Name: The Time of My Life
ISBN: 9781439158586

Patrick Swayze

Lisa Niemi

Veteran actor Swayze recounts much more than his struggle with stage IV pancreatic cancer. In vivid detail, he describes his Texas upbringing, his personal struggles, his commercial success, and the soul mate who's stood by his side through it all: his wife, writer and director Lisa Niemi.

The Time of My Life

Destini Baylis Adams

I can't believe that it tool me 21 years to watch Dirty Dancing, but when I did- I was hooked. I wanted to learn everything I could about the movie itself, the actors, and the behind the scenes action and I am happiest to have discovered Patrick Swayze. Since first watching Dirty Dancing, I have watched it like at least fifty times along with Ghost, Point Break, and Road House. I knew that Patrick had passed away before I read "The Time of My Life"( I mean he is a household name) but I was still excited to read about his life in his own words.
 Patrick was the definition of a renaissance ma. He excelled at football, gymnastics, dancing, music, singing, songwriting, and later acting. A knee injury prevented him from playing football so he focused more on his true love of dance. Patrick moved to New York to dance with the Joffrey Ballet, but his knee injury prevented him from continuing with the dance company.
Through out his autobiography, he describes his humble beginnings as an actor, meeting his agent, and he described events in his personal life. His story is very inspiring. He did not want to be some pretty boy actor so he was very particular about the roles he took. He not only described his biggest roles, he also described his less known roles too. He was passionate about his craft and that is what made the words flow off the page.
 I'll have to admit that I enjoyed that he got write his own words because knowing that he passed on- the media have decided to use his death, former costar relationships(Dirty Dancing), his struggles with alcohol and his self esteem , and sadly his marriage to their advantage. If someone read this book, they would get his side of Jennifer Grey's and his relationship(They did not get along on the set of Red Dawn but their chemistry was undeniable. When they were cast in Dirty Dancing, they hit rough patches, yet they still got along well. Patrick himself actually stated that the movie would not have been as big if it weren't for Jennifer and that she worked her butt off. He took responsibility for his alcoholism. As he put it, taking responsibility was not taking blame, but figuring out what was causing the issues in order to be aware of it and taking steps to curb it. I enjoyed reading about how he how much he loved his wife even through the ups and downs. 
 I am super appreciative that this book focuses on the events of Patricks life and not just his fight with cancer. His cancer is mentioned in both prologues and in stride throughout the book, but his diagnosis and battle were not fully described until the final two chapters. I know that many people were bothered that he did not describe his battle with pancreatic cancer more, but after reading his story, it becomes apparent that when Patrick faced challenges he would use the demons and challenges as fuel to throw into his work and passions and he stated multiple times that cancer was the hardest battle was the hardest battle that he ever fought. I think that it is inspirational that he did not fall into self pity even when he was forced to face issues especially PANCREATIC CANCER!!!!!
 While experiencing his words crawl off the page, I realized that Patrick Wayne Swayze was so much more. Patrick Swayze was more than just a renaissance man. He was more than just another soul plagued by cancer. He was a man who was tough and tender. He was a man who loved his mother and wanted to beyond meet her expectations. He was a man who deeply cherished his father and felt a void when he passed away. He was a man who loved to go out into the woods in speedos with his brother and play "Tarzan". He was a man who loved his wife. He was a man who got knocked down, but chose to look towards "what's next" then to fall into self pity. Most of all, he was a human being just like the rest of us, but proved that hard work and dedication could pay off.
 I think it is sort of funny( still dark) that he mentions that Swayze's typically do not grow to ripe in age because they are that adventurous. Seriously, he seemed to cope with dying from his wisdom. His father passed away at age 57 and after writing this book Patrick passed away at the age of 57.
 My favorite quote that he stated comes from Point Break, "Fear causes hesitation, and hesitation causes your worst fears to come true. I had never been hesitant before, but now I was"

The Time of My Life

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