Lucky Man

June 3, 2002
Fox's bravely honest autobiography is a perfect match for audio. Hearing the actor's life story, warts and all, in his familiar, boyish voice, is infinitely more powerful than reading it on the printed page. Fox recounts his boyhood in Canada, his rise to fame on TV's Family Ties
and the Back to the Future
movies, his career flops, his marriage to Ties
co-star Tracy Pollan and his bout with alcoholism. But the overriding theme of the audio is his struggle with Parkinson's disease, which struck him in his late 20s. For Fox, Parkinson's brought lifelong issues to the forefront, including his tendency to deny problems and his career insecurity. At first, he tried to ignore the illness and masked its symptoms with medication, but year by year, it became harder to hide. Ultimately, Fox was forced to face his condition—and his personal and professional issues—head-on. As a result, he sees Parkinson's as an unlikely "gift" that set him on a necessary journey of self-discovery. The audio ends on a positive note, concentrating on Fox's fulfilling family life, his activism on behalf of Parkinson's research and medical breakthroughs that may lead to a cure. Simultaneous release with the Hyperion hardcover.