It's Not About the Bike: My Journey Back to Life

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Summary: Read it in two sittings
Review: Lance Armstrong comes across as a very honest and strong person. I'd be honored to meet him. The book has a great balance between the tale of his cancer, his athletic achievements, and his family. I wonder what Armstrong will do with his life next; one can't see him resting after his cycling career.

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Summary: Superior biographacal elements.
Review: Great book. Of course, I am a huge fan of Bicycle Road Racing, and Lance in general, so I am hugely biased. It is an excellent book, and well written. Even the non-cyclist can appreciate the story. It is tremendously uplifting and positive.

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Summary: Book Review for It's Not About the Bike
Review: This book is a very detailed novel of Lance Armstrongs childhood, cancer survivorship and his life after cancer. I thought this book was excellent and it gives a new perspective on life. The way this book was written, it made me feel like I was really close to Lance Armstrong and I could almost relate to his feelings and emotions through the whole story, even though I have never had cancer. After I had read the book, I felt like I wanted to read more about Lances life. I would recomend this book for someone that likes true stories, or someone who would like a new perspective on life.

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Summary: Courage, Willpower, Determination
Review: I couldn't put this book down after I started reading it. I applaud Lance's mother for the courage she displayed from the beginning. I can see why Lance had the ability to overcome the cancer, because his mother raised him to be a winner. For a 17 year old girl to become the mom to a champion doesn't just happen! Mom's a stud! I highly recommend this book to anybody who wants to believe in miracles!

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Summary: It's Not About the Bike: My Journey Back to Life
Review: I purchased this book for my son's middle school library. After receiving it and skimming through some portions, I was disapointed in the use of profanity. I could not in good conscience give this book to the school so I returned it.

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Summary: A Story Of Inspiration
Review: For all you who read biographies, this should be on the top of your list. And for you who don't read biographies, this should also be on the top of your list. I have not had cancer, and I am not a cyclist, but this book certainly kept me interested. The book goes through his life from when he was a kid, to when he had cancer, all the way to being a father. Lance Armstrong had gone through chemo for cancer, and one would think his career as an athlete would be over. But he struggled through training and fought hard. It all paid off when he passed the finish line at the Tour de France as the winner. This is a book of true inspiration, and for one man, a journey back to life.

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Summary: A Wonderful Book
Review: This is an outstanding book, wonderfully moving and uplifting. Lance goes full tilt in everything and in this book he doesn't hold back - you live his journey and it is a harrowing, steadfast, intense, remarkable story. It is beautifully written -personal, honest, full of laughter and tears. I could not put it down and was astonished at his strength of spirit, intelligence, determination, and sheer chutzpah! He gives you such a sense of how to cope when the worst you can imagine happens and of the indomitability of the human spirit. I loved it - don't miss it.

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Summary: It's All about Lance
Review: This is the most amazing book! Not only do you get to know an incredible person (who modestly admits his own flaws and imperfections and denies that he is "hero material"), you are also inspired by the bravery of Armstrong in the face of the intimidating force of cancer. Armstrong is a role model that I can identify with because he is so very human--he feels pain, he curses, he dislikes people, but he also loves his wife and son, he persists in a grueling sport, and he triumphs. He makes us all realize that life is valuable, and that happiness can be achieved.

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Summary: Didn't you learn anything??
Review: Lance, it's not about the bike. It's about generalizing your pain to other people, it is about tolerance, understanding, kindness, compassion, forgiveness. Unfortunately, you just didn't get it!

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Summary: Lance's Journey Was A Little Rough For Me
Review: By page 50 of this book I had already cried twice. Armstrong's reflections about his early beginnings in Texas were heartfelt, poignant, and it struck an empathetic cord with me. I think this is the strongest part of the book. Later, his riveting accounts of bike racing, especially the Tour de France, left me wanting more. Armstrong's precise descriptions of what it takes to rise above the grueling tedium of riding and how to learn the discipline made me admire him for his passion. However, I was a bit disappointed with the rest of the book. I was hoping for the moving and rewarding insights of a book such as Death Be Not Proud by John Gunther, instead I felt short changed. Armstrong's words to express things became more mechanical and almost third person. While I will credit him for his perseverance in fighting for his life, he seemed never seemed to give us the readers nothing much to go on. It never felt to me that while he was in treatment that he experienced a moment of truth. In fact sometimes I thought he was kind of belligerent to the medical staff. There didn't seem to be a change from pre-cancer Lance from post-cancer Lance. His recovery then seemed to play out like a movie of the week script -- starts foundation with rich Texan venture capitalist, beautiful rich girl finds boy superstar, have beautiful baby boy and live happily ever after in Santa Barbara. It just didn't seem real anymore to me. In fact he seemed a bit full of himself. Maybe what really happened to Lance was that he just grew up and was not a boy anymore. Nothing more.