Customer Reviews

Still Me

5 star:		(70)
4 star:		(12)
3 star:		(9)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Still Me is a look into the life of Chritopher Reeve, both before and after his injury. Although Reeves best accolade is not writing, he does gives the reader an honest look into the adversity that he has encountered. I read this book out of personal interests and found it to be both interesting and encouraging. He recalls the events leading up to the moment of his accident, and also take us through the emotions he felt as he began to understand the depth of his injury, his experiences in rehab, and the ongoing adjustment process. Reeves also shares some delicately humorous moments...sure to make you laugh and cry. The reason I gave it four stars is that he also goes into great depths about his acting career...something that may not be of interest to everyone...but I can certainly understand his doing so. (I did come to learn the depth of his schooling as an actor, which I didn't know.) We all revel in our "glory days," and I'm certain it was (is) bittersweet for Reeves to do so. I can totally relate to that myself. But, this takes me to another point. Although Reeves shares the devastating heartache he, his wife Dana, and their family has endured, he also offers hope and inspiration. What a beautiful example of love they both share. So many couples call it quits when petty problems arise, but Chris and Dana show us what "in sickness and in health" really entails. Reeves is also doing a service for all of us who are in wheelchairs, by whatever cause, through his Foundation to raise funds and awareness for medical research that will lead to a cure for, not only spinal cord injury paralysis, but for many neurological diseases, such as MS and Parkinson's. He has and continues to use his 'public eye persona' to draw attention to this matter.

One of my favorite parts of the book is this.... "When the first Superman movie came out, I (Reeves) was frequently asked, 'What is a hero?' I remember the glib response I repeated so many times. My answer was that a hero is someone who commits a courageous action without considering the consequences - a soldier who crawels out of a foxhole to drag his injured buddy to safety. And I also meant individuals who are slighty larger than life: Houdini, Lindbergh, John Wayne, JFK, and Joe DiMaggio. But now, my definition is completely differnt. I think a hero is an ordinary individual who finds the strength to perservere and endure in spite of overwhelming circumstances...."

Bravo Christopher!

I probably read this book expecting too much. I should start by saying that I did enjoy the book, but I was a little disappointed. The most obvious criticism would be that Christopher Reeve is an actor, not a writer, and that really shows in his book. I thought he spent too much time on his acting career and his studies, but I'm sure that people who are interested in acting as a career would love that part of his story. I really appreciated his honesty in this book. First, I loved his sense of humor about Superman, the role that made him so famous. He describes with delight his making fun of Superman on Saturday Night Live, his belief that Superman III was "mostly a misconception", and he says that "the less said about Superman IV the better." More touching is his honesty about his weaker moments after the accident when he couldn't find a reason to live, and he tried to make life miserable for those around him. His pain and his hope become very real as you read this book. A lot of the power of Christopher Reeve's story is hearing him tell it. Reeve spoke at my college convocation the day before graduation, and I was so moved by his speech that I went and bought the book that day (they had it in the University Book Store - go figure). I think that the audiobook, which Reeve reads himself, would communicate much more of his courage and strength. While not phenomenal, the book is a good choice.

I'm normally not a huge fan of biographies or historical novels simply because I find it hard to keep straight all the details, dates, and people involved. I know that a diligent author will not omit important facts, so I tend to avoid the genre. I also avoid books about disabilities because I have one, and find most authors either take on a "pity me" or a "pretend I am completely normal" attitude when the truth of living with a disability is somewhere in the middle.

However, I was drawn to this book by Reeve's own writing style. I read an exceprt of his newest book in a magazine, and decided to purchase "Still Me". I'm glad I did- I *really* enjoyed this book. Reeve has a remarkable writing style- he managed to seamlessly layer events from his entire life along with descriptions of his life post-injury and scientific information in every chapter. Even though the book continually shifted focus and timeframe, it was not a struggle to keep up with all the details.

I have his next book ("Nothing is Impossible") on hold at the library, and can't wait to continue reading about Reeve's life. His writing style is open, honest, and warm all at once. He writes about his condition, and both his acceptance and rejection of it, with honesty and dignity. It's so refreshing to read about someone who is not afraid to be angry and proud about their situation. I truly hope that he is able to step out of his chair at some point in time, but even if he does not, he is truly a Superman in every respect of the word.

This book is a testament to the courage and strength it takes to be dealt an almost fatal blow and come away stronger than he was before. Reeve takes us through his life and shows us just how this accident effected his personality and his heart, as well as the obvious physical aspects. I walked away feeling I knew Christopher better than I ever could have other wise. His words draw the reader in to his thoughts, and the reader walks away feeling priveleged to know Superman on a deeper level. Christopher Reeve IS Superman. He writes about his embarassment of "Superman" being struck down so easily, but his experience is just a way of showing us how even Superman has a tough time in this world. We each must fight our own demons. Each of us has it in us to overcome our challenges, and on the way, we have to clear the path for those who will follow us. I found the most touching part to be when Reeve realizes that people love him and each person is worth loving in return just because of that.

My name is SHAWN,
On July 20,2002 was in a car rec. I broke my back at the T9 veritably, and now I'm paralyzed from the wisest down. When I first can out of my coma all that I could think about or ask for was to kill me. Than when I read about how Mr. reeves had gone through somewhat the same thing I was going through. So than I started to think if he had the power, heart, and desertion. Maybe I could do it to.
Most of all my family was there through all of it from the first second to this day.
Thank you MR. Reeves I just want to thank you for sharing his story.
Shawn Nadeem 16

Chris Reeve is no literary genius, but he can certainly spin a tale. As difficult as it already is for someone to write a good, engaging auto-biography, Reeve manages it while paralyzed from the neck down, and yet without self-pity.

The earlier parts of his life provide great insight to his character, and to why we all admire him so much as an oasis of class in an otherwise often smarmy business. I particularly enjoyed his recounting of his Cornell and Juilliard experiences.

But it was his description of the accident and its aftermath that moved me greatly. To be able to write about these experiences must have been helpful for Reeve emotionally, but I feel like throwing the book against a wall when I realize that he still can't get up and walk. I can only imagine how many thousands of times more frustrating it is for Reeve himself.

There is of course information on how to help the Foundation he started to fund spinal cord regeneration studies, and I think - though I'm not positive - that some of the profits from every book purchased go towards that fund as well.

Simply put - when you're picking a role model, or even someone to be curious about on a rainy day or an airplane flight, you could do a whole hell of a lot worse than Christopher Reeve.

The most interesting part of this book (of course) is how Reeve gets the courage to fight back when he's told that his injury will never get better. You feel that you are there with him on his hospital bed as he courageously breathes for half an hour without a respirator. I just don't know how he did it. Perhaps it takes a tragedy to bring out the greatness in a man.

To be honest, Reeve's career before the accident is not very interesting. The good part is that at least Reeve presents everything honestly. You get to trace his path from his days as an obnoxious youth, through his days at Juilliard, quick rise in fame to Superman, and then a long slump. Overall, this is a good book and I enjoyed listening to him read the book himself.

For someone working in the medical industry with stem cells, this book makes me stay longer at work, sleep later at night, and fight more in my meetings for what truly I believe in to make sure I am really doing everything I can to make this future medicine available to our generation.

Reeve provides a well-organized account of his life, with an emphasis on relationships, in Still Me. Relationships, he claims, is the way through. He indeed explains how he has been affected by both familial and professional relationships, and he includes many people who have been his benefactors before and after his accident. The book is replete of the author's relationships with insurance companies, politicians, physicians, institutions, and the beautiful people of Hollywood. These and his fans are his audience, for whom he seems brave, even when discouraged. Disabled persons will look for and not find, in Still Me, their misery articulated for the world. However, the Christopher Reeve Foundation, for which the author has raised much money, will surely benefit most if not all who suffer spinal cord injuries in succeeding generations. Some readers might get bogged down in the sections dealing with science and politics. The reader gets a glimpse of the life of a high-level quadriplegic and a long look at the routines of a relatively wealthy one who has many connections and much fame. But if readers are looking for Reeve's thoughts and feelings about his disability, to be shared in soul exposing-candor, they will be disappointed. His descriptions of events and people are often as sterile as new catheter.

I absolutely loved this book! I have loved Christopher Reeve since I was a small child. This book made me feel like he was writing to me personally, sharing the intimate details of his life. It made me feel close to my life-long hero and is probably the best book I have ever read. The way he described his love for his wife helped me open up my heart and let myself fall in love again. I recommend this book to anyone who's admired Mr. Reeve or is in need of inspiration.