The Time of My Life by Patrick Swayze, Lisa Niemi Swayze Summary and Reviews
|
List Price: Our Price: $0.75 You Save: $25.25 (97%) Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Buy Used: from $0.01 (click here) Category: Book See more book details and other editions |
|---|
Book Reviews of The Time of My Life
Book Review: An excellent read
Summary: 5 Stars
This is an amazing book about a man that was truly extraordinary. He was a great talent and I love the way he looked at life. And he had an astounding inner strength in dealing with the crises in his life. His is a soul that will be sorely missed in this world. Rest in peace, Patrick.Book Review: An inspirational life, Patrick Swayze
Summary: 5 Stars
In the book "The Time of My Life", by Patrick Swayze and Lisa Niemi, it describes the challenges in their lives and the journey they took together. It all began with his career ending knee injury during a high school football game. His knee continued to cause him pain and swelling throughout his lifetime. It finished his early gymnastic goal of going to the Olympics, halted his professional ballet career, and posed challenges in his action packed movie stunts. Lisa's love helped him get through the pain and the tough decisions he faced with his career due to his knee pain. Patrick Swayze was proud and determined in everything he did. It is a moving love story about their relationship and life. The book shares his ups and downs as he persevered on his journey with his wife. He overcame depression, alcoholism, infertility, and a plane crash. His father had a heart attack and died and his sister Vicky committed suicide. Patrick was a fighter through all of this and became a very successful actor. It was a hard, but accomplished life. Unfortunately, he lost his final fight with cancer shortly after this book was published. The book is very interesting to read because it shares so much about his life and how he was so talented in many areas. If you are a fan of Patrick Swayze, you will really enjoy this book and the photos of him. This was one of my favorite books I have read and it was my first memoir.Book Review: Another Celebrity Memoir
Summary: 3 Stars
After a two-year battle with pancretic cancer Patrick Swayze died exactly two weeks before the release of his memoir The Time of My Life. Interestingly, Ted Kennedy died of a similar disease at nearly the same time and also just weeks before the release of his memoir. I suppose this is notable only because both of their books ended up on the New York Times list of bestsellers and, hence, on my reading list. The Time of My Life, co-written with Swayze's life Lisa Niemi, is a well-written, fast-paced memoir that, at just less than 250 pages is just about the right size for a quick read.
Perhaps the most notable thing about Swayze's life was that he remained married to his wife for thirty-four years. Married when he was twenty three and she nineteen, they remained together from obscurity to the peak of fame. She was still at his side when he died. Though they endured times of pain and separation, they remained married and, as far as I know, faithful to one another. Needless to say, this cuts against the grain of Hollywood and its widespread serial monogamy. Swayze and Niemi are among the few who managed to stay together for better and worse.
Though this is mostly a "vanilla" memoir of a life known mostly for roles in film rather than any great or enduring endeavors, there was one aspect of the book that stood out to me-Swayze's attempts to describe what it is like to be as famous as he was at the height of his fame. "It's hard to describe exactly what it feels like to be thrust into this kind of fame, but `whirlwind' comes pretty close. Everything about you is just spinning. You try to touch it, to get a grasp on it, but it just spins faster and faster. If I had found myself in the middle of something like this when I was younger, when I first came to Hollywood, it probably would have destroyed me. In many ways, dealing with fame is the purest form of dealing with your demons." He goes on to state that "the easiest way to destroy people is to give them exactly what they want. You might not realize it at the time, but the struggle to achieve something is, in many ways, much more satisfying than actually getting it. The very act of striving is what keeps you alive, and it keeps you grounded. But then, when the thing you've been fighting for is suddenly in your grasp, it's all too easy to look around and say-is that all there is?"
"Is that all there is?" That is an interesting question from a man who very suddenly found himself achieving exactly what he had set out to achieve. He had found international fame, he was the sexiest man in the world, he was the envy of every man in America. And yet he had to wonder, "is that all there is?" Celebrities who are honest about their fame will often voice a similar question. Having given themselves to the pursuit of fame and having been thrilled by the pursuit, they are often robbed of the satisfaction they were convinced it would all bring. Those who have read the Bible and absorbed what it teaches will not be the least bit surprised.
In most ways The Time of My Life is just another celebrity memoir, right down to the seemingly-inevitable struggles with addiction (in this case, addiction to alcohol). It is not without its highlights, but on the whole it mainly describes the life of a man who was known for being known. He was gifted in many ways and had endless opportunities extended to him. He wrestled with issues of faith and found himself drawn mostly into the stream of contemporary Western-influenced Buddhism. But his greatest accomplishment, the one he will be remembered for, is likely to be Dirty Dancing. And in the end, that does not seem to be much of a legacy.
Book Review: Awesome
Summary: 5 Stars
I enjoyed the book very much. Patrick and Lisa were very honest and definitely shared intimate details of their long lasting relationship. The book flowed so smoothly that I read it in a matter of days. I remember seeing Patrick for the first time on TV in the mini-series North and South and thought what a great guy, both sensitive but also very masculine, plus easy on the eyes. Then after Dirty Dancing, well, what woman didn't find him sexy and attractive. I even named my second son, Patrick, after him, because I wanted a strong masculine name and also someone I admired. We all lost a great human being. I thank he and Lisa for sharing their story because it shows what a commitment they had for each other and their marriage, and even through the rough times, they managed to work it out. It is definitely a love story but not sappy. This was definitely an inpsirational story for me and am grateful to have read it.Book Review: Awesome and Inspiring
Summary: 5 Stars
This book will grip your heart strings. Never did I know the many talents of Patrick Swayze until now. What a talented guy.. and so tough all through his life and right to the end. I am not an avid reader and I read this book in a day because I couldn't put it down. Excellent book..Highly Recommended.