Recommended reading - No Time Like the Future: An Optimist Considers Mortality (2020)

 

No Time Like the Future: An Optimist Considers Mortality (2020).

by Michael J. Fox.

Published by Flatiron Books.
Hardcover.
 
ISBN-10: 1250265630
ISBN-13: 978-1250265630
 
Description:
 

The entire world knows Michael J. Fox as Marty McFly, the teenage sidekick of Doc Brown in Back to the Future; as Alex P. Keaton in Family Ties; as Mike Flaherty in Spin City; and through numerous other movie roles and guest appearances on shows such as The Good Wife and Curb Your Enthusiasm. Diagnosed at age 29, Michael is equally engaged in Parkinson’s advocacy work, raising global awareness of the disease and helping find a cure through The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research, the world’s leading non-profit funder of PD science. His two previous bestselling memoirs, Lucky Man and Always Looking Up, dealt with how he came to terms with the illness, all the while exhibiting his iconic optimism. His new memoir reassesses this outlook, as events in the past decade presented additional challenges.

In No Time Like the Future: An Optimist Considers Mortality, Michael shares personal stories and observations about illness and health, aging, the strength of family and friends, and how our perceptions about time affect the way we approach mortality. Thoughtful and moving, but with Fox’s trademark sense of humor, his book provides a vehicle for reflection about our lives, our loves, and our losses.

Running through the narrative is the drama of the medical madness Fox recently experienced, that included his daily negotiations with the Parkinson’s disease he’s had since 1991, and a spinal cord issue that necessitated immediate surgery. His challenge to learn how to walk again, only to suffer a devastating fall, nearly caused him to ditch his trademark optimism and “get out of the lemonade business altogether.”

Does he make it all of the way back? Read the book.
 

Born on this day – Marion Leonard:

Marion Leonard

Actress

June 9, 1881 – January 9, 1956

Credits:

A Brass Button (1911); A Burglar's Mistake (1909); A Country Girl (1911); A Dispensation (1910); A Drunkard's Reformation (1909); A Fool's Revenge (1909); A Leaf in the Storm (1913); A Left Hook (1911); A New Trick (1909); A Rude Hostess (1909); A Rural Elopement (1909); A Sacrifice, and Then (1910); A Salutary Lesson (1910); A Sweet Revenge (1909); A Tale of Ebon Tints (1911); A Tender-Hearted Crook (1913); A Thorn in Vengeance (1912); A Trap for Santa Claus (1909); A Wreath in Time (1909); An Affair of Hearts (1910); An Awful Moment (1908); And a Little Child Shall Lead Them (1909); As in a Looking Glass (1913); As It Is in Life (1910); As the Master Orders (1911); Ashes of Hope (1912); At Sword's Points (1911); At the Altar (1909); At the Crossroads of Life / The Politician's Love Story (1909); Carmen (1913); Comata, the Sioux (1909); Ever the Accuser (1911); Father Gets in the Game (1908); Film Fun (1955); Flicker Flashbacks No. 5, Series 5 (1948); Fools of Fate (1909); For His Sake (1911); For Remembrance (1911); From the Valley of Shadows (1911); Gold Is Not All (1910); Her First Biscuits (1909); His Duty (1909); His Last Dollar (1910); His Lost Love (1909); In Flowers Paled (1911); In Honor Bound (1912); In Little Italy (1909); In Old California (1910); In Payment Full (1912); In the Tepee's Light (1911); In the Watches of the Night (1909 / 1913); In the Window Recess (1909); Leather Stocking (1909); Lines of White on a Sullen Sea (1909); Long Time No See (1954); Looking Backward (1912); Lost a Husband (1912); Love Among the Roses (1910); Love Finds a Way (1909); Lucky Jim (1909); Mother Love (1914); Moulders of Souls (1910); None Can Do More (1912); Nursing a Viper (1909); O'er Grim Fields Scarred (1911); On Kentucky Soil (1911); On the Reef (1910); One Touch of Nature (1909); Over Silent Paths (1910); Over the Shading Edge (1911); Pippa Passes; or, the Song of Conscience (1909); Pranks (1909); Resurrection (1909); Rose o' Salem Town (1910); So Runs the Way (1910); So Speaks the Heart (1912); Songs of Childhood Days (1912); Souls Courageous (1911); Stars: Their Courses Change (1912); Such Is the Kingdom (1911); Tangled Lines (1911); Tears o' Peggy (1912); The Armorer's Daughter (1910); The Awakening of Donna Isolla (1914); The Bandit's Waterloo (1908); The Brahma Diamond (1909); The Broken Locket (1909); The Call (1910); The Call to Arms (1910); The Children's Friend (1909); The Christmas Burglars (1908); The Cloister's Touch (1910); The Command from Galilee (1911); The Conflict (1911); The Conflict's End (1912); The Converts (1910); The Cord of Life (1909); The Criminal Hypnotist (1909); The Day After (1909); The Dead Secret (1913); The Death Disc: A Story of the Cromwellian Period (1909); The Defender of the Name (1912); The Diamond Path (1912); The Dragon's Claw (1915); The Drift (1914); The Drive for a Life (1909); The Duke's Plan (1910); The Eavesdropper (1909); The End of the Circle (1912); The Eternal Conflict (1912); The Expiation (1909); The Faded Lilies (1909); The Fascinating Mrs. Francis (1909); The Fatal Hour (1908); The Feud and the Turkey (1908); The Ghost of a Bargain (1912); The Gibson Goddess (1909); The Girls and Daddy (1909); The Gold Seekers (1910); The Golden Louis (1909); The Gray of the Dawn (1910); The Greaser's Gauntlet (1908); The Harvest (1911); The Heart of an Outlaw (1909); The Helping Hand (1908); The Hessian Renegades (1909); The Hidden Bonds (1912); The Hindoo Dagger (1909); The Hour of Fate (1911); The Hour of Peril (1912); The Indian Runner's Romance (1909); The Jilt (1909); The Joneses Have Amateur Theatricals (1909); The Journey's Ending (1913); The Last Laugh (1911); The Leader of the Band (1912); The Light on the Way (1912); The Light That Came (1909); The Light Unseen (1914); The Little Avenger (1911); The Lonely Villa (1909); The Lure of the Gown (1909); The Maniac Cook (1909); The Medicine Bottle (1909); The Mills of the Gods (1909); The Minute and the Maid (1911); The Miracle of Life (1926); The Mother Heart (1912); The Note in the Shoe (1909); The Oath and the Man (1910); The Peachbasket Hat (1909); The Price of Vanity (1911); The Refuge (1910); The Restoration (1909); The Rocky Road (1910); The Romany Rye (1914); The Rose of Yesteryear (1914); The Roue's Heart (1909); The Sacrifice (1909); The Salvation Army Lass (1909); The School Ma'am's Courage (1911); The Seal of Time (1912); The Sealed Room (1909); The Seed of the Fathers (1913); The Serpent's Eyes (1912); The Sorrows of the Unfaithful (1910); The Strength of the Weak (1912); The Tavern Keeper's Daughter (1908); The Test (1909); The Test of Friendship (1908); The Thin Dark Line (1910); The Two Brothers (1910); The Two Paths (1911); The Unending Love (1912); The Unknown Bride (1912); The Violin Maker of Cremona (1909); The Voice of the Millions (1912); The Voice of the Violin (1909); The Vow (1915); The Vows (1911); The Way of Man (1909); The Welcome Burglar (1909); The Winning Coat (1909); Those Little Flowers (1913); Those Who Live in Glass Houses (1913); Thou Shalt Not (1910); Through a Higher Power (1912); Through Flaming Gates (1912); Through Memory Blank (1912); Through the Breakers (1909); Through Twisting Lanes (1912); Thus Many Souls (1912); Till Death Do Us Part (1911); Tis an Ill Wind That Blows No Good (1909); Tragic Love (1909); Trying to Get Arrested (1909); Two Memories (1909); Under a Changing Sky (1910); Under Her Wing (1912); What Avails the Crown (1912); When Love Rules (1912); When Woman Wills (1910); Where Sea and Shore Doth Meet (1910); Where the Breakers Roar (1908); While Wedding Bells Ring Out (1912); With Her Card (1909).

Born on this day – Skip James:

Skip James

Blues singer

Guitarist

Pianist

Songwriter

June 9, 1902 – October 3, 1969

Credits:

Music:

Songs:

22-20 Blues; Be Ready When He Comes; Cherry Ball Blues; Cypress Grove Blues; Devil Got My Woman; Drunken Spree; Four O'Clock Blues; Hard Luck Child; Hard Time Killing Floor Blues; How Long 'Buck; If You Haven't Any Hay Get on Down the Road; Illinois Blues; I'm So Glad; Jesus Is a Mighty Good Leader; Little Cow and Calf Is Gonna Die Blues; Special Rider Blues; What Am I to Do; Yola My Blues Away.

Albums:
Blues from the Delta (1998); Cypress Grove Blues (2004); Devil Got My Woman (1968); Greatest of the Delta Blues Singers (1964); Hard Time (2003); Hard Time Killin' Floor (2005); Hard Time Killing Floor Blues (2003); Heroes of the Blues: The Very Best of Skip James (2003); I'm So Glad (1978); ive: Boston, 1964 & Philadelphia, 1966 (1994); She Lyin' (1964 / 1996); Skip's Guitar Blues (1999); Skip's Piano Blues, 1964 (1998); Studio Sessions: Rare and Unreleased, 1967 (2003); The Complete Bloomington, Indiana Concert, March 30, 1968 (1999); The Complete Early Recordings of Skip James – 1930 (1994); Today! (1966).

Movies and television:

Babo 73 (1968); Burlesque (2010); Dancing in the Street: A Rock and Roll History (1996); Devil Got My Woman: Blues at Newport 1966 (1996); Devil's Knot (2013); Die Föhnforscher (1985); Down from the Mountain (2000); Ghost World (2001); Great Performances (2005); Her (2013); James Sonny Ford James, Delta Artist (1969); Mad Dogs (2016); Morgan (2016); O Brother, Where Art Thou? (2000); Omnibus (1968); Rage (2012); Reacher (2023); Rock Concert (1974); The American Folk Blues Festival 1962-1969 - Volume 3 (2004); The Blues (2003); The Soul of a Man (2003); Two Trains Runnin' (2016).
 

Born on this day – George Axelrod:

George Axelrod

Writer

Producer

Director

June 9, 1922 – June 21, 2003

Born on this day – Mona Freeman:

Mona Freeman

Actress

Painter

June 9, 1926 – May 23, 2014

Credits:

About Faces (1960); Angel Face (1952); Battle Cry (1955); Black Beauty (1946); Branded (1950 / 1966); Celebrity Playhouse (1955); Checkmate (1961); Chevron Theatre (1952); Climax! (1955–1958); Copper Canyon (1950); Copycat (1964); Damon Runyon Theater (1955); Danger Signal (1945); Darling, How Could You! (1951); Dear Brat (1951); Dear Ruth (1947); Dear Wife (1949); Double Indemnity (1944); Dragoon Wells Massacre (1957); Flesh and Fury (1952); Front Row Center (1956); Frontier Justice (1958); George Jessel Show (1959); Gypsy (1965); Here Come the Waves (1944); Here's Hollywood (1961); Hold Back the Night (1956); Huk! (1956); I Was a Shoplifter (1950); I'll Bet (1965); Isn't It Romantic (1948); Johnny Ringo (1960); Jumping Jacks (1952); Junior Miss (1945); Kraft Theatre / The United States Steel Hour (1960–1962); Lux Video Theatre (1955 / 1956); Matinee Theatre (1957); Maverick (1959–1960); Michael Shayne (1960); Mother Wore Tights (1947); National Velvet (1944); Our Hearts Were Growing Up (1946); Perry Mason (1962–1965); Place the Face (1955); Playhouse 90 (1956–1958); Pursuit (1958); Riverboat (1959); Roughly Speaking (1945); Schlitz Playhouse (1955–1957); Screen Snapshots: Hollywood on a Sunday Afternoon (1952); Screen Snapshots: Hollywood on the Ball (1952); Shadow of Fear (1955); Speaking of Animals in Going Hollywood (1949); Streets of Laredo (1949); Studio 57 (1956 / 1957); That Brennan Girl (1946); The 20th Century-Fox Hour (1956); The All New Truth or Consequences (1961); The Chevy Mystery Show (1960); The DuPont Show with June Allyson (1959); The Eddie Cantor Comedy Theater (1955); The Ford Television Theatre (1955–1956); The Greatest Show on Earth (1952); The Heiress (1949); The Hollywood Collection: Alan Ladd: The True Quiet Man (1999); The Juke Box Jury (1956); The Lady from Texas (1951); The Linkletter Show (1953); The Millionaire (1960); The O. Henry Playhouse (1957); The Princess and the Pirate (1944); The Red Skelton Hour (1958–1959); The Road to Denver (1955); The Rosemary Clooney Show (1956); The Tall Man (1961); The Way Out (1955); The World Was His Jury (1958); Thriller (1960); Thunderbirds (1952); Till We Meet Again (1944); Together Again (1944); Variety Girl (1947); Welcome Home, Johnny Bristol (1972); Wagon Train (1958); Wanted: Dead or Alive (1958–1959); You Don't Say (1963–1967); Zane Grey Theatre (1956).

Born on this day – Joe Santos:

 

Joe Santos

Actor

June 9, 1931 – March 18, 2016

Credits:

A Knife for the Ladies (1974); A Matter of Wife... and Death (1975); a.k.a. Pablo (1984); Adderly (1987); Art Deco Detective (1994); Bakersfield P.D. (1993); Baretta (1975); Barnaby Jones (1974); Beverly Hills Brats (1989); Beyond Suspicion (2000); Black Sheep Squadron (1978); Blade (1973); Blue Thunder (1983); Carol for Another Christmas (1964); Chronic (2015); Cover Up (1984); David Cassidy - Man Undercover (1978); Deadline: Madrid (1988); Deadly Desire (1991); Eischied (1979); Fear City (1984); Flesh and Lace (1965); Good Cops, Bad Cops (1990); Hammerlock (2000); Hardcastle and McCormick (1985–1986); Hill Street Blues (1984); Hunter (1984–1990); Jessie (1984); Joe Forrester (1976); Kung Fu (1975); Likely Stories, Vol. 2 (1983); Lou Grant (1977); MacGyver (1986–1987); Magnum, P.I. (1986–1988); Masquerade (1984); Match Game (1978–1979); Match Game / Hollywood Squares Hour (1984); Match Game PM (1979–1980); Me and Maxx (1980); Miami Vice (1988); Mindreaders (1979); Mo' Money (1992); Moonlighting Wives (1966); Murder, She Wrote (1987–1988); My Body Hungers (1967); Naked City (1963); Nightside (1973); NYPD Blue (1993); Police Story (1974–1978); Power (1980); Proximity (2001); Quantum Leap (1989); Remington Steele (1984); Revenge (1990); Room 222 (1972); Santa Barbara (1990); Shaft's Big Score! (1972); Shamus (1973); Sinatra (1992); Suburban Beat (1985); Superior Court (1986–1990); T.J. Hooker (1985); The 31st Annual Primetime Emmy Awards (1979); The A-Team (1984); The Blue Knight (1973); The Detective (1968); The Don Is Dead (1973); The Education of Allison Tate (1986); The Friends of Eddie Coyle (1973); The Gang That Couldn't Shoot Straight (1971); The Girl on the Late, Late Show (1974); The Greatest American Hero (1983); The Hollywood Squares (Daytime) (1980); The Hustler of Muscle Beach (1980); The Last Boy Scout (1991); The Man from Elysian Fields (2001); The Old Man and the Sea (1990); The Panic in Needle Park (1971); The Postman (1997); The Ratings Game (1984); The Right Way (1998); The Rockford Files (1974–1980); The Rockford Files: A Blessing in Disguise (1995); The Rockford Files: Friends and Foul Play (1996); The Rockford Files: Godfather Knows Best (1996); The Rockford Files: I Still Love L.A. (1994); The Rockford Files: If It Bleeds... It Leads (1999); The Rockford Files: If the Frame Fits... (1996); The Rockford Files: Punishment and Crime (1996); The Rockford Files: Shoot-Out at the Golden Pagoda (1997); The Selling of Vince D'Angelo (1983); The Sopranos (2004); The Streets of San Francisco (1974); The Tiger Makes Out (1967); The Twilight Zone / Segment: The Library (1986); Toma (1973); Trapper John, M.D. (1982); Trial by Jury (1994); Warm Nights and Hot Pleasures (1964); Wendy Hooper, U.S. Army (1981); Zandy's Bride (1974).

Born on this day – Michel Lang:

Michel Lang

Director

Writer

June 9, 1939 – April 24, 2014