4.5 starsBeing a huge Superman fan, of course I already knew who Christopher Reeve was. He soared into the sky in the original Superman and its sequels when I was born and growing up, but sadly I didn’t pay the man in the blue cape much attention until I became a superhero fan later in life. Even if I wasn’t a big fan of the movies or any of the stories back then, I was one of many who heard the tragic news of his riding accident. I remember my father, who always loved Superman, who always loved horses, discussing the tragedy with my mother. I remember her watching Christopher Reeve in ‘Somewhere in Time’ and remarking what a good movie it was.Now as a fan of both the man and the legend, I was fascinated by this autobiography, which speaks in great detail of his accident, the tragedy of struggling with it, the medical procedures and all the horrors his body went through at first and would continue to struggle with for the duration. Only after he discussed the tragedy and the aftermath of that wake did he discuss, in detail, how he became established as an actor. The book initially begins with the accident, merging smoothly with reflections on relationships and commitment issues. Once the acting had taken off only is Dana then mentioned, and the relationship sounded from his words as romantic and powerful as it seemed portrayed to the media.I knew he was an actor already, but I had no idea until this book how active and well accomplished he was with so much – horseback riding obviously, but other than that he always loved playing the piano player. It was a consideration for a lifelong career and he had been playing at concert level since childhood. He was also an enthusiastic sailor who spent weekends with his family, riding the heights of life on the water. He was a pilot as well, again an amazing feat. He also enjoyed playing a large variety of sports.His enthusiasm for acting is obviously incredible. He speaks of his trials and triumphs, how he learned, his different methods of learning and how he learned through trial and error to try what worked and what not. Any fan of acting, whether you are a fan of him or not, would enjoy these segments of the book immensely. He chronicles his starting point especially and what roles and relationships meant to him. It was particularly interesting when he went back to acting later and discussed in detail directing a movie when he was paralyzed and all the difficulties encountered by it. Also his period of inactivity and frustration with acting when his career was on a bad streak. I do wish he would have mentioned much more about Superman than he did, but he discussed these movies less besides the audition and successes of the first one. What makes this book work so wonderfully well is Reeve tells his story with utter honesty but not with expecting sympathy (which is impossible not to give). He tells his tales of acting and his enthusiasm with humility and for a love of the art and craft of doing it. He enthuses about all life has to offer and how blessed he’s been in so many sports, music, activities, and of course his family and children.His writing tone is wonderfully complex but simple – it’s easy to read his emotions coming clear through the writing. Tragedy seeps through the pages easily, and, even though he is not a professional writer, the emotions come through. It does switch around a bit with life and where it’s at and how he came to be who he is, and he doesn’t speak in too much detail of his family life, but overall it is a detailed portrayal of his life and worthy to be called an autobiography.The end of the book includes speeches he has delivered. The book ends on hope with the potentials of a cure or at least progress for him and for so many others. Throughout the writing of his book you see his struggle to come to terms with his new life and do the best he can with it. But while it is coping as well as it can be coping, the last paragraph especially haunts and I found it especially beautiful.Christopher Reeve will always stand in my mind as Superman."I have to stop this cascade of memories, or at least take them out of their drawer only for a moment, have a brief look, and put them back. I know how to do it now: I have to take the key to acting and apply it to my life. There is no other way to survive except to be in the moment. Just as my accident and its aftermath caused me to redefine what a hero, I've had to take a hard look at what it means to live as fully as possible in the present. How do you survive int he moment when it's bleak and painful and the past seems so seductive?"
This book was required reading in a class for my occupational therapy graduate studies program. The intention behind the assigned reading was to familiarize ourselves with and better empathize with someone's struggles after a severe spinal cord injury. Unfortunately, Mr. Reeve's writing made it very difficult for me to empathize with his challenges. There are probably a thousand people waiting to condemn me to hell for saying so, but there it is.Hopefully, other thoughtful reviewers will allow me to praise Reeves' acting career, his many achievements and his work on behalf of spinal injury research and still provide thoughtful, impersonal criticism of his book without making me out to be some kind of monster.While it is apparent that Reeves suffered a great deal as a result of the accident, we don't hear much about that in the book. Instead, he chooses to focus on the trappings of his upper-upper class lifestyle, his yachts, airplanes and horses. Clearly, these things are meaningful to him, and I appreciate that, but I would have better appreciated more open discussion about his injury, and how his life was altered as a result of it. Based on what my profession has shown me regarding the enormous expense of this injury, I can say that Reeves was a highly atypical SCI survivor. Many SCI survivors struggle with the financial cost of care, and with obtaining the right adaptive equipment to makes their lives easier. I would like to hear one of their stories.Christopher Reeves provided a beacon of hope to many people suffering from spinal cord injuries, may he rest in peace.
Do You like book Still Me (1999)?
I was so excited to read this book. Christopher Reeve as Superman is such an iconic figure for my generation. The writing wasn't stellar, but I didn't mind that because it is his story, written in his language. There was more scientific knowledge shared than I was expecting, but that was interesting. I loved reading about his personal life and career. Several moments that made me smile such as the little boy living in the apartment where they shot the cat scene in Superman. I normally would not give a book 4 stars with this level of writing, but, hey, he's Superman!
—Elizabeth
I didn't really know anything about Christopher Reeve beforehand. Apart from that he was Superman. I didn't even know he was dead until I showed my parents the book I was reading today. Which made me sad when reading the last bit because he sounds so hopeful for the future. I think the fact that he managed to be so positive after his accident and how he went about helping others like him by raising money and awareness for research was very inspiring. He had alot going for him before the acident and it would have been so easy for him to sink into a depression. I agree with what he said about heros. That real heros are not like Superman. They are ordinary people who manage to overcome huge obstacles. The trouble with this book is that Chris does seem to focus more on his life after the accident and there is alot in this book about the types of research and medical terms which can at times make your eyes glaze over. It seems like the time before his accident is not given enough print time and it feels like he has a very short life before this. If you were a fan more interesting in his movie making days you might be disappointed in how little page time they get.
—Redfox5
Without doubt my favourite autobiography. I sometimes struggle to read biogs, often thinking they're either full of misery or somewhat gloating. Luckily this is neither, despite Chris Reeve's exceptional life both before and after his accident. The book is never self-pitying, but does manage to be incredibly moving throughout - hearing his thoughts as he comes to terms with his accident is heart-rending but also very uplifting. I picked it up this time in particular to revisit the sections where he talks about his friend Robin Williams, but the whole book is just as wonderful as I remember. A genuinely interesting man with a wonderful life and story to tell.
—Victoria Roe
