Lobstergirl's Reviews > It's Not About the Bike: My Journey Back to Life

There is no more remarkable story of surviving cancer than Lance Armstrong's, and perhaps there is no better athlete in history. His rise from poverty and being raised by a young single mother is quite impressive too. But I have to give his memoir 2 stars, because

1) He's such a cocky son of a bitch. Really, it gets quite annoying.

2) He couldn't keep his marriage and family intact, especially after putting his wife through the IVF, twice. Before they even began dating, she was concerned about his reputation as a "player." I guess she was right to be. Check out how she's the spitting image of his mother, 20 years younger.

3) I don't think Lance is telling any big whoppers, but you do get the sense that some (many) of his anecdotes are embellished, crafted, varnished, just a little. This tends to happen when people are great storytellers, as he is. I saw him on Charlie Rose several years ago and he was riveting. I could have listened to him for hours. In the book, ghostwritten by Sally Jenkins, these anecdotes are perfect little packages tied up with bows.

I do think he makes a valuable point in the epilogue, that the point - of cancer, of any struggle, of life - is not to be a survivor, but to be a fighter. I'd also like to see new photos in any subsequent editions, of all the blond women he's dated - Sheryl Crow, Kate Hudson, Tory Burch, the new one - I'm sure I'm leaving out dozens.