michael had a huge career and was living his dream when he was diagnosed with Parkinsons and soon realized how much he had to be thankful about....more info
• Michael J. Fox
  A very interesting book! Easy to read, very entertaining, funny and sad. ...more info
• Lucky Man Review
  An excellent memoir of a young person's battle with Parkinson's Disease.
  Easy reading and uplifting too....more info
• Escellent service
  I received my book in a very short time and it was in perfect condition.
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• A great book for any Michael J. Fox fan!
  As a Michael J. Fox fan of 17 years and still going, this was a great book. I've been a fan since the age of 9 and this book just proved what a great guy he really is. It's incredible the way he and his family are able to deal with Parkinson's, when most would just fall apart. You don't have to be his #1 fan to read this inspiring book, it's great for everyone!

  Please ignore the review that says he got Parkinson's from drinking too much Pepsi! That person is clearly an idiot and did not read the book!...more info

• A childhood fave is still going strong
  Like many children of the 1980's, I grew up watching Mr. Fox on Family Ties and Back to the Future, both of which intentionally projected a 'boy next door' look which was pretty hard for others to duplicate no matter how hard they tried on screen (and believe me others followed). In the 1990's due to a combination of aging out of roles, being able to be more selective about the roles he did take...etc Fox appeared in less but I adored the seasons he was on "Spin City".

  Usually not impressed by celebrity books, I was intrigued by advance publicity to request this title for a Christmas gift. The medium sized book is a non-airbrushed portrait of a man who is simutaneously closer and farther away from his on camera image than the public may have initally realized. There is some general commentary on hollywood simply because that was the source of his and Tracy's paycheck but the meat of the book is ultimately soul-baring conversations.

  Revealing the imperfect truth behind the public facade (the massive drinking!) the autobiography expertly avoids the easy trap too many other celebrities (especially those dealing with chronic illness) plunge headfirst into while on the road to selling their story. People with disabilities ARE vibrant active HUMAN people whose condition is only one facet of their total experience and contribution to the human society.

  Even if he did not intend this while filming the project in the mid 1980's, I had ironically looked to Fox's "Teen Wolf" for cultural inspiration how to handle being a youth with disabilities when I was the only 'different' person in my family/neighborhood/school and wanted to know this discrepancy was cool. It was bittersweet irony therefore when I read the text indicating he was not as initially as accepting of his own body and the resultant adjustments which were made such as having to see a neurologist and take medication to keep some of the symptoms from showing themselves in public.

  Pictures of referenced people and/or events would have been interesting, but reading a word-only celebrity book was more intimate. Not only would it invade the person's privacy, but the same oft-used concept would divert attention from the story AND mood, creating an experience that was no different from most of the other titles currently on the market. Due to my own challenging life, I rarely cry while reading/viewing something, but the sheer honesty of Fox's perspectivr had me constantly reaching for the Kleenex and experiencing a genuine sense of awe.

  Fox is never going to be a master thespian, but he will always be one of the world's good people who tried to leave it in a better condition than he found it. That is real star power in my book....more info

• 169 Reviews and a 5 star rating as of 9/8/05
  Celebrities have an aura about them
  They are still only flesh & blood and hurt & laugh like all humans.
  Michae J.'s book is a great read since it brings to the fore the human side behind the Alex P. Keaton legacy.
  It shows a normal guy, who struggled in between periods of success. A person who was embarrassed about his illness, and how it might interpreted as a weakness. And how he eventually came to terms with it.
  I really liked it because it was honestly written with real-life humour and people.
  
  My favorite part in the book was when he realized that the "other shoe" had fallen....more info
• Lucky for us there is a "Lucky Man"
  This book is simply great. Michael J. Fox provides a clear, and very interesting look at aspects and highlights of his life with regards to his career, family, and especially his dealings with Parkinson's disease. He has great courage and is very candid. He also is a good writer and is very intelligent, but is not perfect. He reveals how he has also overcome alcoholism and his time in the Hollywood "funhouse," as he calls it to discover what really matters in life. His discovery has been aided by his struggle with Parkinson's Disease at a very young age and I believe that is why he considers himself a "lucky man." He says the ten years since Parkinson's have been the best of his life. His foundation strives to bring awareness to sufferers of Parkinson's in order to curtail discrimination and possibly foster a cure through research, especially stem-cell research, in ten years. I recommend this book to everyone, especially people suffering Parkinson's, and other devastating brain diseases. It will give them hope and encouragement. The book was so interesting I could not put it down and I read it all in about three days....more info
• Lucky to Have Stumbled Across This Classic Screen Legend Autobiography
  With Michael J Fox's new autobiography now released Always Looking Up: The Adventures of an Incurable Optimist tracking down this, Lucky Man his original great autobiography may be a bit harder, but you should definitely do so.
  
  Importantly this book is not just about Michael discovering during the filming of Doc Hollywood that he had, and then later dealing with Parkinson's Disease. It would have been so easy to just write the autobiography that way but although the Parkinson stuff is there, it is often only in the background of Michael telling you what else career and family happened with his life from that point. This makes the book a lot more entertaining and to be honest, probably a lot more of the reader is interested in. Plus we also learn about his family and childhood. His decision to take the gamble and pursue acting instead of finishing high school and then the further gamble of turning down steady acting roles in Vancouver to move to LA and see if he could make it there. A huge gamble when unlike Americans who can work in Cafes and so on, all his visa aloud him to do was act.
  
  Those after gossip about fellow other actors may well be disappointed as Michael doesn't play that game in this book. Nor does he go into behind the scenes events to any great depth like you would find on DVD extras of the movies/TV shows he was in. He does tell us how he got the part of Marty Mcfly in Back to the Future a movie he wished he was making instead of Teen Wolf at the time it began filming. Later in the book he tells us how Cher snubbed him at the Oscars due to maybe the fact that she had just made the movie Mask with Eric Stoltz who originally was Marty but Spielberg decided to recast and refilm as Stoltz just didn't bring the character to the screen. Michael tells us how he almost missed out on being Alex P Keaton on Family Ties, how he lived around that time and why he took on acting roles in films which even the actors knew weren't very good. he recounts how his life changed once he became a celebrity for the good such as all the free stuff and the bad, paparazzi stalking his wedding.
  
  Importantly for an autobiography Michael is prepared to criticise himself where he made bad decisions, acted selfishly or treated others not as well as he should have. He even acknowledges that his Emmy for Spin City was obviously awarded as a sympathy vote which I think really shows how honest he was being writing this book. Incidentally this book was published when Spin City was the last thing he acted in.
  
  Of course he talks about the decision to hide Parkinson's from the public and how he feared this would affect his acting career if word got out. He also talks about with hindsight when looking back if those fears were justified.
  
  This is definitely a very interesting and well written autobiography, oh and we learn his middle name is in fact Andrew and why his screen name is Michael J Fox instead of Michael Fox or Michael A Fox.
  ...more info
• A book that touched me like no other
  I have been a fan, and will continue to be, of Michael's for about a little over 10 years now. (I am now 20y/o.) I was too young to know about Family Ties being born in the early '80s, but try to watch episodes when/if they air on TV. I think the first movie I saw of his was The Hard Way, and the others just followed. My faves being The Frighteners, Concierge and of course the BTTF series. For some reason, I felt a something when watching him perform. Though he seems completely at ease while acting, being a developing psychic, I picked up on something amiss, not quite right. When the announcement was made in late... what was it... 1998? 97? I was stunned. Shocked might be a better word. I still am. He shows such strengh and clarity that it's so hard to accept. I am never one to read a/bios, but I was compelled to go out and buy the book when it was released in Aus. I couldn't put it down. All the while while reading it I was thinking that this man is not letting this get him down. The title Lucky Man says it all. He's taken it in stride now. The inspiring message for me, from the book, was never to let anything get you down. He's not the victim in this, but the victor. And I love him for it. If there was a Nobel Prize for Courage, acceptance, strengh and inspiration, he'd win hands down. No question. A recommendation for all....more info
• Living with victory
  Wow! The guy has a lot of gumption; that is, I am touched by his tenacity, courage, and willingness to be what he needs to be to handle what he has to handle. He managed to clearly show his love for his family in this book, and seemed to not hesitate to let us in on the core of his struggles.
  
  All of us have "things" that we need to, and/or wish to tackle earnestly, and all of us have trials to get through. Way to go, Mike. What a great example for all of us, whether it is to change, or a really big mountain to climb, -or both, as you did.
  
  You are an amazing fellow. God's blessings to you,Mike.
  
  Sincerely, Mickey ...more info
• Lucky Man- Inspirational Writer!
  Michael J. Fox, one of my favorite sitcom actors from the 90's, has written a poignant and inspirational memoir "Lucky Man". Indeed some may see this title as a very ironic choice for Fox because of his story. The actor recounts some major transitions in his life depicting the meteoric rise of his television and film career alongside his battle with Parkinson's disease. The actor takes us through his initial reaction of denial and avoidance when he first receives his diagnosis. Battling an escalating drinking habit, Fox begins to shift the priorities in his life from fame & fortune to developing more substantial relationships with his wife and children. Eventually he begins to view his medical diagnosis as a `lucky' opportunity to live a more fulfilling and enriched life.
  
  In one of my favorite passages in Fox's book, the actor depicts his transformation from "struggling" with his Parkinson's diagnosis to eventual acceptance. He shares that he had the most difficult time dealing with his medical situation when he spent time thinking about the past, or worrying about the future. When he learned to enjoy each and every moment in the present, he was then able to move past his frustrations and reclaim his life. This made me think of one of my favorite inspirational books, Being Here: Modern Day Tales of Enlightenment, by Ariel and Shya Kane. The Kanes' book is filled with inspirational narratives as they depict stories of their friends and family members who also achieve happiness and satisfaction by living and enjoying each moment of each day. The Kanes, like Mr. Fox, have discovered that a fulfilling, satisfying life may be attained by simply living in the moment, without harboring regret for the past or worrying about what may or may not happen tomorrow. I suggest that you pick up both of these books for some significant insights on how to embrace all of the "possibilities" in life.
  ...more info
• Stimulating Read
  A side of Michael J. Fox rarely seen. An inspiring story of how someone can rise above their difficulties and turn it into a gift to help others....more info