Rejecting Middle Age, Becoming One of the World’s Fittest Men, and Discovering myself
Written by: Rich Roll
Narrated by: Rich Roll
Originally Reviewed: 11-04-17 on audible.com
Rating: 2, A Good Read for athletes
A Bit Ironic, Hypocritical, but Perfectly Pitched
I hate to be critical of anyone who has the audacity to try and teach others a better way of doing things, but Rich’s book deserves some minor critiques, or at least to point out some logical fallacies. I enjoyed this book more than other running books and I think the presentation of perspective and non-egotistical, self-deprecating, tone endeared me to Rich from the beginning.
However, it’s a bit ironic that Rich admonishes his adherents to have balance in their life, but is so hard core vegan and every step of the way finds substitutes for amino acids from animals while he self-admittedly knows they can’t be found naturally from plant life. Irrelevant, there are manufactured supplements for that. He also cites Christopher McDougall’s masterpiece, Born to Run, when transitioning to different shoes based on research, but dismisses the actual facts behind McDougall’s thesis – man evolved by eating animal protein. I have more criticisms, but this is my major negative.
In regard to what I like: Rich’s writing style and story telling ability surpass most seasoned writers. His anecdotal portrayals resonated with me the way others have tried, but failed. Rich’s views on his taste for alcohol (i.e., reducing his anxiety and allowing him to socialize normally) gave clarity to something that’s perplexed me my entire adult life. His description of his needs in finding spirituality to assist in recovery and ubiquitous understanding of life, inspired this church goer. The never-give-up attitude and resilience (albeit sometimes relying on others) calls to me to get out there and continue running and possibly buy a bike (not likely, but nothing else has roused me to this level). Even his tantalizing description of veganism – while delineating it from the stereotypical adherents – guilts me each time I’ve grabbed a non-healthy food choice since finishing the book.
The narration was perfect; I usually prefer my non-fiction read by the author. Rich is an excellent narrator and could easily find a career in this industry outside of his own books. I usually listen at 3x speed and had zero issues with this version.
Project 19 