"Gold"en Moment for Cleave

I finished reading Gold, by Chris Cleave last night, and I had to take time to write a review. Rarely has a book moved me so much as did Cleave's emotional, human masterpiece about Olympic cyclists, their families, and the lives we touch every day.

Zoe and Kate are best friends--they are also rivals. They have come of age together in British Cycling with Kate always just in Zoe's shadow. With the 2012 Olympics coming in London, these two girls are a shoe-in for the Women's Sprint. Zoe--hard and driven, aloof and antisocial--and Kate: warm, tender, and caring for her eight-year-old daughter Sophie who is battling leukemia. Their relationships are strained once the IOC decides that only one racer in each event will be allowed to compete. Will Zoe sacrifice her third Olympic gold for the sake of her friend and rival who has missed her shot at two prior Olympics?

The real heart of this story, for me, was Sophie. Her imaginative telling of her battle against cancer (a la Star Wars) is endearing and heartbreaking. As the father of two little girls, I found myself relating to Jack (Kate's husband, Sophie's father, and Olympic champion) and his struggle to be the husband, father, champion he is called to be. More than once I found myself in tears remembering visits to the hospital with my own daughters, and the horrible feeling of helplessness which attends those long hours when you don't know what will happen next.

This story is full of very human characters, strong narrative, and a clever wit which makes it an easy page turner. I highly recommend Gold, by Chris Cleave and look forward to reading his other works.

Not his best

Increasingly, John Maxwell's books are just rehashes of the same material. In [[ASIN:1400203597 The 360 Degree Leader: Developing Your Influence from Anywhere in the Organization]]he discusses the various levels of leadership and input that an individual can have in any organization. Though certainly helpful in breaking down stereotypes and encouraging readers to show their colors no matter where they find themselves, I did not find this book to be anything overly thrilling. An easy read, a good premise, not anything he hasn't said in other works or previous books. Overall 4 stars, but lacks the carpe diem moment to really earn that fifth "Wow" start out of me.

*Disclosure* I received a copy of this book as part of Thomas Nelson's Booksneeze Program.