Spotlight Reviews
 He knows what really matters . . .
Lance Armstrong knows what it means to overcome the odds. He made it through a rough childhood. He survived testicular cancer. He's now the father of three wonderful children. He's won the world's most demanding sporting event five times in a row. Lance now gets to savor the sweetness of his life. He's living large. He's at the top of his game professionally. The endorsements continue to roll in. His children are thriving. The Lance Armstrong Foundation just completed its first Tour of Hope Ride across America. Armstrong's had his share of disappointments, too. Team members have left. Friendships have suffered. Even though he and his wife have separated, their personal problems haven't been splashed all over the tabloids. They've handled this crisis with class. I loved the humor in this book. Who knew George Hincapie was such a funny man? He seems so serious on that bike. Or that Floyd Landis loves ZZTop? Or that the guys actually mooned their manager on race day? Or that they played tricks on each other? (No chain. No chain.) And what's up with that pink tape? I watched this year's tour in utter amazement as Lance and the Big Blue USPS team met every challenge thrown at them. What a great moment it was to see that Big Blue Train win the team time trial. My heart was in my throat during that horrific day of the individual time trial when Lance ran out of water and suffered so miserably, but still came in second. What a triumph of the spirit that was! I screamed when Beloki went down and Lance went across that field. Who but a boy that grew up riding in the fields around Plano, Texas, could have made a move like that and kept himself upright through that pasture? I cried when Lance and Iban Mayo went down on Luz Ardiden. I shouted when he got up. I pumped my fists in the air when he passed the pack and screamed up to the finish line. I wept when he survived the rainy road to Nance. I cheered when he rode into Paris and took his place in that elite group of 5-time winners. I relived every moment when I read the last chapter of EVERY SECOND COUNTS. I'm not sure how she does it, but Sally Jenkins is able to get Armstrong's thoughts and stories down on paper in a way few co-writers have ever done, especially in a book about sports. Even if you're not a fan of cycling, this book is a good read and will inspire you to do your best at everything you try because "every second counts." Godspeed, Lance. We'll be cheering you on in 2004 -- and in everything you do.  A Book For The Fans
I've been a fan of Lance Armstrong's since his first Tour de France victory in 1999. How could you not be? The man came back from testicular cancer which spread to his brains to win possibly the most grueling sporting event on the planet. You think that's a hyperbole? Have you tried riding a bike six hours non-stop? For three consecutive weeks? Somedays scaling over 15,000 feet of French mountains?
Oh yeah, do that after you grapple with, and narrowly defeat, a cancer that made him a sterile 'uni-baller'. A cancer that required a chunk of his skull popped open for brain surgery. A cancer that was cured by, literally, poison coursing through his veins. But what cemented my sentiments was reading his first book, IT'S NOT ABOUT THE BIKE. Lance Armstrong, in spite of all his super human feats, is as human as you, me, and uncle Joe. That's what won me over for good. His second book w/ the venerable Sally Jenkins cannot possibly match IT'S NOT ABOUT THE BIKE. I don't think that's the purpose of EVERY SECOND COUNTS, either. EVERY SECOND COUNTS is the happily ever after part of the end, and how there really isn't such a thing as happily ever after, nor is there really an end to begin with. The book is heavier on the philosophical side--namely, Lance's cancer-shaped philosophies on life and living. He discusses, in the familiar, Jenkins-molded candid manner, struggles of repeating victories and how when you're at the top, you've got nowhere to go but down. Everyone is gunning for you, including the French bureaucracy, which spent 21 months digging for proof of illegal enhancing substances and then grudgingly admitting Lance was as clean as the pope's robe on Sunday Mass. The highlight of the book are the behind-the-scenes peek at his four other victories since his 1999 comeback, with this summer's victory number five tacked on the very end, barely making it for publication. Lance spends most of those pages selflessly praising his teammates, and telling anecdotes about the USPS team's experiences during training and on the Tour. "When I wear the yellow jersey, I figure I only deserve the zipper. The rest of it, each sleeve, the front, the back, belongs to the guys," he says. Some of the dialog and taunts Lance trade with consumate teammates like George Hincapie and manager Johan Bruyneel are side-rippingly hilarious. When he talks about his son and daughters, there is a genuine tone of wonder and love in the words. When he talks about his wife Kik, there is flat out respect, and admist the marital trouble, a little regret. EVERY SECOND COUNTS skims this subject, preferring to keep the details in strictest confidence, and I respect that. The book reads like a journal, held loosely together by chronology. It's a lighter read, and like IT'S NOT ABOUT THE BIKE, I finished it in an evening. I realized this book was written for the fans. Fans who wish to revisit their old friend Lance, who has since won five consecutive Tour de Frances. How has he been doing? We see his stoic interviews on TV and emotion-less press releases, but we want to know more, what he really thinks. How are his kids? Luke must be starting pre-school soon. Are Grace and Isabelle, beautiful twin daughters, aware of their father's colossal status in the sports world yet? Lance didn't have to write EVERY SECOND COUNTS, but he did anyway, for his fans. More specifically, his cancer-riddled fans who count on him for hope. His cancer foundation raised over $7 million in 2002. He makes personal visits to patients chained to hospital beds by an IV drip pole. He doesn't enjoy being a conventional celebrity ("...the main thing I know about it is that it's not good for you"), but he'll bend over backwards and play Twister if a Leukemia-striken kid asked him to. "I will never get tired of befriending people with cancer, and I'll always say, 'Come on over here, get right up next to me.'" Now, how can you not be a fan of that? Brilliant, Exciting, and Insightful Follow-up to 'the Bike'.
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. Review by Evan Finer, author of "Effortless WellBeing" | 
Based on 66 reviews.