After Superman

Nothing Is Impossible
Christopher Reeve
Random House
176 pages
Available at
Goodwill Bookstore

So many of our dreams at first seem impossible, then they seem improbable, and then, when we summon the will, they soon become inevitable. If we can conquer outer space, we can conquer inner space, too.

When we have hope, we discover powers within ourselves we may have never known — the power to make sacrifices, to endure, to heal, and to love. Once we choose hope, everything is possible.

Hope is certainly one thing that is not lacking in Christopher Reeve – he who declared soon after becoming a quadriplegic following a freak fall during an equestrian competition that for his fiftieth birthday, he wanted to be able to stand up and toast everyone who made it possible for him to walk again. Though he is still unable to stand on his own seven years later, his condition has improved incredibly. And now, as he turns 50, this book is his toast: to his new life, and to everyone who made it possible.

Reeve’s accident has left him with abilities far from those of the Superman he has been identified him with, but his recovery, detailed in the pages of this memoir, and his earlier autobiography, Still Me, is proof of the super skills he employed just so he could, at least figuratively and hopefully, soon, with the aid of faith and science, literally, get back on his feet. So far, he has made his condition and scientific research for its cure an advocacy, he eventually went back to work starring in one movie and directing another, and he adjusted to the changes in his life to become an even better husband and father to his family.

What makes this book amazing is the details which Reeve shares about his physical recovery. Following the initial period of rehabilitation for his injuries, Reeve, who optimistically chose to ignore negative diagnoses, began an aggressive regimen of physical therapy involving exercise and electrical stimulation, hoping to regain some level of functionality, and perhaps even walk again. His efforts have been rewarded with extraordinary results: he has regained feeling and sensation over a large part of his body, he is able to move some fingers on his left hand independently, and he is also able to raise his arms — all miraculous feats, considering he was declared paralyzed from neck down. Reeve’s incredible progress not only resonates with the hope with which he handles his condition, it also opens doors to a new approach regarding treatment for others with spinal cord injuries.

What is a hopeful book is also a very informative one. Reeve devotes many chapters to issues surrounding his condition, such as: stem-cell research, cloning, and insurance reform. He also touches on the subject of parenthood, the role of humor and hope in his life, and his evolving spirituality.

The best trait of this book, however, is that it does not call for pity, or even attention even as it tells an extraordinary story of an extraordinary guy who happened to be paralyzed as a result of a freak accident. Stripped of vanity and self-pity, Reeve writes in such an ordinary voice made strong by its message, making it even more convincing that, for everybody who carries hope in his heart, nothing, indeed, is impossible. – Althea Lauren Ricardo