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Summary: A Must Read for Any Competitive Cyclist
Review: I was looking forward to reading Lance's book for a long time and was not disappointed when it became available.Being a competitive rider for over 20 years and having followed Lance's career and done the Ride For The Roses in Austin a few times, I thought I knew the story but I didn't. This book sets the record straight. From his difficult upbringing, his early days in Europe and then as his career began to take off, this is a great account of his story. The behind the scenes look at what he went through with his cancer treatment was a real eye opener.....Also some great accounts of the Tour, from his perspective. A great book for anyone who has been influenced by the accomplishments of Lance Armstrong.
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Summary: Life Threatening Diseases Change People Forever
Review: This book does an extraordinary job of taking you inside the heart and soul of a great athlete whose life was transformed by cancer. From one perspective, it does not come across as great literature. As an autobiography, however, you feel is if you are listening to Armstrong himself. For anyone facing a life threatening disease, it offers invaluable guidance, especially in terms of getting second and third opinions and going to the best, however much it might cost. I read this in large part because I love cycling, but the title is exactly right!
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Summary: a great book!
Review: This book is about surviving. It is about getting through the tough stuff and going on from there. The author appears to have achieved an understanding of his life and has chosen the direction to take from here. As the author states at the beginning it is not a pretty story. I highly recommend this book. It is especially insightful for those with a chronic disease. I found it inspiritional.
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Summary: Everyone's crash is relative
Review: My editorial comment here is brief. His work is inspiring and an example of the strength of the human spirit. That said, I must admit that I lost some of my compassion when he complained about losing his sponsorship and having to live on $275000/year, with the drastic consequence of possibly selling the Porsche. It was difficult for me to relate to that particular hardship....
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Summary: Surprisingly compelling and well-written
Review: The appeal of this book should extend beyond the usual audience of bicycling enthusiasts. The story is compelling: man climbs the ladder of sports success only to be stricken with life-threatening disease. Man fights disease and returns to greater success. The prose manages to remain true to Lance's he-man attitude, but is also quite readable. The first chapter alone is a stunner. Definitely should be on your summer book list.
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Summary: inspiration
Review: This is a wonderful book about how to live life. I bought it the day after I did a half-ironman, and I read it in one sitting and it even inspired me, in all of my soreness, to exercise again. This could be a book that could equally appeal to an athlete or to someone struggling with a mental or physical illness. It provides some very real answers about why we continue to fight and struggle through life. Armstrong comes across as one of the most compelling, and humanly fallible characters, that I have ever seen in literature. In addition, this book is extremely well-written. It will make you laugh and it will make you cry. I recommend it both as an athlete and as a Ph.D./Professor of Literature.
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Summary: Wow. What an amazing and amazingly well-told story.
Review: Lance Armstrong shows us the entire range of his incredible life: stratospheric places where mere mortals cannot tread -- inside a peloton in the Tour de France -- and tortuous places -- the carpet inches away from his face --- where near-fatal levels of chemotherapy toxins force him to crawl to a bathroom sink to cough up blood. The levels of courage and generosity Lance shows are stupefying. This individual who defines excellence in a superhuman arena writes an entire book to say that it is neither his genetic heritage nor his good fortune nor his bad fortune that he has chosen to define his life. Rather it is his conviction that his life is his own, that plain incremental action is the tool to achieve that life, and it is his actions that define it. Author Philip Gourevitch in the July 1993 issue of Harper's says, "The absolute ...is a treacherous place to seek lessons. By definition, it does not yield. Like the God of Exodus, it is what it is and it shall be what it shall be. For that reason, the absolute is useless as metaphor. It is incomparable." Cancer is an incomparable occurrence in anyone's life, as nonsensical as an asteroid strike. There is no way to compare it by any standard of fairness, humanity, or reason. But there is great value in adapting, growing and becoming stronger. Lance says that in the face of adversity, the concept of acting heroically and the strategy of plea bargaining soon resonate with the thud of pewter. Simple, definitive action gets the job done. Los Angeles psychiatrist Robert J. Elstad says, "We experience ourselves by what we do." Lance Armstrong says, "Move." A fascinating glimpse into the life of an excellent member of our species.
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Summary: It's not about the Bike
Review: This is a winner. Lance brings you through every aspect of his thoughts and feelings. I could not put this book down. If you are not touched by what he has to say, then you must be dead. What a great read.
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Summary: What a great read!
Review: My husband is an avid cyclist, and was at last year's Tour de France watching Lance win the yellow jersey in one of the stages. Therefore, my interest in him and the sport is purely through my husband. This book gives such intimate insight into the mind of the athlete and cycling in general. Not only that, it is a moving story not "just about the bike", but about a man who has an unfailing determination to live life to the fullest. What a great read it was! I would recommend it to anyone.
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Summary: A Real Inspiration to Chemotherapy Patients
Review: I'm an avid cyclist who is in the midddle of a round of chemotherapy - so I can totally relate to this book. I've read a lot of books on cancer and attitude since being diagnosed, but none drove home the point that ANYTHING is possible as well as this one did. Winning the Tour would be enough of a triumph - but to come back from chemotherapy and surgery and win it...awesome! Believe me - Lance is not overstating the affect that treatment has on your body - the comeback is astounding. It's given me a lot of courage and renewed my determination - I think it will do that for a lot of people. I literally had tears in my eyes as I read the account of his ride into Sestriere. And it's not just about cancer - if you love cycling it's a great cycling book too! The behind the scenes information of what goes on in the peloton is a great read. Thanks Lance!
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