Every Second Counts

The Barnes & Noble ReviewGiven the choice between winning the Tour de France and surviving cancer, cycling legend Lance Armstrong has always maintained that he'd choose the latter. Indeed, a trophy may reward the victor's professional career, but defeating seemingly insurmountable odds changes every aspect of life.Every Second Counts, the follow-up to the hugely successful bestseller It's Not About the Bike, opens a window into the mind and life of a man who has become one of the sports world's greatest competitors and most intriguing success stories.Even after his triumph over testicular cancer, Armstrong's fight goes on. With his indomitable spirit and never-give-up attitude, he remains an inspiring role model to those who have yet to defeat their own demons. In this book, he reveals himself as more than just an athlete. Certainly, he provides details about his storied cycling victories; but he also reveals the ups and downs of his marriage -- entered into too quickly and far too young -- and discusses his intensely emotional reaction to visiting New York after the September 11th terrorist attacks.Reinforcing the importance of living each day to the fullest in a motivational but never heavy-handed manner, Every Second Counts is an intimate journal that documents the strengths and weaknesses of the human spirit. It's an inspirational account that will leave readers with the feeling that they have met the man and engaged him in vibrant conversation. Bryan Hoch

In the opening of Lance Armstrong's memoir, Every Second Counts (co-authored by Sally Jenkins), he reflects: "Generally, one of the hardest things in the world to do is something twice." While he is talking here about his preparation for what would prove to be his second consecutive Tour de France victory in 2000, the sentiment could equally be applied to the book itself. And just as Armstrong managed to repeat his incredible 1999 tour victory, Every Second Counts repeats--and, in some ways exceeds—the success of his bestselling first memoir, It's Not About the Bike.

Every Second Counts confronts the challenge of moving beyond his cancer experience, his first Tour victory, and his celebrity status. Few of Armstrong's readers will ever compete in the Tour de France (though cyclists will relish Armstrong's detailed recounting of his 2000-2003 tour victories), but all will relate to his discussions of loss and disappointment in his personal and professional life since 1999. They will relate to his battles with petty bureaucracies, like the French court system during the doping scandal that almost halted his career. And they will especially relate to constant struggles with work/life balance.

In the face of September 11--which arrives halfway through the narrative (just before the fifth anniversary of his diagnosis)--Armstrong draws from his experiences to show that suffering, fear, and death are the essential human condition. In so openly using his own life to illustrate how to face this reality, he proves that he truly is a hero--and not just because of the bike. In Every Second Counts he is to be admired as a human being, a man who sees every day as a challenge to live richly and well, no matter what hardships may come. --Patrick O'Kelley