Customer Reviews

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

5 star:		(407)
4 star:		(86)
3 star:		(29)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(15)

 

 

Having never really been interested in cycling I bought this book since I wanted to know about Lance's fight with testicular cancer which killed my best friend three years ago in his early 30s. I was not just positively surprised but literally stunned and finished the book in two days.

Lance's life from his upbringing to early achievements, his fight with cancer to becoming the King of the Tour de France are written honestly and interestingly. Reading the book took me along the entire emotional spectrum and I enjoyed every minute of it. With a less than 3% chance to survive I am convinced that contrary to the title, his survival is about the bike. It tought him to fight, to personalize the challenge and to give it everything he has got.

Being German, I wanted Jan Ullrich to win the tour this year but having read what Lance has overcome and seeing him on the crucial day after falling due to spectator involvement, I now hope that he will win his sixth (and final?) Tour in 2004 to take his rightful place as the best rider who ever lived.

I felt compelled to write this review since I read some of the other reviews. While I understand some of the comments about him being egoistic, that is part of him too. He is not claiming to be perfect, far from it, and I do not judge the man but simply recommend his book as an uplifting and interesting read.

I am a beginner runner. I picked up this book because I wanted to know more about Lance Armstrong. This book has taught me how much mental and physical training are required to be the best, consistently. I have enjoyed reading this book because of the humor, the clear and direct expression of ideas, and Lance's candor in his failures and triumphs. I am sure I will pick it up and read it again periodically.

"My Journey Back" is an uplifting/inspirational book that makes you feel the worry,the sadness,the fear and the triumph!! I could not put this book down until it was finished. I rank it up there with other books such as Nightmares Echo,Dry,Lucky,A Child Called It and Running With Scissors-each book is a very courageous read.

I truly appreciated the intense honesty with which Armstrong shared the darkest days of his life as a near terminal cancer patient (with a 3% chance of survival).

Be forewarned that at times the story is very tough to read, and that nothing is left for the reader to mentally conjur up regarding not only Armstrong's battle with cancer, but even artificial insemination.

I was not a cycling fan before I read this book, but I became a Lance Armstrong fan about 20 pages into this book.

Generally speaking, when I read an autobiography, I prefer that it is written exclusively by the biographer; in this case, Lance Armstrong. For It's Not About The Bike, Mr. Armstrong chose to write the book with the assistance of sports columnist and Washington Post feature writer Sally Jenkins; and this was a mistake in my view. The parts of the book written by Armstrong are by turns entertaining, poignant, cringe-inducing, and above all honest. However, every now and then there is a sentence or a paragraph appears that feels out of place, like it was written by someone else: Sally Jenkins.

Interestingly, though Mr. Armstrong employs the assistance of a co-writer, he does not acknowledge Sally Jenkins' contributions in the main body of his book. Instead, he lists Ms. Jenkins' name last among those for whom "this book is for", writing that he met with her to write this book. Why someone with Armstrong's blunt yet frank manner would choose to employ a co-writer is beyond me: In public as well as (based on the accounts described in this book) in private Armstrong is never at a loss for words, nor does he seem to have any difficulty in making himself understood. If he had decided to write this book entirely on his own (as I believe he easily could have), It's Not About The Bike would rate 4 stars out of 5 for me with one star deducted because of the very brief descriptions of his experience in the Tour De France, which I had hoped to read more of. As it stands, whether it was due to the influence of Sally Jenkins or of some un-named publicist or handler of Mr. Armstrong, It's Not About The Bike feels incomplete, and airbrushed in parts. The story of Lance Armstrong's life is fascinating and this book is well worth reading. In the interests of full disclosure and authenticity, I simply would have prefered Armstrong stuck to telling the story of his life entirely in his own words. 3/5

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. Lance does a great job of clearly describing everything he went through with his fight with cancer and how he won. The book details his struggles and does, I think, a good job of describing his fiery personality. Anyone who has followed his career over the years, and who reads this book, will have an insight in to the fierce competitor that he is.

Pick this book up. You won't be disappointed.

I am an registered nurse and I recommend this book to anyone going through a cancer diagnosis and facing chemo ,radiation or surgical intervention for the treatment of their cancer.I think it is so inspirational and gives hope that cancer can be beaten.To do what Lance has done.Just fighting the cancer with all it,s treatments is a battle won ,but to go on and do what Lance has done shows us all the power of positive thinking ,how living well can heal. One of the best books ever and I think that Lance is a true inspiration to all.This man has also gone on to give back and his organization raises million,s each year in the fight againt this disease.I will recommend that everyone read this book and as a cancer survivor myself and for my sister who is now at the begining of her battle Thank you Lance .

This was an amazing read! I am not a follower of cycling, but I did not have to be to really enjoy this book. It was engaging, funny at times, heartbreaking at others, and very hard to put down.

For my full review, follow the link below:
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Simply put, this is one of the most inspirational, and clearly written books I've seen. Go get it today, you will find something, even in the first few pages that stops you in your tracks. Couldn't put it down...

Armstrong. A great read. But only half the story...

Don't miss out on the "outer view," Lance through the eyes of a good reporter. LANCE ARMSTRONG'S WAR: ONE MAN'S BATTLE AGAINST FATE, FAME, LOVE, DEATH, SCANDAL, AND A FEW OTHER RIVALS ON THE ROAD TO THE TOUR DE FRANCE by Daniel Coyle is simply marvelous.

The two books belong together.

Dr. Kirtland C Peterson