Many are familiar with Fox's Parkinson's diagnosis, this being his second book on living with the disease, eight years, one daughter and one charitable foundation later. The first, entitled Lucky Man spoke of his journey with the debilitating condition and yet despite this, how lucky he continued to be. Optimism is again the underpinning theme in Always Looking Up, the title a reference to both his outlook on life and his infamous short stature.

Fox's approach to this novel was to base it around four major ideas; Starting Over (work), Speaking Out (politics), Seeking Answers (faith) and Safe at Home (family). Or as he describes them "... the struts of my existence."

And the titles of each section speaks to his mindset about each. With his condition worsening, Fox resigned from his successful sitcom Spin City with no view to what he would do after that. It doesn't take him long to realise that instead of ending a successful career, he had an opportunity to start something to benefit not only Parkinson's sufferers and starts his foundation, with research primarily based around stem cell research. The Speaking Out section deals with how much of a political hot-potato the idea of stem cell research is and Fox's involvement in getting legislation passed to allow it to continue. Seeking Answers is not about a search for spiritual understanding but his growing awareness that belief in something, be it a higher power or the drive to find a cure is so very important. And Safe at Home is part love letter to his family but an even bigger thank you and acknowledgement to Tracy, his wife of over 20 years.

There are parts of this that did drag for me. Being a non-American and not overly familiar with their politics, this section was not as interesting to me. I was surprised to find that this part wasn't particularly longer than the other sections, it just felt that way. Fox notes early on that he was always a keen follower of politics right from a young age, and this enthusiasm was clearly evident. A lot of the more in-depth medical information was also included in this part and this double whammy had me putting it down for longer intervals than in other sections.

That being said, this is an emotional read. The insights into a daily struggle with a body that won't obey your mental cues had me on the verge of tears one minute and furious the next, particularly when Fox is accused of "exaggerating the effects of the disease" by right-wing political commentator Rush Limbaugh. I laughed out loud at his funny anecdotes, particularly the ones about his childhood and meeting Muhammad Ali. And I could relate to the idea that his marriage was only made stronger by having this hardship to deal with . But mostly, the emotion I take away from this read is a sense of gratitude. I am grateful that Michael J. Fox shared his story, that Parkinson's and other debilitating conditions have someone like Fox in their corner, fighting for their chances at a cure. I am grateful and inspired by the overwhelming sense of hopefulness that Fox instills in every aspect of his life - work, politics, faith and family.

Michael J. Fox was diagnosed at the height of his career, the beginning of his marriage, at a time when everything was in his favour. He took this diagnosis and used it not as an excuse or a reason for bitterness, but as an opportunity for another direction in life. The pain and suffering is there for us to read, something I don't have to suffer or experience thankfully. So if this intelligent, talented, enigmatic man can go through everything he has and still always look up, then so can I.