Every Second Counts

by Alpen

• If you like Lance Armstrong, you'll love this book!!

Product Details

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• ASIN: B000YU7FIG
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (107 customer reviews)

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

32 of 37 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Moving and insightful follow up to the first book October 7, 2003

By Diana M. Rodriguez

Color Name:No Color

I loved the first book he wrote and this one is just as good! Lance Armstrong's books are honest and direct. He really tells it as he sees it with no nonsense. The first book chroncicles his humble childhood as the child of a teenage mother and the relationship he describes with his mother is moving and inspiring.

The new book, Every Second Counts, is written mostly about his own children and his struggles to balance family life with his arduous training schedule and his Foundation, in addition to charity work and public appearances.

I admire Lance Armstrong for being a seeker. He is not a person sitting on the sidelines. He is truly living his life with gusto and passion. He has his rough-edges, but all in all he is a seemingly warm, honest, real person with all of the complexities and complications that real people face.

I wish him all the best and I hope he continues to write books in the future. I feel he has much to say and I like the way he says it!

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars It depends on what you are looking for... August 9, 2004

By Peter Jackson

Color Name:No Color

All the other reviews are true! From one star to five star, each one is true. The book does ramble a bit, it is a very easy read. A person can take away so many things from it, or can become totally discusted with Lance.

I read the book soley and purposefully to see how much information I could get on how the US Postal team became such a dominant force in cycling. The book lets Lance's devotion, dedication, and ability to focus on goals, discipline shine, it gives more in depth conversation between Lance and Floyd Landis on what it takes to succeed at that level of sport. So I found what I was looking for. I am a diehard cycling fan and a die hard US Postal fan. The message is hard work, working when others are slacking, sacrifice and attention to detail come thru strong. These are all traits I can look up to and admire.

If you are looking for marital details you will be dissapointed. If you are looking for how he overcame the bad christian example he saw as a child and now is a believer, you won't find it here. He beleives this life is all you have, does not believe in God and yet maintains he is a spiritual person. If you want to have a happy ending for the family, and for Lance to realize that his career is taking too much time away from the family, think again. You will not find it here.

If you are looking for details on the doping scandal, there are plenty. There is also a lot of details on cancer and his struggle, and what drives him to do what he does.

I will not make personal judgements on his personality, I have never met him. Some say he is egotistical, thinks more of himself than he should. If so, it would not surprise me. Name on fighter pilot who isn't the same way. I think to compete at that elite level and do well, some people are that way.

I found a person who has overcome a lot, done a lot, is not perfect, yet is an inspiration in some ways. He is different shades of a regular person, just like the rest of us.

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars A little scattered, but still a good look into Lance... July 27, 2004

By Thomas Duff HALL OF FAMETOP 500 REVIEWERVINE™ VOICE

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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.