My Stroke Of Luck [Paperback]

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.

This is a case where a huge ego with character comes in handy. It let him help others and it helped him become one of the best actors in his time. Additionally, he wrote this book about a stroke he had in his 80s-and this is one of several books he wrote. I hope my ego is large enough to keep me going for that long. It's not big enough to even to start what he has done is one lifetime. So he couldn't talk. I know just how he felt. I couldn't either.

A brain attack is a strange experience, especially if you have aphasia. You are trying to talk to the doctor and he hears nothing but strange sounds. At least Kirk Douglas could walk which was wonderful at his age and after what he had already put his body through.

They have medicine for depression which some times does not help as Kirk found out. Thank God for an ego and a wonderful sense of humor, which he had to have. He has a very good memory and the things he did, and is still doing for his friends and strangers will always be remembered by the world.

I got a good laugh out of his thoughts of death where he appeared in front of an old man and asked him if he was in heaven. The old man roared, "THAT'S WHERE YOU CAME FROM, don't you like what I gave you on earth, this is a RECYCLING PLANT, where humans are made of dust and in the end return to dust!" For some of us it is our heaven, the Earth! That why we are in no hurry to leave.

It's wonderful that a man of Kirks age can write a book while he is recovering from a stroke. And, not just a book, but also an excellent book, which will help anyone with any kind of disability problem who reads it. For others it's just an excellent book.

Roger L. Lee

A must-read book, which shows the REAL Kirk Douglas--an exceptionally brave man, and a wonderful human being.