This is what I would call a page turner. A close friend of mine got this book for me from Landmark and challenged me if I could read this book within 2 days. Sure I won the bet and I am entitled for another book now ;-)
Not many autobiographies are as engrossing as this one was, which mainly has to do with the language and prose of the book. The book is of 294 pages and is worth the Rs.376. At the very outset Lance lets the readers know that this book is not for the squeamish hearted since he chronicles his fight with cancer to a large extent. He comes across as a brash Texan to start with and these are the very qualities which has helped him overcome the cancer and also most of his cycling conquests. Sometimes athletes have that extra bit of aggressiveness ( not all are as passive as tendulkar or dravid, but we also have bhajji and ganguly to balance them ) which helps them conquer hardships, with otherwise might prove to be quite overwhelming. Armstrong is a shining example of one such athlete.
Throughout the book, he pays rich ode to his mom who single handedly brought him up inspite of all the hardships she faced in making ends meet. His wife came into picture much later, but she was equally instrumental in him getting back on the bicycle post his recovery. He talks about his mentors, the neighbourhood cycle shop owner who sponsored his first bicycle, his agent, his coach at the US national team and also the coach of USPS team ( for which he raced and won the Tour de France a record number of times ). He also lets us in on how corporates wrangle to sign stars when they are hot property, but wouldnt mind ditching the very same stars when they are down and out. It is quite moving to know how his perspective changed with regard to life, cancer victims, the sport he so loves so much...post his cancer. His cancer foundation, Livestrong, has since become a big movement. The inlaid pictures from his life help to add value to the words.
One gets to know a lot about competitive cycling - the preparation, the physical attributes required, the tactical strategies, ego clashes, doping and more. Its quite a non-melodramatic work, but has an underlying emotional quotient while conveying the values of faith, self-determination, and having an open mind in general. A must read.
