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Summary: IT'S NOT ABOUT THE BIKE: My Journey Back to Life
Review: This is a wonderful book that will make you cry, make you laugh, make you cheer. It's the best told-to book in history. Sally Jenkins has captured Lance Armstrong's voice perfectly and together they have written a masterpiece. You'll romp through it in one evening, and buy another one for a friend. Maybe two or three.
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Summary: Even if you're not a cycling fan, you will love this book!
Review: A well-written, compelling human interest story. I'm an avid cyclist; my wife is not. But we both devoured the book in one weekend. Long-time fans of Lance will appreciate the insights into his life both on and off the bike. Those who know nothing about bicycle racing will get a very readable introduction to a great sport. And anyone who knows and loves someone with cancer will appreciate the warm and human portrayal of those who face this all-too-common disease with courage and hope. This is a great book for anyone.
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Summary: Viva Lance!
Review: I bought this book mainly because I am an avid cyclist myself and follow professional cycling very closely. But true to the title, this book is not about the bike. And it is so much better for it.I found myself deeply moved by this book. I read the entire thing from cover to cover in a matter of hours. I got it in the mail around noon and couldn't put it down. I finished before I went to bed. The frank honesty and candor with which Lance describes and chronicals his disease and recovery are amazing. I can only imagine the pain and endurance it took for him to go back and relive the events of the last four years, to put them all in print. Much less the courage to invite all of us in to share and take part in it with him. I can't say just how strongly I recommend this book. Lance is an exceptional athelete, but more important he is the face of courage and strength in an abyss of insurmountable adversity. The inspiration and insight he offers are priceless.
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Summary: Amazing
Review: This book will make anyone realize how lucky each of us our to simply be alive. Lance meticulously describes his cancer therapy and the people that stayed with him during his hardest times. The racing stories are wonderful, especially if your an ametuer road racer or a bicycle enthusiast. I don't read auto-biographies but I'm glad I read this one. This is the first book I read from start to finish in one day. It was hard to put down.
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Summary: Whether You Know Who He is or Not
Review: A friend of mine passed me this book because I follow bicycle racing, but as the title implies, there's more to it then that. Lance Armstrong and Sally Jenkins do a great job of telling a story that one minute sounds super human, and the next, painfully human. Lance Armstrong's story before his fight with cancer would have been incredible enough. His struggle to simply stay alive and how that transforms his outlook on life is what makes this story fascinating. On the light hearted side: if you've ever listened to Lance Armstrong during a TV interview, you'll appreciate that none of his style is lost in how his story reads.
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Summary: A new focus for Armstrong..
Review: I value Lance Armstrong's story, he is a driven and talented athlete who has had to battle through a life threatening illness. The story is incredible but you wish that Lance wouldn't be so in love with his own story!
Humility is the virtue that Lance needs most. Maybe that could be his next focus. I'm sure if he put his mind to it, he could tone down his ego. He accomplishes every thing he puts his mind too..... maybe improve his writing as well....
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Summary: Gripping candor from Page 1
Review: The greatest books are those that captivate an audience that knows little or nothing about the subject. Before reading "It's Not About the Bike", I had absolutely no knowledge of bike racing and (thankfully) little exposure to cancer. Lance Armstrong lays his life wide open to the reader, and the result is a touching, informative, and honest account of this man's life. Armstrong opens with the diagnosis of his cancer and the emotions he went through as the cancer spread and he was forced to decide between treatment startegies. He takes time to recount his childhood and his introduction to biking, explores in vivid detail his chemotherapy, discusses his psychological recovery from cancer, and closes with his return to professional bike racing and his "second life" as a cancer survivor. "It's Not About the Bike" is written in a simple, straightforward way. It is amazingly honest and open from the start, a quality it seems fewer and fewer autobioraphies possess these days. Armstrong doesn't try to create an image for himself or attempt to hide his mistakes. He doesn't shy away from difficult subject matter or even private pieces of his life. He tells his story with dignity, modesty, and a survivor's desire to let readers know that anything is possible.
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Summary: What dialect of English do you speak?
Review: Lance Armstrong's book tells us of his inspiring journey back to life. He tells us of his strength of character and determination to live in a somewhat conceited way. His fight is definitely admirable. However, modesty is not the only thing missing in the book. Being a cancer patient and Tour de France winner is not an excuse for shoddy writing. I'm only seventeen and I found one grammar mistake after another throughout the book. "Criterium" is not a word that an English dictionary recognizes. Perhaps it is a cycling term that Armstrong did not find necessary to clarify for those of us who are not familiar with the lingo. Perhaps he meant "criterion." However, either way, by not explaining it to us Armstrong indirectly meant his book to be read by ardent fans of cycling. Surely this isn't the best marketing ploy to use?
Don't get me wrong, I think Armstrong is a truly great man who has seen too many hardships in his life, even if he does come across as someone who's head is so inflated that his treasured maillot jaune wouldn't be able to get over his head. I understand that his childhood was turbulent and he had to prove himself over and over again to the world. I admire his mother because I know that if I were in his situation, my mother would stand by me the same way. It couldn't have been easy for her to raise him as a single mother in the midst of Southern-belle-manners. His story truly is "the stuff of legends," as Independent eloquently puts it. I completely empathize with him. However, he isn't the only person in the world to have gone through cancer and come out triumphant. Armstrong comes across as someone who looks at himself as God. Even his pseudo-modest moments come across as forced. As an objective critic who is analyzing the writing, and not the story, I have to say that I've seen much better. His editor overlooked some major errors.
What also struck me was Lance's garbage about his wife. Had I not known about his divorce, I would have believed him to be a completely devoted husband and father. He gushes about Kristin and how she "is a stud" over and over in the book. Where did Sheryl come in, then? This bit of knowledge makes the book seem even more fake. It makes me wonder, were any of the sentiments he expressed true? Did he just make them up to seem like a victim who mustered the strength to ressurect himself from cancer? His battle is inspiring. But are all his sentiments true? Even if they aren't, the fictitious sentiments, at least, are inspiring.
I remember my first thought when I finished the book. "You disgust me." And that still stands.
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Summary: The ultimate tale of overcoming the odds.
Review: Very few people will ever see the extreme lows and highs that Lance Armstrong has faced. Few fictional stories will ever be as unlikely as this true story. This book will remind you of what it is possible for a human being to accomplish.
As a cyclist and long-time fan of Lance Armstrong, I found it interesting that I finished the book with even more respect for his accomplishments, but feeling like I wouldn't actually enjoy the man if I were to meet him. I see it as a credit to the writing and to Armstrong's openness in the book that I responded this way. (By the way, I fully acknowledge that he's well beyond needing to care one bit about what I think of him.)
Highly recommended.
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Summary: A reminder of what our minds and bodies are capable of
Review: This great little reminder sits on my shelf to jog my perspective whenever a "pity party" sets in. This iron-man's focus and determination is awesome. I only hope that he takes time to enjoy other, smaller, things in his life.
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