Like many women in this country, I was once a 12-year-old girl obsessed with the movie Dirty Dancing, so I was among those saddened by Patrick Swayze's pancreatic cancer diagnosis in early 2008. Whether you loved Dirty Dancing or any of his other movies, Swayze's fans can take heart in the book he and his wife decided to write during his illness.

Swayze's likability oozes out of every page. While a very successful person in many sport and dramatic ventures (nearly got a football scholarship, nearly went to the Olympics in gymnastics, and spent a few years as a professional ballet dancer in New York, in addition to his illustrious film career), Swayze never gloats over his success and instead admits to lots of hard work and help from many people along the way. The biggest helper along the way has been his wife, Lisa, and the story of their courtship is pretty adorable (originally she ignored him because he seemed like an arrogant flirt).

As the book moves into his film career, it's clear how much of themselves Lisa and Patrick put into the projects they were involved in (Lisa often worked behind the scenes and occasionally in bit parts in movies Patrick starred in). While Swayze became one of the biggest movie stars of the late '80s and early '90s, he still remained the hardworking dancer's kid from Texas. Anyone wanting to know more about the man who played Johnny Castle really must check out this heartfelt autobiography.