Christopher Reeve (1) (1952–2004)

4.5 stars

Being 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 show more 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. 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 hefty. He speaks of his trials and triumphs, how he learned, his different methods of learning and how he absorbed through trial and error to try what worked and what not. 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 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 is, 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 in the moment when it's bleak and painful and the past seems so seductive?" show less

A strong, powerful book full of insight, honesty, and true heroism. I picked it up on a whim at a flea market and saw how its previous owner found phrases to help him/her with personal struggles: while not obtrusive, there were 2 key places where some underlining took place. And that's what I love about this book: 2 people (at the very least) have found comfort and guidance from someone else's struggle.

I was impressed that Christopher Reeve starts with what everyone wants to know: what show more happened? How did you wind up there? How serious was the impact? What have you thought since? He describes the accident, including what he does not remember of it, and then goes back and forth in time from his life story to present day. His upbringing was full of sadness and some laughter, and then he got bitten by the acting bug. He describes his stage craft in great detail, including his time onstage with Katherine Hepburn (!) and also his pitfalls as he tried to cram everything into all-at-once.

I strongly recommend this book for anyone who had a crush on Superman, or Somewhere in Time, and also for those dealing with themselves or a relative or friend with a debilitating injury. His sadness and pain after the accident are real and he is doubly honest with what he has to go through just to get up in the mornings. And he is trebly honest with how he has triumphed and used his clout to make the world a better place.

And I write this in the present tense. How sad that the world lost such a brave, heroic soul, and how lucky we were to have had him for the time that we did. show less

I think most people are familiar with Christopher Reeve -- how he rose to fame as an actor playing Superman and then later was paralyzed from a horseback riding accident. This rather short 2nd memoir was read by Christopher himself on audio, which was somewhat sobering considering he narrated while on the support of a ventilator. Working in physical therapy myself, I think I most appreciated his stories of rehab and the celebrations he felt during his small but significant victories. I show more respect him for his courageous battle and while he did have advantages that many in his situation do not (increased exposure and financial support), I admire the work that he did to bring about increased awareness of spinal cord injury and the fight for improved health insurance coverage. I remember being really sad when I heard that he had passed away, which was just two years after this book was released. I have not read his first memoir, Still Me, but I suspect it was a better read than this one, which I felt jumped around a lot, covering various topics from past and present, and which didn't really feel very cohesive at all. It has some good messages, but I think if you're looking for a more complete memoir of his life, Still Me is probably where you should start. show less

On May 27, 1995, actor Christopher Reeve was competing in an equestrian competition in Culpepper, Virginia when he was thrown from his horse, causing a C2 spinal cord injury that left him a quadriplegic for nine years until his death in 2004.

The heartbreaking irony is not merely that an actor best known to the general public as Superman was left permanently disabled. The worst part was that Reeve did not even want to be at this particular competition in Culpeper that weekend. He had show more originally planned to compete in Vermont.

Such begins the memoir of a man I've looked up as a hero since the age of seven when I first saw Superman: The Movie. Reeve opens his life story at a point where he had been certain his life would end, delving into excruciating detail about the damage inflicted on his body and mind as a result of the accident. At one point, after receiving the initial news of his condition, he urged his wife, Dana, to let him go. She replied that she would do so only if that was what he truly wanted, but reminded him that, "You're still you and I'm still me." According to Reeve, that was all he needed to hear to bolster his will to live.

However, a true of man of steel cannot be kept down and despite the odds against him, despite the many post-accident setbacks, despite the personnel and equipment necessary to keep him alive and as healthy as possible, Reeve persevered. He went on to make several public speeches advocating an increase in funding for the NIH and the National Endowment for the Arts. He also directed the critically acclaimed and award-winning 1997 film, In the Gloaming, starring Glenn Close, David Strathairn, Bridget Fonda, Robert Sean Leonard, and Whoopi Goldberg.

Interspersed with tales of his treatment and battles with insurance companies, Reeve takes us on a tour of his broken family life as a child, through his college years at Cornell, and his acceptance into Juilliard—under the iron scowl of John Houseman—and his burgeoning friendship with Robin Williams.

He shares his love of sailing, flying, and equestrian sports and his general zest for life, but above all else, his love for his family shines through as he remembers the birth of his three children and the first time he met his future wife, Dana Morosini. Dana was a member of the Cabaret Corps of singers at the Williamstown Theatre Festival in Massachusetts while Reeve was appearing in a play called The Rover by Aphra Behn. He practically fell in love with her at first sight.

Although he was ranked as an "A" list film actor for many years, Reeve's stage career was far more impressive, having worked on and off Broadway with such names as Katherine Hepburn (A Matter of Gravity), Jeff Daniels (Fifth of July) and many others. His stage credits include Death Takes a Holiday, Richard III, Summer and Smoke, Love Letters, and dozens more. During his time at Juilliard, he worked in the Acting Company with Kevin Kline, David Ogden Stiers, Patti LuPone, and others.

Then came Superman as well as Somewhere in Time, Deathtrap, The Aviator, The Bostonians, Remains of the Day and other films of which Reeve speaks highly. On the other hand, he blames such flops as Street Smart, Superman III and IV, and Switching Channels for knocking him out of Hollywood's "A" list. In fact, his comment on Superman IV was simply, "The less said about Superman IV, the better." Although he takes partial blame for its failure.

All told, Still Me is a journey through the extreme highs and plummeting lows of a life that was fully lived by a man who many consider a hero to this day. I count myself among them. show less