|
Every Second Counts (平装)
by Lance Armstrong, Sally Jenkins
| Category:
Success, Personal development, Motivation |
| Market price: ¥ 158.00
MSL price:
¥ 148.00
[ Shop incentives ]
|
| Stock:
Pre-order item, lead time 3-7 weeks upon payment [ COD term does not apply to pre-order items ] |
MSL rating:
 Good for Gifts |
| MSL Pointer Review:
A follow-up to It's Not about Bike, this inspirational book tells more about Lance, a physical and psychological phenomenon while being just an ordinary guy. |
| If you want us to help you with the right titles you're looking for, or to make reading recommendations based on your needs, please contact our consultants. |
|
| |
AllReviews |
1 Total 1 pages 10 items |
|
|
Booklist (MSL quote), USA
<2006-12-25 00:00>
A joyous, triumphant book, a celebration of all the things that make life good. |
|
|
Thomas Moody (MSL quote), USA
<2006-12-25 00:00>
Given all that he's been through and accomplished, I think that Lance Armstrong should be allowed to expand on his previous work It's Not About the Bike without criticism nor regret. Obviously, he still had much to say on the cancer survivor front and I for one enjoyed these perspectives while also enjoying his unique musings on his and his team's role in the 2001 through 2003 Tour de France.
Lance gives the reader some interesting and indeed inspiring accounts of his further survivorship while not neglecting how this "new" life fits into his Tour preparedness and I for one enjoyed this work almost as much as the previous best-seller. I especially appreciated his devotion to his children in the face of a failing marriage and have come to realize that regardless of his occupation, his family comes first. That being said, it's almost impossible for most people with normal domestic occupations to realize the commitment and need to be away from family while trying to be a world class cyclist. Add in the almost "rock-star" atmosphere that Armstrong participates in and it's any wonder how he's able to commit to anything else outside of cycling at all. This book, then, allows Lance to step back and collect his thoughts about how his life has turned out and how his magnificent talent is balanced with his everyday life. Again, I came away from this work as or more-so impressed with Lance's character and intensity as I did after It's Not About the Bike.
True, there is less pure cycling discussion here and that may be a valid criticism for those who are looking for that type of book...I'd submit that this work shows that there is more to Lance than pure cycling and this should be looked at and read with that perspective in mind. I give this book a high recommendation. |
|
|
Tom Duff (MSL quote), USA
<2006-12-26 00:00>
I recently got Every Second Counts by Lance Armstrong with Sally Jenkins at the library. Seemed a timely read with Lance winning the Tour de France. I'm not sure this is a great book, but it was interesting in a number of ways...
The book picks up after the end of his first one It's Not About The Bike. There is less of the cancer struggle in this one, but more of the drive and fight to win the Tour race. The underlying theme here is that you aren't guaranteed anything in life, and life is precious. So you should live life to the fullest and make each second count (and hence the title).
There's a certain "rambling" element to the book. You'll start a chapter with one story that illustrates some point he wants to make. Before you get to the end, you're someplace else entirely. Not that it's a good or bad thing, it's just seemingly a little scattered at times. There are some excellent points to make you think, such as what it's like to be "thrown back" into life after being at death's door.
While I can admire what he's done and his drive and accomplishments, I don't know that I'd like Lance as an individual. I think the book gives you a good sense of who he is and what drives him, but I'm not sure I could exist long around a person who is that intense and driven. |
|
|
Evan (MSL quote), USA
<2006-12-26 00:00>
This is a beautiful follow-up to Lance's first book (It's Not About the Bike). In this book, Lance shares what it is like for him as person who is also a "superstar bicyclist", "cancer survivor", and "cancer philanthropist". Though a young man in terms of age, Lance speaks with deep wisdom about what it means to live, how to feel alive, and dealing with life's non-life-threatening complexities. And then there are remarkable and thrilling stories about his Tour de France experiences. I loved reading this book! It is spectacular, especially in conjunction with his first book. |
|
|
An American reader (MSL quote), USA
<2006-12-26 00:00>
The continuing life of Lance Armstrong is almost mythical. For him to overcome latter stage cancer and go on to win 5 straight Tour de France races is unbelievable and an inspiration to anyone who rides (or walks on two legs). Writing in a straightforward typical first person voice, Lance actually waits until the end of the book to discuss his philosophy about bike riding itself and I believe it's the best part of the book. He's got a strong independent streak that is uniquely American. He has some resentment (and understandably so) towards the French officials who put him through countless drug tests, since they couldn't believe that someone recently on chemotherapy could still ride mountains like they were tiny little hills. As a result, he is the answer to the trivia question: 'Which athlete has been drug tested the most?'
He genuinely cares about people, cancer victims, his country, his family, and still has the time to train and be one of the greatest athletes of all time. Through it all, he's not even dogmatic except that you should believe in yourself. What a terrific story! |
|
|
Kim Colter (MSL quote), USA
<2006-12-26 00:00>
Having read this book twice and those book reviews once, it would seem that true cycling aficionados didn't find enough detail about Lance's training and racing. Maybe the book wasn't intended to be about those details. I think the book does a splendid job of explaining what a team does for their best cyclist during a race. This book delineates what a team does in an "individual sport" as well as anything I have ever read.
If this book contained nothing more than quote, "if you burn my house down, I have a better view of the sky" from the 50 year old breast cancer survivor I would have counted my money well spent. This book contains much more. It is the best account I've read about what professional athletes go through regarding drug testing. Young people would be well served to see what it takes to succeed at this level. "You ridin' or you hidin'?" is a question each young athlete needs to confront on a daily basis. I fear that many readers can't get past the profanity this book contains (which is heard on every school bus in the nation) in order to find the inspiration that leaps from these pages.
Is a single minded devotion to a task hard on a family? Yes, and I think Armstrong acknowledges that again and again. He writes with more respect about his now former wife than many married people display on a daily basis. In my job as a family physician I hear what people have to say about their former spouses on a daily basis and most cannot keep their comments on the high plain that Lance has. I'm a fellow cancer survivor. Mr. Armstrong's willingness to accept officership in the club we would all prefer not to belong to is admirable. He is right that he gains from what he gives to those struggling with cancer - but they gain as well. The admonition "never take away someone's hope, it is all some people have" is one that Lance knows and respects. To see him alive and racing is an inspiration to many with cancer. I have given his first book to two young men with testicular cancer and would not hesitate to give them this book. To all those reviewers who label him as self-centered, please show me a Tour de France winner who isn't. This professional athlete seems to have a better perspective on "team" than most. |
|
|
Don Mitchell (MSL quote), USA
<2006-12-26 00:00>
Every Second Counts brings us up-to-date on what happened to Lance Armstrong after he survived testicular cancer and went back to competitive cycling to win the Tour de France. If you have been away in another galaxy, he has fathered three children (a son and twin daughters) using sperm saved from before his cancer treatments, won four more Tour de France races, become a world-renowned celebrity, been investigated for and cleared of "doping" his body, stayed clean from cancer, become a noted cancer advocate and developed a rocky patch in his marriage.
Every Second Counts is a rambling account of all this that sometimes comes across as having been dictated into a tape recorder during a long descent on a bicycle.
The book will be of most interest to those who want to know what it's like to recover from a potentially fatal cancer, live as a celebrity, try to balance a personal life with a demanding career and how Mr. Armstrong won all those Tour de France races.
Both his natural personality and his escape from death make Mr. Armstrong treasure every minute… and he likes to take life at full speed in demanding conditions. If he's not training endlessly, he's driving his car too fast or taking dangerous leaps into a rocky pool. At the same time, he's trying to temper that instinct with a desire to see his children grow up and have a good marriage. The book candidly explains how his retirement from racing will be required to help bring his life into a more helpful balance for his family. But he's not ready to do that just yet.
I enjoyed understanding more about why he likes helping those who have cancer, how he trains in ways that give him an edge over mere mortals (including sleeping in an "altitude" tent that simulates the thin air in the mountains), and the strategy he has used in the Tour de France. From watching the races on television, I couldn't figure out what was going on most of the time. These explanations were very interesting to me about his sports career.
I gave him one-star credit for candor in explaining his spiritual beliefs and how he relates them to his recovery from cancer. Most people would not be willing to share a set of beliefs that will not be popular with those who have a lot of religious faith.
I hope Mr. Armstrong finds peace to balance his life journey as he careens up and down the trying mountains ahead.
As I finished the book, I found myself wondering how hard I would try to save my own life if I had had his illness. I hope I have learned from both of his books that you must apply maximum determination (no matter what the pain and toil) and that… every second counts! |
|
|
Gordon Ross (MSL quote), USA
<2006-12-26 00:00>
Let me start off by saying that I worship Lance Armstrong and think that It's Not About the Bike is one of the best books I have ever read (and I've read a few). I remember getting goose-bumps several times just reading It's Not About the Bike. I worship Armstrong as an athlete, as a father, as a human-being and forgive him almost anything. As a part-time triathlete, father, and someone whose father died of lung cancer, I can relate to and largely agree with many of the things he talks about in Every Second Counts. The book itself, however, is a huge disappointment. It is poorly written, with some weird nouns used as verbs that I can only imagine must be American slang, and little sense of progression which Its Not About... has. It's all over the place. The narrative is repetitive and frankly boring. Armstrong goes on and on about his recovery from cancer and how is will never really be 'cured'. We know what you mean Lance, and we feel for you, but you don't have to say it a hundred times. The only good bits are the bits about the Tour de France. No goose-bumps this time but I will still be watching the Tour de France hoping you win a record sixth time!
(A negative review. MSL remarks.) |
|
|
Enrique Torres (MSL quote), USA
<2006-12-26 00:00>
I'm a huge fan of Lance and his accomplishments in spite of the seemingly impossible odds. That said, there is a bit of a bias in my perspective. I read this book during his record setting sixth TDF victory and at the beginning of a personally difficult time in my life. The title of the book seemed to have been magnified July 5th when after doing an afternoon ride I settled in for a few chapters. My cell phone rang and a relative informed me my uncle, an avid cyclist who at age 70 competed and won RAAM (Race across America) in the masters team division had suddenly died. The life lessons in the title are reflected throughout the book. Other cyclists will especially relate to the bike stories, cancer victims and those who are affected by their loved ones suffering will find hope in the power of one survivors story. The life anecdotes, tales of the road with Carmichael, Hincapie, Heras and others, including the outrageous Robin Williams and reflections on life to the backdrop to one of the most difficult endurance events a human being can achieve are awesome. The shortcomings of Lance the human being make the achievements of overcoming cancer and winning the TDF even more real. This is an uplifting book, an easy read and a book about the power of the human spirit. Pick up this book, fight your own battles with dignity, support the Lance Armstrong Foundation(cancer research), wear your yellow bracelet proudly, crank a few miles and when you're out on the road you'll remember what Lance says about riding , "that it makes me feel alive" because every second really does count. This book is a good source of inspiration. |
|
|
Eric Lyman (MSL quote), Italy
<2006-12-26 00:00>
Cycling champion and cancer survivor Lance Armstrong starts out Every Second Counts by explaining that in his mind, one of the hardest things in the world is to do something twice. He was talking, of course, about repeating as champion of the Tour de France after his stunning victory in 1999. But he could have just as well been apologizing in advance for this rushed and poorly organized effort, Mr. Armstrong's second autobiography after the inspiring and hugely popular volume It's Not About the Bike.
I am puzzled by the sloppiness of this book, unless it was hurried along in order to have it in bookstores in time for the holidays. Whatever the reason, readers who found this book in their stockings were treated to two spellings for the name of Mr. Armstrong's colorful teammate, Floyd Landis/Landes, and were told twice within the span of one paragraph that riders would not leave the mountains until the final three days of the 2002 Tour.
More importantly, the narrative drifts wildly in terms of what it is trying to do. At points the aim seems to be telling Mr. Armstrong's side of his failed marriage or the constant drug testing he must undergo. Sometimes Mr. Armstrong tells us that just finishing an grueling event like the Tour de France is an accomplishment, and later he says that he'll quit the moment he realizes that he can't win. He tries to take ammunition away from critics who think he's a hothead or too self centered. A few times, Mr. Armstrong even puts on his philosopher's cap and opines about politics, love, Sept, 11, the duties of public figures like himself, or the notion that everyone ought to adopt a cause.
By trying to be almost everything, Every Second Counts risks being about nothing. It's the same problem that befalls many singers who have big hits on their first records, or championship teams that disappoint a year later. Luckily for cycling fans, the same thing didn't happen to Mr. Armstrong on the bike, where, through 2003 at least, he maintained the hunger and strength necessary to overcome what must have been an enormous and growing temptation to rest on his laurels and enjoy what he accomplished.
And that brings us to one of the two main things that are right about this book. Every Second Counts is clearly at its best where Mr. Armstrong is most passionate: the parts dealing with riding and racing, and those dealing with his own recovery from cancer and his work with other cancer victims.
Even with the help of an accomplished journalist like Sally Jenkins, Mr. Armstrong has never come across as much of a writer, but when his passion shines through that hardly matters. He would have been much better off if he had simply stayed with what he knows best and cares most about. Oh, yes, and found a better copy editor. |
|
|
|
1 Total 1 pages 10 items |
|
|
|
|
|
|
