Rating: 
Summary: Awesome, Inspiring, just plain amazing
Review: Read this book. I don't care if you know nothing or could care less about bike racing. This is one inspiring book. If you don't laugh, and cry, while reading this, you are not human.We all know the story--Lance rides bikes. Lance gets cancer. Lance whips cancer and wins not one, not two, but three (and counting...) Tour De France's. You need no understanding or knowledge of bicycle racing to appreciate this book. Lance is a true American hero, and you OWE it to yourself to read this book. I promise you that you'll finish it in two days and after that, you will find your ears perking up any time you hear the words "Lance Armstrong". I've loaned this book to more people than any other book I own. Without fail, it's returned to me with a comment like "Unbelievable", "Incredible", or just a smile with a tear in the eye. Read this book. You will not regret it.
Rating:
Summary: A memoir of courage, survival and inspiration for ALL
Review: Don't make the mistake of assuming this one is only for jocks, those interested in sports, biking or memoirs written about athletes. I don't fall into any of those categories and I LOVED reading this book, which actually focuses on the positive side of having (and surviving) a life-threatening illness. Armstrong makes the intriguing argument that he came back from cancer with a new, stronger focus, a new perspective on his life and a determination to make the most of every day after that. Not only that, but he was able to win the Tour de France in spite of having NO sponsor (none of them were willing to believe he would succeed), many detractors and the knowledge that his body had endured a massive assault of chemicals, chemotherapy, etc. But his atheltic achievements are really a small part of the larger picture - his emotional and spiritual renaissance, a testimony (and inspiration) for any reader.
Rating:
Summary: The most inspiration story I have read in a long time.
Review: The most inspiration story I have read in a long time. Lance Armstrong a world-class athlete nearly struck down by cancer, only to recover and win the Tour de France, the bicycle race famous for its grueling intensity is a winner by all accounts. As serious and difficult the race may be the race to defeat cancer is even more difficult. And that is the core of this book which includes serious medical detail from chemo to surgical procedures to his wife's in vitro fertilization, you won't be spared a single x-ray, IV drip, or unfortunate side effect. Lance Armstrong is a winner in regards to life, death, illness, family, medical setbacks, training setbacks and personal triumphs. Reading this book makes you proud. FinancialNeeds.com
Rating:
Summary: WHAT AN AMERICAN HERO--I AM PROUD OF HIM
Review: I never really took the sport of cycling too seriously until I started riding myself. Now I look at it in a different light. These athletes have strength and stamina I only dream I will one day achieve. But in Lance, the strength and stamina is multiplied by 1,000. I have read many biographies and auto bios; this one is without a doubt the most touching, sincere, and thought provoking book I have ever read. In at least three different points of the book, I cried (a feat that can only be done by a song or a movie for me and being a guy). First, when he found out he had cancer, he wondered if is was going to ride again (not live). Secondly when he came out of surgery, he asked for his mom. Thirdly, when he visited a very young cancer patient, after Lance won the Tour de France, and the child asked him for the box of cereal with his picture on it. "Without belief, we would be left with nothing but an overwhelming doom, every single day." Lance makes us believe in the human spirit and the belief that we can beat anything. Nothing is greater than the spirit; and Lance helped me find it again. Lance is the GREASTEST AMERICAN HERO; and a hero to me.
Rating: 
Summary: spirited
Review: The basic story here is awfully familiar : healthy, cocky, young athlete is stricken with cancer and faces a fight for his life. But what's truly remarkable is how differently the story ends than those we've become used to over the years. Just thirty years ago, in Brian's Song, the story revolved around the courage and grace with which Brian Piccolo, a 26 year old football player for the Chicago Bears, struggled against certain doom, and how he touched the lives of those around him. Today, not only did Lance Armstrong survive testicular cancer--the same cancer that killed Piccolo--he was actually able to return to championship bike racing and win that Tour de France thing. Nor is this a rarity, there are numerous other pro athletes who have survived cancer and returned to compete at a level at least equal to where they were prior to their illness. In fact, it is almost tempting to become blasé about such stories. So the great service that Armstrong provides here is to detail just how frightening it still is to face such a disease, no matter the survival rate. In particular, the rather gory detail he goes into about the manifestations of the cancer, and the treatment process, serves as a helpful reminder of the psychological, as well as physical, costs that survivors pay even as they return to health. Modern medicine is capable of some amazing things, but it still requires a healthy dose of the human spirit to overcome illness. Lance Armstrong is nothing if not spirited. The book may not turn you into a cycling fan--it didn't me. But it will more than likely get you to root for Lance Armstrong, and the other brave folks who have fought back, successfully, against cancer. GRADE : B
Rating:
Summary: Lance Armstrong: An amazing Biographer
Review: I would have never bought this book, simply because I am not a cyclist. A friend had it on their coffee table, and once I opened it, I could not put it down. I usually was an Oprah book club reader occasionally, and always bored by the monotony of non-fiction I could not relate to. But, I am a fellow Austinite and I hear all about Lance and his trials - from Texas Monthly magazine's article and newspapers statewide to coffee shop talk. We all know about him. Nothing really prepared me for the dynamics of Lance Armstrong. By reading this book, I was able to get inside the head of this incredible athlete. He drew pictures of his struggles and his rags-to-riches life so simply. He really is a great writer! More importantly, this book is not about cycling essentially - it is about his cancer and how it changed his life - everything. I find it to be an awesome page-turner, and I recommend it to all my friends. Go Lance!
Rating:
Summary: Inspiring book
Review: Anyone who thinks they've had a tough lot in life should read this book. Lance Armstrong details his early life where he is the son of a single mother, feeling like an outcast in his upper-middle-class neighborhood and high school. He is a restless angry teenager who finds that he has the physical ability and drive to become a great athlete. He finally finds the perfect sport in cycling and relentlessly pursues his goal to be the best. Just as he is gaining some recognition in the sport, he is told that he has testicular cancer. The odds against him are overwhelming, but he researches his options until he finds the hospital which he believes will give him the best treatment. He details the agony of surgery and chemo. and the reader begins to understand just what it must be like to be a cancer patient. Not only does he recover, but he goes back to cycling and becomes the best in the world. This book gives interesting insight into what it takes to be the an outstanding athlete and is inspiring for anyone who is facing difficult odds. It shows the gradual maturing of an impulsive and restless young man who is tempered by illness and who is finally able to be a world-class athlete and a family man.
Rating:
Summary: Couldn't put it down.
Review: I am pretty busy, so as much as I love books, I generally have to fit them into the little spaces of time here and there and it takes weeks to finish one. But this book arrived Thursday afternoon, and by Friday evening I had finished it and was wishing it could have lasted longer. Okay, the first third of it is a bit slow. It contained more detail than I needed about how he won his early races. But the last two-thirds, his battle with cancer and his comeback afterwards, were absolutely enthralling. Inspiring? Of course. I hope never to have to fight for life as Armstrong did, but if I do I know Lance Armstrong's ability to beat 97% odds will be in the back of my mind, pushing me on. Meantime, if Armstrong can cycle through the Alps with saddle sores, what more might I be able to push my own body to do?
Rating:
Summary: Unbelievable!
Review: This book is one of the most moving personal success stories I have ever read. From the history of Lance's difficult childhood, to his hot headed youth, to his battle with testicular cancer, to his wife's pregnancy, to his amazing win of the 1999 Tour de France... I loved it all. The section detailing the 1999 Tour de France actually got my adrenaline flowing. Like the title of the book says, it's not about the bike. Instead, the book is more about how Lance Armstrong dealt with cancer, and what it has meant in his life. You will not be sorry you read this book.
Rating: 
Summary: Are 5 stars automatic for cancer patients?
Review: On a technical level, this book is an amateurish read despite the presence of a co-author. In terms of content, I was embarassed for Lance most of the time. He knows just enough to understand that a story like his SHOULD be inspirational, but by recounting (even relishing in) petty achievements like owning an expensive car, driving it fast, and talking down to most of the people he encounters, gives away the fact that as a human being, he's less than the sum of his accomplishments (which are limited to riding a bicycle). I have a thousand times more respect for the majority of cancer victims who fight quietly and win or lose, manage to maintain their dignity in the end.
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