Rating: 
Summary: It's About Life
Review: My husband gave me a bike for my forty-something birthday. Before we knew it, we had a bike-trailer for our son, panniers, backpacks, and a baby-seat for our daughter. Every weekend last summer was spent on a trail. On bikes we saw our home state of Massachusetts as we had never seen it before.We know nothing of professional biking. But we would buy an occasional biking magazine. The name "Lance Armstrong" came up in them again and again. I did not know he had cancer and, despite this past summer's publicity, the words, "Tour de France" meant nothing to me. But the title of his book, "It's Not About the Bike," intrigued me. (The last thing I want to read about is bike racing.) In the book, Armstrong describes his denial of his physical symptoms. How he failed to tell a doctor friend about how much blood he coughed up in his sink. But a severely swelled testicle and the urging of the same doctor brought him a battery of tests. Within hours, this racing-star iron-man discovers not only that he is sick, but that he may soon be dead. But his fame works for him. On the advice of a letter received by an interested biking doctor, Armstrong begins to re-examine his cancer treatment. Eventually, an aggressive series of treatments that would destroy his lungs is abandoned for a treatment that might not only save his life, but also put him back in the literal saddle. It is at this point in the book that as a reader, you realize that we continue to be captains of our own lives, even when we are extremely vulnerable. Under no circumstances is there a clear set of "answers," even when renowned experts give us those answers. As a cancer patient, Armstrong had to be vigilant and continue to persevere more so than he had to in any race. Armstrong was a biker known to push his body beyond all limits. But to save his own life he would have to push his mind and body to levels he had never before known. But Armstrong is not alone. He has a devoted mother, a girlfriend, good biking community friends, teams of doctors, and even strangers interested in his care. It is this combination that probably not only saves his life, but saves his biking career as well. The place where I was a little annoyed with the book is when he goes to France with his new wife. He rambles on about how his pregnant wife Kik understood it when he had a bad day at work. (Riding.) "If we both hadn't been equally committed to the life style it would not have worked." He may as well said if they both were not committed to "me" it would not have worked. He goes on: "Unlike me, he (a fellow biking friend) had no one to come home to in Europe. When he returned from a race or training camp he came back to an empty apartment, and some times spoiled milk. I had fresh laundry, a clean house, a cat and dog and everything I needed to eat." The fact that her issues, being pregnant via in-vitro fertilization (high risk), leaving her career, leaving her town and her country, received no consideration because she had to make sure that Lance's milk was off the counter and in the fridge seemed obscene to me. Lance Armstrong seems to have an invincibility charged by the inability to focus on anything but Lance and by surrounding himself by others only concerned with Lance. (At least in his presence.) The cancer set him back, reminding him that despite his amazing lung and athletic capacity, he is still made of flesh and bone. Still, despite his self-absorption, there is something likeable about this man and certainly undeniably amazing about what he did.
Rating: 
Summary: It's Not About the Bike
Review: Teens and adults will enjoy this captivating and moving biography about Lance Armstrong. It's a roller coaster tale that takes readers through the highs and lows of Armstrong's life, beginning with the absence of his biological father, experiencing his mother's hardships to provide a decent living, adolescent struggles of acceptance and self-identity, maintaining personal relationships, disappointments and triumphs of becoming one of the best in professional bike racing, and the infamous battle to defeat Cancer. The story is told through the eyes of Lance himself, and readers will discover a refreshing candidness that makes this a revealing, provoking and inspirational book.
Rating:
Summary: It's really not about the bike
Review: This was easily the best book I have ever read. You honestly do not have to know anything about biking or even like the sport. This book is about way more. You feel simpathetic and have a great respect for Lance Armstrong after reading it. It is amazing what all he went through and what is even more amazing is how he survied it all. I highly recomend this book to everyone that can read. Your whole life prospective will change after reading it. It is a must have
Rating:
Summary: Hero
Review: A hero is one of the most respected positions a person can be. To be a hero means to have people look up to you for help in times of trouble. Defined in the dictionary a hero is: a man of distinguished courage or ability, admired for his brave deeds. Lance Armstrong is my hero and a hero to many others too. Sure he has his enemies, but are they only enemies because of jealousy? His book not only made me eye Lance in a new perspective, but the entire world opened up before me. I learned what life should be, and view my strengths and weaknesses differently. Lance is my constant motivation, and the book led me to view him in a new, better way. Before I read his book, Lance was just the guy they talked about on t.v. that won the Tour de France. Now, after seemingly getting to "know" him through the book, he is my hero.
Rating:
Summary: It's All About The Bike
Review: I AM A SENIOR IN HIGH SCHOOL AND WAS GIVEN THE ASSIGNMENT OF READING A NOVEL ON A CONTEMPORARY ISSUE; CANCER BEING ONE OF THE MANY LISTED. I CHOSE TO READ LANCE'S BOOK AND READ IT COVER TO COVER IN ABOUT 2 HOURS. THE PROJECT WAS SUPPOSED TO LAST ABOUT 8 WEEKS. OOOPS! THE BOOK WAS VERY POWERFUL TO ME SEEING AS HOW MY MOTHER HAD CANCER, MY STEP-FATHER MOUNTAIN BIKE RACES, AND I LOVE READING. THE BOOK IS GREAT AND I HIGHLY RECOMMEND IT TO ALL WHO READ THIS!!! :)
Rating: 
Summary: Inspirational
Review: It was a good read and gave me a lot to think about.
Rating:
Summary: I could not put this book down
Review: First of all, I wasn't sure about buying this book. I'm an avid cyclist and therefore felt obliged to buy this book as Lance had just won the third straight championship of the Tour de France. I ordered this book from Amazon along with few other books in different genre--beat poetry, real estate, investing, etc. I figured I'll read this book last, becasue I was never sure whether I should have really bought this book or not. I flipped though some pages as I took break from reading other books, and I just couldn't stop. I ended up reading this book in one sitting, before I finished reading any other book. This book really grabbed me by the heart. As the subtitle suggests, this book "is not about the bike". I must admit that my interest in cycling helped me get into this book right at the onset. But as I read on, I really enjoyed this book as a "story" of one man. In that, I would like to send accoladates to Sally Jenkins, the co-author. The underlying story of Lance is definitely an excellent material for a book; however, Sally took the story to a higher level and made this book more novel-like, an excellent read for just about anybody. If you are a cyclist, you will definitely enjoy it. If you aren't, I THINK you'll also enjoy reading a wonderful story written in such beautiful verse. Oh by the way, I deducted one star because Sally's writing is so sensitive that it definitely downplayed the true jock-like character of Lance Armstrong. (OK, nothing is perfect.)
Rating:
Summary: A wonderful surprise
Review: I bought this book to find out more about this brave person.
I wanted to have an exceptionally brave role model in these trying times. At first, I was disappointed because the style of writing interfered with the content. It is choppy with very short declarative sentences. Then, as I continued, I realized that the confrontive style is a reflection of how he lives his life: focused and confronting the overwhelming adversities he faced.
This is one of those books that sticks with you long after you've finished it. Don't be put off by the STYLE in which it is written. It is wonderful. He is so admirable. I'm glad he shared his perspective with us.
Rating:
Summary: This is About so Much More Than a Bike...
Review: I don't read a lot of books. Typically, I limit my reading to newspapers, political journals, and magazines. But when I saw "It's Not About the Bike" in the bookstore, something told me I had to read it. And am I ever glad that I did! This book is probably one of *the most* inspirational stories that I have ever read. It is a book about hopes, dreams, challenges, defeats, determination, and triumphs. Lance and co-author, Sally Jenkins, do a masterful job in describing how Lance grew up. You get a very clear idea of how his childhood and teenage years were spent -- what he liked to do; what he did not like to do; his interests; etc. You follow Lance as he comes a world-class cyclist in his early 20s. Then, in his mid-20s, cancer strikes him. As a cancer survivor, I feel that Lance's description of the disease -- how he felt at the time of diagnosis; during treatment; and in the years that have followed -- is the most vivid and accurate that I have ever seen. Following the battle for his life (and his career), you then follow Lance as he experiences his greatest victories yet, both professionally and personally. Thanks to terrific writing, you will "live" these victories with Lance. And when you are done, you will be as excited as if they had been your own victories! "It's Not About the Bike" touched me deeply. If you have any interest whatsoever in Lance Armstrong, cancer, and/or cycling, then I strongly recommend that you read this book. You won't be disappointed! Enjoy!!
Rating: 
Summary: Both Armstrongs need a dose of reality
Review: While i commend anyone who fights cancer, regardles of if they beat it, I was simply aghast at Armstrong and his wife. Pity poor Lance--he has to sell his Porsche! At one point, he moans that a sponsor is "only offering $180,000 a year"--and this not to do anything, but simply as a gift while he trains. His wife, she's the real kicker here: she must ...
Lance's sexism (he refers to his wife as "a skirt"), his wife's vanity, all conspire to undermine the essentially valiant story of a man beating cancer and winning the hardest race on earth.
I think his story deserved a biography; as autobiography, I simply found his persona too icky to root for. Maybe I am not "stud".
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