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Climbing The Mountain: My Search For Meaning
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Binding: Paperback
Dewey Decimal Number: 920
EAN: 9780684865843
ISBN: 068486584X
Label: Simon & Schuster
Manufacturer: Simon & Schuster
Number Of Items: 1
Number Of Pages: 272
Publication Date: September 12, 2000
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Studio: Simon & Schuster
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Editorial 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 warmhearted, 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 reevaluate 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 humor.
With the simple power and astonishing candor that made his 1988 autobiography, The Ragman's Son, a number one international bestseller, Kirk Douglas now shares his quest for spirituality and Jewish identity -- and his heroic fight to overcome crippling injuries and a devastating stroke.
On February 13, 1991, at the age of seventy-four, Kirk Douglas, star of such major motion-picture classics as Champion, Spartacus, and Paths of Glory, was in a helicopter crash, in which two people died and he himself sustained severe back injuries. As he lay in the hospital recovering, he kept wondering: Why had two younger men died while he, who had already lived his life fully, survived?
The question drove this son of a Russian-Jewish ragman to a search for his roots and on a long journey of self-discovery -- a quest not only for the meaning of life and his own relationship with God, but for his own identity as a Jew. Through the study of the Bible, Kirk Douglas found a new spirituality and purpose. His newfound faith deeply enriched his relationship with his own children and taught him -- a man who had always been famously demanding and impatient -- to listen to others and, above all, to hear his own inner voice.
Told with warmth, wit, much humor, and deep passion, Climbing the Mountain is inspirational in the very best sense of the word.
When, in 1991, Kirk Douglas survived a helicopter crash in which one man in his forties and a boy of eighteen were killed, the world-famous actor, then in his mid-seventies, lay recovering from severe injuries wondering why he had lived while two young men had died. Douglas's ensuing search for the meaning of life forms the basis of this truly moving and astonishingly candid memoir.
While seeking to understand his Jewish roots and establish a new spiritual identity -- a quest that would eventually lead to a reconciliation with his son Michael -- Douglas was again faced with tragedy that shook his faith. A crippling stroke left him paralyzed on one side of his body, unable to speak. His ultimately triumphant journey to both spiritual and physical recovery -- a dramatic story of faith and courage -- is told here with a passion and simplicity that can't help but astonish and inspire.
Customer Reviews
Average Rating: 
Rating:  - The finding of new meaning in life through 'return'
After the helicopter accident in which he nearly lost his life, and two younger men who had not fully lived theirs did, Kirk Douglas came to reflect more deeply on his past and its meaning. This led him to begin learning and studying about the Jewish religion that he had been born into. Through this return he found a deeper and renewed meaning to his life.
This work is the sequel and continuation of his first autobiographical work 'Ragman's Son'. It is not as event-filled but makes up for ... Read More
Rating:  - Great book, but repeats most of Ragman's Son
After reading Ragman's Son, I enthusiastically bought this book. The first few chapters are mind blowing. Then Douglas starts undergoing what psychologists call "Life Review" in his attempt to assess his life and find greater spiritual meaning.
It was great, but if you've read Ragman's Son, hardly any of it was new. I felt as if I was reading 80% of the first book. Still, its a good read, and Douglas writes of his quest to find his spiritual self in a manner that I think will ... Read More
Rating: - Wonderful book
I really enjoyed reading this autobiography. Kirk Douglas has had enough life and experience for his two autobiographies, and at the rate he is going, he'll have enough for a third!
Kirk is unafraid to let us into his weaknesses, his fears and desires. He doesn't let anything stop him. No stroke could steal his love of life away. His spirituality sustains him, and his sharing of it sustains us.
May he have long life.
Rating: - INSPIRATIONAL!
Kirk Douglas has become a member of my family by the sensitivity of his writing. I feel as if I have known him the entire 46 years I have been on earth. I recommend this book to all those that are downcast and feel that life has not been fair to them. Mr. Douglas invites you into his heart and bears his soul. If you feel you are down in the valley, you surely will climb the mountain to victory as you read every word he has to share. Reading this book brought a smile to my face, a tear in my ... Read More
Rating:  - Douglas inspires us to look again at the religion we left.
When he was fourteen, Kirk Douglas left the religion of his childhood. Or did he? In his later years he came to realize that his view of the religion of his childhood was childish. Paul's famous lines to the Corinthians comes to mind: "When I was a child I thought like a child, I spoke like a child, I reasoned like a child."
Many of us dismissed our religious roots without really understanding or appreciating them. Douglas moved through the decades without looking back on that ... Read More
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