Patrick Swayze was taken too soon, but his
remarkable spirit and enormous legacy will always shine bright. Discover how his focus on dreams for himself and others sustained him and guided him to live a zest-filled and hopeful life even while dealing with great adversity.
Professional Reviews
Joshua Sinclair
I just read your book. It’s a wonderful journey into the hopes, dreams,
and sufferings of a great man. Throughout the book you show how
Patrick fashioned his own life to conform with his spirituality and
undying hope and resilience.
D. Donovan
Sue Tabashnik has been an active member of the Official Patrick Swayze International Fan Club since 2000 and has written two prior books about Swayze that focus on the movie Dirty Dancing, so she's in a good position to provide an authoritative biography of the man in her latest effort, recommended for any Patrick Swayze fan and for collections strong in entertainment history.
Patrick Swayze: The Dreamer expands the coverage beyond his entertainment achievements to consider all the roles he's played in life; from that of husband, son, and brother to his battle with cancer and his encounters with fans in general and the author in particular.
Interview quotes from publications and peers, numerous color photos from his movies, and Swayze's own reflections on his art and achievements ("I’ve just always had a sense of what the world wants. Right now with this surface, shallow world of reality TV and everything worth believing in being devalued or laughed at, or if you have integrity “What’s wrong with you?” I’ll never stop living my life by those clichés. You know, “Only the strong survive,” “Nobody said it would be easy,” “Back up your mouth” and “Give all you can because it will be returned.”) all contribute to a bigger-picture feel for the actor and his philosophy about life as a whole, lending a compelling intimacy to Patrick Swayze: The Dreamer that is hard to equal elsewhere.
The ideal reader will be a prior Swayze fan; but an in-depth knowledge of the man or his movies is not a prerequisite to enjoying this in-depth survey of his life and works, which pairs his upbringing and life events with the various influences that fostered his belief systems. The inclusion of the evolution of Tabashnik's dream of meeting Patrick and how she came to be an avid fan of not only the movie Dirty Dancing but the extent of his work makes for almost as interesting a story as Swayze's life, detailing the changes her interest in him brought to her own life.
Any Patrick Swayze fan will find this a wonderfully detailed account of not just his life events, but his personality, ideals, and the experiences of a woman who came to document his world.
--D. Donovan, Senior Reviewer, Midwest Book Review
I, too, admired Patrick Swayze for his body of work, and most importantly, Dirty Dancing. I met a dancer and choreographer here in Houston in 1986 and we did some dirty dancing of our own until I couldn't dance anymore. She is still dancing doing her Tina Turner review (she sings and dances) at 75. She always dreamed of doing something big, but it's hard in Houston, so far from Hollywood and New York City.
That's why Patrick's story is so remarkable. Coming from this urban cowboy town to become one of Hollywood's premier stars, like the Quaid brothers also did somehow.
I also have known people who acquired pancreatic cancer and were gone too fast. It's a nasty disease that needs to be stopped.
I don't understand why you came a fan member in 2000. I guess you were a fan all along, but didn't join until then. I've never been a fan of anyone although I have tried to participate in the Christopher Reeve foundation, finding them more interested in me being a donor than a participant. I read very few books and don't read fan books or magazines. My only hope is that your biography is accurate and doesn't come under scrutiny by family members for inaccuracies.
Destiny's Daughter by Frances Altman highlights events in the life of Mary Edwards Walker, maverick suffragist, Civil War doctor and only woman Medal of Honor recipient.
