Patrick Swayze (1952–2009)

This memoir was written co-written by Patrick and his wife, Lisa Niemi, though Patrick wrote the majority of the book, with a few small snippets interjected by Lisa. It was written during the gap of time between his diagnosis of pancreatic cancer and his death 20 months later at age 57. I read the audiobook version, which is abridged, but read by Patrick (and Lisa).

Patrick Swayze didn't really enter my radar until I saw him in 1987's Dirty Dancing, and like most other teens in the 80's, I love(d) that movie. I also loved his subsequent appearance in Ghost with Demi Moore, though I have to admit that I haven't seen many of the other movies that he's been in, other than (only recently) The Outsiders. But like most people, I was truly saddened to hear of his death in 2009.

I knew a little bit about Patrick's history with dancing (his mother was a dance instructor), but my knowledge of him was mostly pretty basic. I really had no idea how talented he was in so many areas. The guy was motivated and driven, and if one thing didn't work out, he'd fall back on something else that he was also good at. Other than acting, he also, at other points in his life, excelled at dance (various types, but specifically ballet), singing, songwriting, football, rollerskating/ice skating, horseback riding, woodworking, piloting, and probably several others that I'm omitting. He met his wife Lisa while they were still teens in his hometown of Houston, TX.

There are very few memoirs that I don't enjoy because I always learn so many interesting things about the author that I never before knew. But as far as memoirs go, I wouldn't say this ranks up there as one of the better ones I've read, though I did enjoy it for the information I learned. While it was nice to hear Patrick's voice again in this audiobook, he sounded tired, which I expect was a result of the disease process. And while I appreciate the fact that he felt such a strong love for his wife Lisa, his constant reinforcing of and references to her throughout the book were a bit much, and I didn't at all care for her audio contributions to this book, as her voice was a droning monotone. But it's definitely a memoir worth reading for anyone who's even casually a fan of Patrick Swayze. (And I really have a strong urge to go watch Dirty Dancing again, as well as some of the other well-known movies of his that I've not yet seen.)… (mehr)

Like many females, I had a crush on Patrick Swayze resulting from the movie "Dirty Dancing".

I knew he'd been a dancer but I didn't realize how much dancing he'd done before his movie career. I was surprised to read that he'd done so well in the ballet world. I also knew his wife was a dancer but didn't realize the extent of her career in it either. I was surprised to read that both of them smoked. I wouldn't have thought dancers would be smokers--and it turned out the smoking caused problems in their airplane too as well as making it more likely that he would get hypoxic while piloting.

I also didn't realize Patrick had done gymnastics (also doing quite well at it) and diving and football. I didn't realize he had knee issues stemming from football that recurred throughout his professional career. Or that he drank so much.

By the time he passed away, Patrick and Lisa had been married at least 34 years. These days, I almost feel like long marriages do not happen in Hollywood, so I applaud them for staying together that long. They are honest that there were rough spots in their marriage that they had to work through, but they did work through them.

I was also disappointed that he chose Buddhism. I can't really fault him for moving away from Catholicism--I too have issues with aspects of Catholicism--but if nothing else, growing up Catholic should have exposed him to the truth--something he later chose to reject. It made it hard to read about him wondering about Heaven knowing that.… (mehr)

I really liked reading this book. I've been a huge fan of patrick swayze as long as I can remember. I found out many things I didn't know about him and his life. He talks about his experiences during certain key movies and life experiences. He writes really well and I think every Patrick Swayze fan should read it. I love how honest he is - even about his bad choices and mistakes. It's a quick read and I found it to be very interesting. Part of me wishes the story continues beyond where it really ends, but I think it would break my heart even more. Great guy, great book if you liked him.… (mehr)