2. Overview. Armstrong tells the story of finding out that he had cancer, and weaves the story of his fight to overcome the disease that threatened to kill him with a description of his rise to becoming the biking legend of the Tour de France.
3. Critical Analysis. This memoir/autobiography (I've seen it called both) tells the combined story of how Lance Armstrong became the world-class cyclist of legend while simultaneously battling testicular cancer which metastasized to his brain and lungs. The focus of the book is on his life with cancer - from his diagnosis through the treatments and surgeries to his survival to become the greatest cyclist of all time. The stories are told with amazing candidness. It may not be a book for the squeamish as he describes medical treatments and side effects in detail. Interwoven with the cancer treatment is the story of his rise through the ranks of the cycling world to become the world-class cyclist that would win the Tour de France seven years in a row after surviving such overwhelming odds. His determination is admirable. His dedication to the single mother who raised him amidst much hardship is beautiful. Written in 2000, with only one tour win under his belt, he would go on to win six more, and the determination that he will do so is evident throughout the second half of the book where he discusses his treatments and then his experience in the first race.
Many reviewers remark about how this book will be inspirational to coaches and athletes alike. Amazon.com, for example, says, "Athletes and coaches everywhere will benefit from the same extraordinary detail provided about his training sessions--every aching tendon, every rainy afternoon, and every small triumph during his long recovery is here in living color." I agree that athletes and cancer victims/survivors alike will find many things to like about Armstrong's honest telling of his story.
However, unfortunately, perhaps, reading this memoir changed my feelings about Armstrong. I was one of the millions of people who watched the Tour de France and cheered Armstrong on during the years from 1999 to 2005 when he won those seven consecutive races. However, his halo tarnished a bit during that time when he and his wife divorced in 2003. She seemed so devastated by the dissolution of her marriage after five years while he did not. Then this past spring of 2011, reports began to surface about the fact that a grand jury had been convened to investigate allegations of doping among Armstrong's team during the years of their competition in the Tour de France. What a deeply disappointing thing to discover that this dream team may not have been competing fairly. Then this memoir revealed to me a man who is and always has been self-centered and critical. For example, his continuous criticism of Plano East High School as being an unaccepting, horrible place if you were anything but rich began to grate. (I'm a long-time resident of Garland, Texas, a neighboring Dallas suburb to Plano, and both my nieces graduated from Plano East. They're not rich, but they didn't see the school in the same light). The fact that he becomes angry and then simply refuses to speak to the person again for years, such as his falling out with Richardson Bike Mart owner and sponsor Jim Hoyt points to his overwhelming need to be right even when he's not. He was extremely critical of his birth father, and his step-father, and with good reason, but at some point I just wanted to tell Armstrong, "OK, but enough's enough. Time to let it go." Perhaps this is just the way focused athletes are. Artists of all kinds tend to the be same way. But not everyone falls into the trap of self-centeredness, and being an athlete or artist seems to be an excuse for bad behavior. In spite of his work with cancer patients and setting up his foundation to fund cancer research, I found him to be someone I don't think I would really like if I knew him in person. So all in all, the memoir was interesting, but I don't plan to read any other books by him.
Yet I can say that the chapters are well-written. Sally Jenkins, his co-author, may be the one to take the credit for that. She is a veteran sports reporter and author/co-author of several sports books and autobiographies. The writing style is conversational and easy to follow which makes for a quick read. Sixteen pages of photos in the center of the book provide interesting visual support for the text.
Would I recommend this book to my high school students? Definitely. Just because I find that I probably don't like the man doesn't mean I don't admire the athlete and respect his tenacity in fighting for his life in more ways than one. I believe many high schoolers would be inspired to stick it out when the going gets really tough, and many, many of the high schoolers I work with have a very rough go of it, albeit in different ways than Armstrong experienced. And while the jury is literally still out about the doping allegations, I hope they aren't true; although, I wonder if we'll ever know for sure or could ever really be without a nagging doubt about it.
4. Review Excerpts.
Amazon.com: "People around the world have found inspiration in the story of Lance Armstrong--a world-class athlete nearly struck down by cancer, only to recover and win the Tour de France, the multiday bicycle race famous for its grueling intensity."
Publishers Weekly: "The book features a disarming and spotless prose style, one far above par for sports memoirs. Bicycle-racing fans will enjoy the troves of inside information and the accounts of competitions, but Armstrong has set his sights on a wider meaning and readership: 'When I was sick I saw more beauty and triumph and truth in a single day than I ever did in a bike race.'"
School Library Journal: "This fabulous tribute to the strength of the human spirit is an inspiration to everyone."
Booklist: "Readers will respond to the inspirational recovery story, and they will appreciate the behind-the-scenes cycling information."
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