Michael J. Fox's new book ,"A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Future," is a perfect gift for graduates. In his new book he inspires and motivates graduates to recognize opportunities, maximize their abilities, and roll with the punches.
Michael J. Fox abandoned high school to pursue an acting career. 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. Michael 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.Michael J. Fox's acting career has been a non-stop success story. At thirty years old Michael was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease: twitching, mild tremors, pain in his left shoulder, some rigidity.
This sent his life skidding horribly sideways. At first there was denial, he refused to disclose his medical situation to anyone but family, and covering up the symptoms with medication. Wary of placing a burden on his family, he pulled in and started to isolate himself. Michael self medicated with alcohol until he was forced to resort to acceptance. By choosing to learn more about the disease, he made better choices about how to treat it. Because Parkinson's demanded of Michael that he be a better man, a better husband, father, and citizen, Michael, often refers to it as a gift.
A story of a young man with a great future along with twists and turns and lessons learned. A must read for recent graduates.
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