Most Helpful Customer Reviews
13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Wonderful Gift for Stroke Victims and Those Who Love Them!, January 8, 2002
Caution: This book contains occasional coarse language, employed for emphasis, that seems justified in how it is applied. Mr. Kirk Douglas is eloquent, moving, and convincing in this book as he describes how he came to terms with suffering a stroke. The essence of the message is that stroke victims should focus on "helping others" to help themselves. The book abounds in detailed examples of how to do this for stroke victims. The book's message is so fine, delicate, and well-balanced that I suggest that you learn about it from Mr. Douglas rather than from a review. His account is very candid and powerful. He cites his own vivid and depressing thoughts before he began to recover, and shares many inspiring lessons from others. You will learn about his fears about losing his vocation ("What good is an actor who can't talk?"), experiences with depression (thinking about suicide as described on the dust cover), and the concerns he had about embarrassment (a billion people were expected to watch him talk). I was most impressed by the examples of what others wrote, said, and did that helped him gain new purpose. The book is also filled with nostalgic references to his friends and family, almost all of whom are represented in interesting photographs reproduced in the book. I was especially touched to read what his "Ma" told him as she lay dying, "Don't be afraid, it happens to everyone." He drew much strength from remembering that thought. As Mr. Douglas says in this book, "Strive to be a Little Hero."
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Inspirational memoir, October 20, 2002
Read MY STROKE OF LUCK by Kirk Douglas, his inspirational memoir depicting the past few years of his life . . . they have not been healthy ones for the famed actor, in that he first was in a helicopter crash and then suffered a stroke. But he has managed to survive both, even managing to
resume his acting career . . . you'll be moved by both his
upbeat attitude and sense of humor as he faced many life
events that have unfortunately gotten the best of many
others . . . I don't know if I would be able to maintain Douglas' grace, but I would make every attempt to do so. This book is a "must" for anybody who has suffered a
stroke or knows anybody who has . . . in addition, movie
fans will like it for the many reminisces sprinkled throughout. There were many memorable passages; among them:
What a hard life she [my mother] endured. I kept studying
her face. My mother's eyes opened and she stared at my face,
filled with anxiety. She smiled softly and squeezed my hand
gently. Her eyes, almost black on her white face, seemed to be
looking through me. She whispered, "Don't be afraid, it happens
to everyone." She took a deep breath and exhaled. The air came
out of her mouth like a slowly deflating balloon. She stopped
breathing. The world is filled with people who have suffered from one misfortune or another. The only thing that sets one apart from the rest is the desire and the attempt to help others. People who reach out beyond their pain, out into the world in a trusting way-they are the ones who make a difference. Nietzsche said, "He who has a why to live for can bear with almost any how." Why? Because deep down we know that what matters in this life
is more than winning for ourselves. What matters in this life
is helping others win, even if it means slowing down and changing our course. We all want happiness. Life teaches us that we achieve happiness when we seek the happiness and well-being of others.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A clarion call of hope for the stroke survivor, February 4, 2002
This majestic little book can be read in one sitting. In it, Douglas exemplifies the courage he so often depicted in characters on screen. He and I are both survivors of this most horrible of maladies. Douglas, who was eighty years YOUNG when he sustained his stroke, has as his principal residual a severe case of aphasia, He quite properly asks, "how is an actor who cannot speak supposed to work? Wait for the return of silent films?" The severe depression he suffered in the aftermath of his stroke is discussed with remarkable candor. I picked up this book when I was in the midst of a deep depression of some month's standing. After reading it, I find myself able to approach life with redoubled vigor, which is the never ending challenge of the stroke survivor. Douglas posits that life takes on meaning only in the helping of others. His travails have placed him in touch with the Judaism of his youth. He had his second bar mitzvah at age eighty-three, three years after his stroke. In reading the Torah before his family and friends assembled in the synagogue, Douglas,aphasia sufferer, showed all that here is truly a man with the right stuff. Buy this book. You will not be disappointed.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
|
