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Ten Points
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By Bill Strickland
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 (26 Reviews)
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Publisher:
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Hyperion
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Published:
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December 31, 1969 |
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Binding:
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Hardcover
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Pages:
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256
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Of the eight million dedicated cyclists in this country, just 32,044 own amateur racing licenses. There?s a reason for that: Racing is not only incredibly difficult, it?s downright excruciating, with the possibility for public humiliation never more than one pedal away. So when Natalie, Bill Strickland?s preschool-aged daughter, asked him if he could win ten points during one racing season -- the bicycling equivalent of taking an at-bat against Randy Johnson or going one-on-one with Lebron James -- a sensible man would?ve just said no and moved on. Instead, Strickland decided to try. In the process, he discovered that he was racing toward the loving home life he cherished and, at the same time, trying to get away from something far worse -- his legacy of horrific childhood abuse. Strickland?s memoir is filled with lyrical insights on training and dedication, racing scenes packed with nail-biting suspense, and powerful reflections on the meaning of family. Because for Strickland, it?s definitely not about the bike.
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Customer Reviews:
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 Riding to, Riding From a Life, February 4, 2008
By Sprocketboy (Ottawa, Ontario, Canada)
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"Ten Points" is the story of Bill Strickland, Executive Editor of Bicycling magazine, and how one summer he promised his daughter Natalie that he would earn ten points racing in the Thursday criterium bike race near their home in Lehigh, Pennsylvania. Bill is in his late 30s, by his own account a racer of impressively modest accomplishment, and his competitors are a motley assemblage of some of the top racing talent in the United States. His odds of getting ten points are pretty poor as he starts his quest but he wants to keep the promise to his daughter. But the challenge extends far beyond the ten points as Bill Strickland turns what on the surface appears to be a middle-aged man's quixotic quest into his need to use the bicycle to bring meaning into his life. He wants to use the discipline, the pain and even the anger of bike racing to overcome his past and build something stronger and more meaningful with his family.
This book is not really about bike racing, but the accounts of the Thursday night races are wonderful in their detail and drama. The other racers-with nicknames like the Animal, Speed, Bird, Steak and Purple Jersey, are talented and dedicated but they seem to operate at a totally different level than even well-trained hobby athletes. The author learns with each session out on the road, but all too often he lacks the physical ability to keep pace. The description of amateur bike racing, and what goes on in your mind as you try to work the pack, is exceptional.
As well-told as the racing sequences are, what makes the book rivetting is the author's juxtaposition of his life with his wife and daughter, with their domestic vignettes and his loving details of his little girl growing,, with his own childhood where the accounts of the abuse inflicted on him by his father are so appalling they come at you from the page with the quality of a nightmare, as if you are not actually reading what is on the page. It has taken courage to write this and skill to make the reader stay with the story in spite of all natural inclinations. But going for the ten points is part of Bill's therapy, the way he comes to terms with what he is and how, as a loving father and husband, he must act to protect his family from the self-destructive monster inside of himself.
As time passes, Bill learns not to try to win each race but to merely stay at the front and fit into the rhythm of the pack. He reads the other riders and discovers that he has an exceptional talent for riding in the rain but he can only use this as long as the officials do not end the race prematurely. He discovers that if he allows the anger inside himself to speak uncontrolled, it will cause accidents and not gain him points.
The season moves inexorably towards the end and Bill has become a better rider but is still not up to ten points. It will take a small miracle to get there but Bill's realization towards the end is that there are small miracles around him that speak more importantly to who he is. Throughout the book one can sense his sense of wonder at fatherhood and his recognition of the sometimes painful compromises needed to make a marriage work, and the bright rewards of love.
Ten Points is beautifully written. Holding up the mirror is often painful to those who must gaze upon it but Bill Strickland looks back as a real bike racer and, more importantly, an honest man. And that's worth a lot more than ten points.
9 of 9 people found the above review helpful.
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 Not sure I'm glad I read it, April 6, 2008
By Andrew Kent (Westborough, MA)
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I've been pondering this book since I read it. In short, I cannot say I'm glad I read it.
Strickland is an excellent writer. The cycling aspects are wonderfully realized. The insights into his troubled life seem honest and complete. Yet, in total, I was still stuck thinking I could have done without it. Scenes from his childhood are horrific, and overall the book is anticlimactic.
I understand what the book is about, but would caution other potential readers, you may respect the book, but you may not like the book.
8 of 11 people found the above review helpful.
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Not for cyclists looking for a book about racing, April 29, 2008
By megatron623 (Abingdon, VA USA)
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As a racing cyclist, I was looking for a book about racing stories - prehaps something along the lines of the Tim Krabbe book. This book is the story of Strickland's childhood and his abusive father, with short scenes of local races thrown in here-and-there. I enjoyed the cycling scenes, but I did not really need to read the childhood flashback scenes. The other big storyline involved his 5 year daughter. Those scenes were cute enough, but still not exaclty what I was looking for. I got a feeling that this book was more of a demon clensing therapy for the writer and less of a story aimed toward the reader. DO NOT get this book just because you ride bikes or race, as that is not the true focus of the story. Also, be warned that this book has an excessive amount of foul language throughout - enough of it that it could be a turn off to a lot of readers. Like another reviewer said, I don't think I'm glad I read this book. If Strickland were to write another book that focused more on cycling I'd be willing to give it a read, but I won't be picking up this book again, and I definitely won't be recommending it to any of my team mates or other cycling buddies.
3 of 5 people found the above review helpful.
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Good Story. Lousy Writing., April 24, 2008
By A parent (New york, NY)
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The story is compelling and deep. The writing is a different story. I honestly think that Strickland's editor was half asleep which working on this book. Strickland attempts to incorporate clever metaphors, however all of them, sadly, have already been overdone, and are becoming lines of Hallmark cards. Run on sentences, overdone smilies and analogies are all very prevalent throughout the story.
Conclusion:
If you want an inspirational, and compelling story, but can deal with cheesy analogies, buy this book.
Rating: B
2 of 4 people found the above review helpful.
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Ten Points, July 17, 2007
By J Johnson (WA)
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Ten Points is much more than a book about bicycling. Bill Strickland takes us to places we don't want to go but can't stop reading about. Few of us know the thrill and pain of competitive cycling. Unfortunately, many of us know the pain of abuse at the hands of someone who should be our protector. This book is astonishing, appalling, and inspirational all rolled into one. Strickland achieved 10 points.Ten Points
2 of 2 people found the above review helpful.
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Couldn't put it down, August 13, 2007
By Gavin Leslie (Long Valley, NJ USA)
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A riveting book. Pacey and raw. Strickland captures perfectly the almost savage satisfaction of all-out physical effort on a bike. It was impossible to put the book down until each race finished. Equally riveting but extremely disturbing are his accounts of the abuse suffered at the hands of his father. '10 Points' elated me, depressed me and left me profoundly unsettled. If I met Bill Strickland on the road, I'm not sure whether I would ride along companionably... or sprint away as fast as I could. Unforgettable.
2 of 3 people found the above review helpful.
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Fast read but not re-read material..., April 22, 2009
By E. Ip (Richmond, VA United States)
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I am an avid cyclist and not-a-very-good racer much like the author, as such, I had high hopes for this book. The book has humorous (interactions with his daughter) and sad (about his childhood) moments. But at the end I felt "jipped". It felt unresolved; I waited for the punchline but it never came. While I understood the motive, correlating his struggles as a cyclist with his childhood seemed like a stretch to me.
If you are looking for a fast read that is almost entertaining, go ahead and read it. Look elsewhere if you want something a bit more fulfilling.
1 of 2 people found the above review helpful.
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Exercising Cyclist Exorcises Childhood Demons, September 14, 2007
By GeezerJock (Fairfax, VA)
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Author Bill Strickland is an amateur bicycle racer as well as the executive editor of BICYCLING magazine. He embraces a magnificent obsession -- to earn by placing weekly criterium bike races near his home. He pledges to his pre-school aged daughter that he will score 10 points by placing high enough in this series of races.
TEN POINTS is on one level bicycle narrative, but it transcends that. Strickland's cycling endeavors alternate with flashbacks of a deeply troubled childhood overshadowed by an abusive father. Strickland's father could be considered a poster child for White Trash, except that would probably give undue insult to those who are White Trash. It's people like Strickland's father who make us wish that you had to be licensed in order to sire children. The vignettes of abuse recounted by Strickland are at times difficult to read. I marvel at the courage Strickland has in self-revelation and sharing these memories with the readers. Throughout his adult life the baggage haunted him and impacted his dealings with his friends, his children, and even led him to an extramarital affair which jeopardized his marriage.
Rather than letting this psychic baggage derail his life or marriage, Strickland redoubles his efforts and infuses "the quest for 10 points" with an almost mythic sense of mission. His prose on bike racing cracks and crackles with authenticity, putting you in the middle of the straining peloton. This alone is worth the price of admission...
It would be nice to wrap this up with a tidy Tiffany's bow and relate a story where Bill Strickland ultimately wins his 10 points, transcending his athletic limitations and his past.
Alas, life is rarely so neatly packaged. As one famous bicycle racer has stated, "It's not about the bike." TEN POINTS is also not about the bike. It is about facing down the demons of your past and proving to yourself that family history is not destiny, that we have the power to change ourselves and unshackle or sells from the chains of our painful influential upbringing, that goals sometimes remain unattained and we are strengthened by our failures.
This is a moving book of self transcendence and I urge you to keep a box of Kleenex on hand for the end. On a scale of one to ten, TEN POINTS gets an eleven!!
1 of 1 people found the above review helpful.
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An amazing read, July 12, 2007
By Carol A Johnson-Rondo (Lacey, Wa.)
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From the beginning to the triumphant end, once started you will not be able to put this book down.Bill's writing pulls you into the excitement of bicycling, the sadness and anger of a torn childhood and the wonder of a devoted wife and daughter. A real life inspiration.
1 of 1 people found the above review helpful.
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Honest and Accessible, June 25, 2008
By Tim Chapman
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I really loved this book. The honesty was moving. The blend of cycling, athletics, and family relations made for a personal story that I could relate to. I have shared it with friends who loved it as much. Really good writing and written with humility. Thanks Bill.
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 startling, June 17, 2008
By S. Goggin (Rhode Island, USA)
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A very good insight into the world of crit racing from the amateur perspective. Also, goes deeply into the world of child abuse, disturbing at times, but ends well.
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Enjoyable read, an insight into cycling, May 28, 2008
By Anthony L. Bowers
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I enjoyed the book. Gave it only 4 stars because it was not one of the best I have ever read. I give few 5 stars. The author tells a good story. I'm a cyclist, so I don't know if non-cyclists would enjoy the book as much. The book shares insight into the arena of competitive cycling, but not too much so.
Course the story has a couple of subplots, which are not about cycling, but tie into the story. I don't want to say too much and ruin the story for anyone.
It's a quick read.
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Excellent!, March 27, 2008
By Reader Rider (Croatia)
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True gem!
Especially if you recognize yourself and/or your father in it and your troubled relationship. And you use cycling to fight inner demons.
It actually brought tears to my eyes several times.
Highly recommended.
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Not what I expected..., March 11, 2008
By M. Ware (Maryland)
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I was expecting a good read, but this book is much more than that. It's a real page turner! It's a gut wrenching and revealing story that must have been terribly difficult for Bill Strickland to put on paper for the world to read. I admire his candor and inner strength. The writing is wonderful. I highly recommend this book to all.
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fantastic writing, February 9, 2008
By Jeff (Roslyn, NY USA)
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Great writing skill makes even the most deranged experiences somehow lyrical and readable. And the insight into racing is gripping.
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Excellent Book!, January 16, 2008
By Larry Shinn (Greencastle, IN)
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I can't write a long, eloquent review of this book - My review will be as direct and honest as Bill Strickland's writing:
The book is excellent. I read it cover-to-cover before I could put it down. If you ride bikes, buy this book.
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Triumph, November 30, 2007
By A Customer
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10 Points--
Triumphant, heartbreaking, and tender, 10 Points is masterfully--and courageously told. In a breathtaking ride through the author's life 10 Points chronicles how a man with a toxic past grapples with a fragile and unfamiliar purity found in the souls of his wife and little girl. He burns off some poison on his bike, hammering the peddles in a weekly race with a fury that blasts him through gateways sport opens like few other experiences, blurring his way through agony into purity and possibility and newness. And while this book finds source code in sport and competition and fast bikes, the only cycling experience required for the read is knowing that its fun to ride through a puddle with your feet off the pedals. Tack on a world class prose that'll make you cringe, cry, and find a better way to love; it's hard to find a better, more meaningful book. They should make this into a movie.
Mark Clement, author The Carpenter's Notebook, A NovelThe Carpenter's Notebook -- A Novel
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10 points=10 stars, September 22, 2007
By John Kates (Emmaus, pa)
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This is a well written book with alot of emotion and character. It's hard to believe that a child was forced to go through so much at such a young age and still turned out to be such a respected member of the cycling community.
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Wow!, September 2, 2007
By M. W. Wingler (Central Indiana)
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As a cyclist, father of a young daughter and a budding author, I found this book completely amazing. After reading this book, I feel like I've cycled a crit, raised a family and lived a lifetime. Keep the rubber side down, Bill!
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A must-read!, July 24, 2007
By J. Blakesley (Denver, CO)
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This book both surprised and touched me. I bought it on a recommendation from a friend; not a cyclist myself, I was skeptical as to whether or not it would be able to hold my attention. Not only did it, but so much that I couldn't put it down. I found the cycling scenes exciting, the childhood flashbacks heartbreaking and the book as a whole utterly inspirational. Bill Strickland is a wonderful storyteller, and Ten Points truly is a must-read.
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Inspiration, January 16, 2012
By Jab Jr (Alhambra, CA United States)
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He is one of my favorite writers and he doesn't disappoint here. Many passages inspire me and remind me of the beauty of cycling. Everyone should read it.
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Great book, but not one I'd recommend to very many people, June 24, 2011
By Go Pack Go (Cincinnati, OH United States)
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Bill Strickland is a survivor. That is for sure. He is also a very strong writer. This book describes his Quixotic effort to evade the generational curse of abuse from which he escaped through earning 10 points in local criterium races. He is equally adept at writing about the beauty & the suffering of bike racing as he is at telling us the chilling details of the abuse he overcame. And, as a father, I related to his boundless love for his daughter.
But you have to have a strong constitution just to READ this book. I cannot imagine what a strong constitution Mr. Strickland mus have to have been so unflinchingly honest with the horrific (there is no other word that comes close to being adequate) details of the abuse he suffered at the hands of his father. I had to put the book down, multiple times, just because I could not read another word. My heart ached for young Bill Strickland, & for his quest to try to assure that he would not be a part of the continuing cycle of abuse.
I will not even give an example of the abuse Mr. Strickland had to put up with as a child, as it is frankly hard for me to even reflect on them having completed the book.
This is a very good book, very well written - but it is a TOUGH read, even as it is a good read, as you see this man lay bare the horrific (forgive me for not coming up with another adjective, but I can think of no other that is remotely adequeate).
If you have the stomach for it, and would otherwise be interested in cycling & a personal saga of growth & surviving, this is a great book. But I can't really think of anyone I know who I would say, "hey, you would really LOVE this book."
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Best Book Ever, November 2, 2010
By Renee A. Cuffe
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I am a road biker, and I also love reading memoirs. This book was so good, that I had to pace myself to not read it all in one sitting. I actually read the library book, loved it so much that I bought it on Amazon so that I could loan it to friends!
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A Flashback in Every Chapter, April 5, 2010
By Author of Almost Columbine (Grove City, Florida)
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Had a rough childhood? I did as did many of the people I grew up with. We all had our own way of dealing with these demons of our past. Most of my friends didn't make it. Some fell to drugs or prison or the worst fate of all - marriage. Fortunately I took a similar path to author Bill Strickland who tried with every muscle fiber to purge his nightmares through the sweat of sport. Each successive attempt acts as yet another chance to prove to himself, his wife and his daughter that he is not his father. The man who warped his psyche was continuing to do damage years after his physical presence had passed away. This inner turmoil manifested as blind ambition whenever the author took to his cycle in each season as he attempted to do the impossible, win ten points in a weekly Criterium race. This powerful memoir brings forth the question as to whether a man can chance his stars with the sheer thrust of pedal power. Greats of the past have done so but could a damaged man? 10 Points not only makes you seek the answer but makes you wonder what you can accomplish as well. More importantly, it makes you reconsider what your accomplishments would really mean.
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Moving- In more ways than one., September 5, 2008
By T. J. Kelly (NJ)
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I'm a novice bike rider - but experienced at life's difficulties- I see them everyday. This book takes you on a real ride through Bill's races as he tries to achieve a level of points amongst his peers. However, it's his real life story that takes you for a ride you won't forget. It's not your typical personel success story in the end, but it's a real life story that any one of us can relate to in some way or another if you've lived to see it all. In the end, it's Bill's understanding that is his true achievement.
Beautifully written. This is no "Million Little Pieces" prose, it reads more like a bike ride through, over, up and down life's rolling hills.
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Triumph, November 30, 2007
By Mark Clement
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10 Points--
Triumphant, heartbreaking, and tender, 10 Points is masterfully--and courageously told. In a breathtaking ride through the author's life 10 Points chronicles how a man with a toxic past grapples with a fragile and unfamiliar purity found in the souls of his wife and little girl. He burns off some poison on his bike, hammering the peddles in a weekly race with a fury that blasts him through gateways sport opens like few other experiences, blurring his way through agony into purity and possibility and newness. And while this book finds source code in sport and competition and fast bikes, the only cycling experience required for the read is knowing that its fun to ride through a puddle with your feet off the pedals. Tack on a world class prose that'll make you cringe, cry, and find a better way to love; it's hard to find a better, more meaningful book. They should make this into a movie.
Mark Clement, author The Carpenter's Notebook, A NovelThe Carpenter's Notebook -- A Novel
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