Customer Reviews

Not That Man Anymore: (A Message From Michael)

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Michael Zaslow has long been one of my favorite stars. I watched him off and on since the early 70s. I always felt like I knew him through the show I saw him on for all those years. This book was brilliant the way it incorporated the viewpoints and statements of different people: Michael, his wife Susan, his daughters, co-workers and friends. The story is gripping and tragic. Susan and Michael bring the whole ordeal to life for those of us who were not there, and didn't know what was going on. There are not words to describe what this disease (ALS) does to a person. It's absolutely horrible. Yet through it all, Michael's spirit permeates the story. The same spirit that razzle-dazzled the world through Roger Thorpe shines through this book and this illness. Even through all the anger and the frustration, the spirit of love and laughter is still there. This book really draws you in and makes you feel you are there as a participant throughout. The joys and triumphs as well as the failings and frustrations are all felt by the reader.

At one time when the show Guiding Light went off every day, it showed a portrait of each cast member. I'll always remember the one they showed of Michael smiling. EVERY time I saw that picture it made me smile. I could be crying for some reason, down, normal or happy; it didn't matter. That picture would ALWAYS warm me and make me smile back in return. The same warmth of his smile was captured in this book.

A great man and hero was taken from the world when Michael died. I would like to thank Susan for sharing her and Michael's stories with the many people who loved him from afar and wanted to know his story. It was a great blow to learn of the passing of Michael's young daughter Helena, who was also brought to life in this book. There were heartwarming stories in the soap opera magazines for years about Marika and Helena.

My father had a good friend who lived with ALS for over 20 years; Michael was taken very quickly. This disease can hardly even be diagnosed, let alone be treated or cured! The perils and heartaches of ALS are detailed in the book.

I sincerely recommend this book to all. It is the story of a warm, wonderful man and his fight to triumph over all odds. We love you, Michael!

This book is so so sad. I was a fan of Michael Zaslow as Roger Thorpe on Guiding Light for years. He and Maureen Garrett (Holly) had one of the most complex, fascinating and fun relationships on daytime television. And then he got sick. I remember that Proctor & Gamble, the company which owns Guiding Light, treated him terribly when he first became ill with what was then his undiagnosed ALS. Their heartless behavior still infuriates me; if they could coldly kick to the curb a 25 year famous employee who made them LOTS of money, God help their anonymous everyday workers. From that time on, I've avoided P & G products, on that principle. In the book I came to feel like I knew his wife Susan, who was so very honest about how hard this illness was for the whole family. Learning that she died of cancer last year felt like a personal loss, and the death of the younger daughter Helena, at age 19 (in 2004) who was a cute and feisty 12 year old in the book is just heartwrenching. Yet, I couldn't stop reading about this brave and likable star-crossed family. I wish they'd had the happy ending they deserved. I also wish the only surviving member of the family, the oldest daughter Marika, all the luck and happiness in the world. I was deeply affected by this book and recommend it because ALS needs to be known and conquered. Michael Zaslow puts a human face on what it just an unimaginable horror but keeps his humanity. I'm heading to the website to make a contribution in the fight against ALS.

Michael Zaslow was one of the finest actors on daytime or anywhere. He delivered a performance on par with the greatest actors today in regards to his role as the devlish Roger Thorpe on Guiding Light and the charming spy David Renaldi on One Life to Live. I was watching One Life to Live as a kid when he was on and he was just incredible despite the crazy storylines. When he returned to Guiding Light, I began watching the show on July 4, 1991 because my grandfather only had one television channel and it was CBS. Roger Thorpe and Alexandra Spaulding's marriage had come apart. More, Alexandra had fought back vigorously and humiliated him at the Springfield Country Club that night. Despite the fact that he was on crutches because of a surgery, Michael Zaslow delivered one of the most complex performances imaginable against Beverlee McKinsey. I was shocked and saddened to learn that they didn't get along or weren't friends since they had so much in common. Offscreen, Michael was devoted to his wife, writer, actress, and psychologist Susan Hufford Zaslow who just died. They adopted their daughters, Marika and Helena, from Korea. They split their time on New York's West Side apartment and a home in Roxbury, Connecticut. For Michael, life was not only good but great with a loving wife and two beautiful daughters. His illness disrupted Roger Thorpe's character on Guiding Light. He could no longer play the role because the soap couldn't have Roger Thorpe as a helpless character anymore. It saddened the cast and crew of his illness, the treatment by the soap powers, and his eventual death. During his time with Lou Gehrig's disease, Michael was never braver or couragous in showing how the disease had robbed him of his wonderful voice but not of his bravery and dignity. Michael was beloved by fans like myself who never got the opportunity to meet him in person and I deeply regret that because his performance as Roger Thorpe on Guiding Light got me through difficult personal circumstances. As Michael Zaslow, he was charming, brilliant, talented, and could have done anything. When I think of Michael Zaslow, I think he was on par with the greatest American actors of our generation like Pacino, DeNiro, and Nicholson. Yes, he's a soap actor but his role of Roger Thorpe and his performance still sends shivers down my spine. Roger's complicated relationship with Holly, his true love, was amazing tour de force performance level. They had such an intensity. Onscreen, they melted together when they were not arguing with each other. One critic described their arguments like rolls royces colliding with each other. Their onscreen performances as Roger and Holly was just amazing and the best love story on daytime. Forget Luke and Laura! Roger and Holly was complicated and sizzling to the viewers. With Roger also gone on the show, Guiding Light has not been the same without him. Despite the evil behavior of his character at times, Michael Zaslow was the Guiding Light. He was taken too soon from his fans and his family.

I grew up watching Michael on Guiding Light, the soap my mom watched faithfully. This book taught me a lot about the disease and how cruel it is. All through the book Michael and his wife try EVERYTHING from alternative medicines and techniques, studies all the way to buddist chanting. As I felt the pages in my right hand dwindling down and I knew I was coming to the end of the book I kept hoping to myself that they would try the one thing they should have had in place from the get go. Jesus. Jesus even makes an "appearance" in this book and both Susan and Michael stand, oblivious to His signs and attempts to reach out to them. I can only hope that Michael (and eventually Susan and their daughter who passed)actually found their way to their Savior and were indeed saved. Although, if such a life changing event had happened I would think it would have been discussed front and center in this book. I pray that Michael and Susan's remaining daughter finds Christ and begins the journey to having a personal relationship with Him. With Him all things are possible and without Him is certain death and destruction. No one can see the face of God or have even miniscule hope of making it to eternal life in heaven without Jesus. If you want to understand more about this, find a good Bible based church or look up Joyce Meyer's teachings. Be saved! Jesus loves you!

This book is so well written about how this actor lived from the beginning to almost the end of his life prior to and with a diagnosis of what is known as Lou Gehrig's disease/ALS. So sad.

Mickey (Michael Zaslow) and I were friends for many years before he became a star - our parents were close friends and I adored the entire family. I've been wanting to read "Not That Man Anymore" ever since it was first published, but felt it would stir up too many emotions. When I finally bought the book from Amazon.com it sat on my nightstand, unread, until I was asked to write a product review. That pushed me into picking it up - which then took me into a day of non-stop reading. It was a well done book with passages written by Michael followed by writings from his wife, Susan Hufford, interspersed throughout with writings of friends and family. For those who knew Michael as Roger Thorpe (I must admit I am not one of them), I'm sure the book was quite fascinating as it showed his true character - quite unlike the one they'd known and "loved" for so many years on TV. For me, the book was a catharsis.

Book was informative. Read it sometime ago . . . accurate, realistic, worth the read. Interesting man and wife (now deceased) as well.

A required read for any "Roger" fans. A unique look into a horrible disease that could touch any of us and rob us of our bodies in a short amount of time.

I have wanted to read Michael's story for a long time. I loved his portrayal of Roger Thorpe on The Guiding Light for so many years. After reading this book I think the medical community should be ashamed that it participated in the disgrace of Michael's so called medical care. That being said, I found this book difficult to read. It's written by both Michael and Susan Huffard, his wife. Michael's words are in italics and Susan's in regular type. But this book really seems to be more about her anger and attitude about everything then it is about Michael. There were times I had to put it down because I found her anger was so pervasive. I do not blame her for it -- I would have been full of rage also at the frustration of their first finding a diagnosis and then finding a treatment. But I thought this book was about Michael but alas Susan seemed to play the bigger and in my opinion, the lesser role. Susan seemed to run out of time because Michael died before she had completed venting her rage. If you want to read a book about how incredibly frustrating their journey was (more Susan's then his) then you will enjoy this book. But I found by the end of the book I wanted to slap her. She needed therapy and I hope she got it.