I was drawn to the book both because I admire Mr. Fox as an actor and because my father had been diagnosed as having Parkinson's disease. I thought this book would help me understand more about the disease and how to cope with it. My high expectations for learning more about Mr. Fox and his acting career, and understanding more about the experience of Parkinson's disease were vastly exceeded.

Mr. Fox begins the memoir with the experience of discovering his first tremor. He was recovering from an alcoholic binge the night before, a frequent occurrence in that stage of his career, and was inclined to think that somehow the two were connected. That's just the beginning of a long period of denial during which he avoided working with a neurologist, even after he accepted the diagnosis.

From there, the book travels backward to his youth in Canada and the frequent moves that his family made because of new assignments his father received while in the military. You find out how a kinetic, precocious and diminutive youngster found himself frustrated by high school and dropped out before graduating to take on the challenges of television. Not surprisingly, his meteoric career left him unprepared to handle the new challenges and responsibilities. Mr. Fox candidly describes the various bad decisions he made without wallowing in them. He had a series of epiphanies throughout his life to date that have informed him of what he was doing wrong. He has had the courage to act on those epiphanies, and has been rewarded for taking those actions.

The memoir's main theme is how Parkinson's disease turned out to be a blessing in disguise, forcing him to address many of the weaknesses in his life, which included boozing, delegating the details of day-to-day responsibilities, being over-focused on the commercial side of his career, not being enough of a family presence and not facing his demons.

If you have liked Mr. Fox on the screen, you'll probably like him better after reading this fine memoir. He has a strong sense of family, and you will meet a remarkable one in the Foxes through him. His wife, Tracy, is very special too, and you will see the kinds of support that can really help a patient with Parkinson's disease.

The disease and its potential for a cure are well described. All of us should be grateful to Mr. Fox for taking on a public role as an advocate in which he has been willing to let us all see the deterioration that the disease has brought to his neurological control over his body's movement. In fact, I decided to read this book after seeing a television interview that Mr. Fox did during the NBA playoffs this year in which he unconcernedly chatted on in an amiable way while his body twitched and jerked uncontrollably. It was a remarkable example of true grace and poise. Through his visibility, Mr. Fox's foundation has raised millions and helped accelerate the use of many more funds to speed the developement of a cure.

I agree that he's a lucky man. More importantly, he's a fine man. I'm glad he shared his story in this outstanding and open way.

I also wish him well in finding that cure, and being able to use it in his own life.

Where in your life has a setback turned out to be a blessing? What are you struggling with today that could be helpful to you? What are you not facing up to yet? Those are the questions that this memoir will and should raise in your mind

The book does not read as someone who is seeking sympathy - I think the way MJF describes his initial refusal to even accept the disease for the first few years is refreshingly candid, and I would think very typical. This book takes us from the intitial discovery and of his refusal to accept it, through the coming-to-terms phase, and finally to his efforts to campaign for wider funding for research. A particularly moving element is how he describes the fears he had about going public, and then his genuine surprise at the reaction he received from the public and other sufferers after his condition came to light.

As well as the story of his life with Parkinson's, MJF also gives us a fascinating insight to the life of a star, whose career has seen it's share of highs and lows. As another reviewer said, I do believe he could have a successful future in writing. More than that, I hope to read another book from him in years to come detailing his successful recovery from the disease. As you will see from the book, it really could happen.

Finally, you don't have to be a fan to enjoy this book. Whilst not a major fan, I have enjoyed some of his work, and respected MJF the actor as a talented individual. Now I also have a great deal of respect for MJF the person. He still has a fight ahead of him - I sincerely hope he wins it, and helps others in the process.