Climbing the Mountain: My Search for Meaning - Hardcover

Douglas, Kirk

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 068484415X ISBN 13: 9780684844152

Publisher: Simon & Schuster Ltd, 1997

Synopsis

With the simple power and astonishing candor that made The Ragman's Son a great bestseller, Hollywood icon Kirk Douglas shares his quest for spirituality and Jewish identity -- and his heroic fight to overcome crippling injuries and a devastating stroke.On February 13, 1991, Kirk Douglas, star of such major Hollywood classics as Spartacus and Paths of Glory, was in a helicopter crash in which two people died and Douglas sustained severe back injuries. As he lay in the hospital recovering, haunted by the tragedy, he kept wondering -- Why had the two younger men died while he, who had lived his life fully, survived? The question drives this son of a Russian-Jewish ragman back to his roots and on a journey of self-discovery. Through the teachings of the celebrated Rabbi David Aaron he finds a new spirituality and purpose to life through Judaism. His new-found orthodox faith enables him to make peace with his son Michael, to listen to others, and, above all, to hear his own inner voice. Unsparing, frank, passionate, Climbing the Mountain is also an intimate account of the actor's courageous fight to recover first from his painful and crippling crash injuries and then from a stroke that left him partially paralyzed and unable to speak -- an inspirational struggle that culminates in his triumphant appearance at the 1996 Academy Awards "RM" ceremony to receive a Lifetime Achievement Award.

About this title

Review

Born Issur Danielovich to a poor family in Amsterdam, New York, Kirk Douglas changed his name and identity, rocketing to fame as one of Hollywood's great macho actors. But in the 1990s, the eighth decade of his life, Douglas was transformed by a number of tragic incidents that forced him to heed the voice of little Issur that still resided within him. This frank, smoothly written autobiography, which somehow manages to be warm-hearted, pompous and moving all at the same time, picks up where The Ragman's Son, Douglas's earlier memoir, left off. In Climbing the Mountain the actor turned philosopher talks about the helicopter accident that killed two younger men while leaving him alive, the death of his friend Burt Lancaster and the debilitating effects of a minor stroke. All of these incidents caused him to re-evaluate his life, to acknowledge the voice and integrity of the Issur Danielovich he left behind, and to return to the Jewish faith. Climbing the Mountain is the book of a real survivor, a man walking the path of old age with dignity, thoughtfulness and humour.

Review

Sharon Waxman"The Washington Post"Corageous....Thoughtful in its questions....Engaging.

Larry King"USA Today"Kirk Douglas' memoir, "Climbing the Mountain," is one terrific book.

Barbara Fisher"The Boston Globe"The sincerity and simplicity of this memoir make it almost impossible to criticize.

President Jimmy CarterKirk Douglas shares his very personal search for the meaning of life, and through his struggle, he helps us all discover our own spirituality.

Barbara Fisher "The Boston Globe" The sincerity and simplicity of this memoir make it almost impossible to criticize.

Sharon Waxman "The Washington Post" Corageous....Thoughtful in its questions....Engaging.

President Jimmy Carter Kirk Douglas shares his very personal search for the meaning of life, and through his struggle, he helps us all discover our own spirituality.

Larry King "USA Today" Kirk Douglas' memoir, "Climbing the Mountain, " is one terrific book.

Sharon Waxman The Washington Post Corageous....Thoughtful in its questions....Engaging.

Barbara Fisher The Boston Globe The sincerity and simplicity of this memoir make it almost impossible to criticize.

About this edition

• Publisher: Simon & Schuster Ltd
• Publication date: 1997
• ISBN 10: 068484415X
• ISBN 13: 9780684844152
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 272