by Juliet Macur
First published 2018
Journalist Juliet Macur visits Lance Armstrong in his home after his empire has collapsed and he faces selling his house. For the first time, she encounters a defeated man. Armstrong rarely agreed to interviews after the scandal, but Macur becomes one of the few he speaks with. She refuses to rely solely on his account. Macur interviews over a hundred people who became part of his massive deception, knowingly or not. She speaks with family members, close friends, officials, sponsors, competitors, and teammates. The investigation reveals a man driven by insatiable ambition whose story shifts between pathetic, ridiculous, and hate inducing moments. Macur exposes how this cyclist, whose fame transcended the sport, deceived officials, journalists, and fans for years. She documents how he built walls around himself to protect his image, sometimes at the cost of others' lives, and how he masterminded the most complex doping program in history, known as the Armstrong System. The book reveals how one athlete created sports history's largest organized crime operation to avoid losing.
Genres: biography, 20th-century, crime, non-fiction, 21st-century
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: deception, downfall
Setting: Lance Armstrong's Home
Period: After Armstrong's Empire Collapsed
404 pages · Paperback · Domingo