by Juliet Macur
First published 2014
Juliet Macur chronicles the complete story of Lance Armstrong's meteoric ascent and catastrophic downfall. When Armstrong abandoned his Texas mansion in June 2013, facing crushing lawsuits, Macur secured rare access to the disgraced cyclist. She interviewed his girlfriend and children while Armstrong shared his version of events. Macur gathered testimony from over one hundred people who knew Armstrong intimately. Family members he had abandoned spoke out, including the adoptive father who gave him his name and estranged relatives. Most damaging was recorded testimony from J.T. Neal, Armstrong's most important father figure, who spoke before dying of cancer while Armstrong built his reputation as a cancer survivor. Former friends from Armstrong's inner circle ultimately destroyed him. They shattered the silence protecting cycling's darkest secrets and exposed the truth about their former golden boy. Macur assembles these varied voices into a complete portrait of Armstrong's spectacular rise to global celebrity and wealth, followed by his crushing fall from grace.
Genres: biography, crime, non-fiction, 21st-century
Vibes: emotional, fast-paced, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: fall-from-grace, unreliable-narrator
Setting: Texas
Period: 2013
480 pages · Hardcover · Harper