Finding Ultra

Definitely a page-turner. More than just a “health” book, it's the story of Rich Roll's life. Beginning as a very active collegiate swimmer, Rich then spends a decade as an alcoholic. He finds his way to sobriety, and eventually back to his former active lifestyle as a ultra-endurance athlete fueled completely by a whole-food, plant-based diet. Great read.

positives: the journey he made is obviously impressive and exceptional. i respect anyone that can do what he did, regardless of how they got it done.

interesting: it's extremely clear through the whole book that he has a high amount of economic privilege. it's especially effusive as his life story progresses and he starts working out. there's no question, save for one short episode, about doing anything related to his training. this isn't bad, it's just a part of his struggle that is sort of alienating. sure, hire a coach, buy carbon fiber bikes, kit, buy exclusively organic food and obsess over your Vitamix, choose to work wherever you want, etc. he stopped being #relatable when he started getting in shape, basically.

negative: Roll perpetuates vegan diet myths and puts emphasis on the wrong things in my opinion. for one, the section on soy is simply incorrect. it's funny reading him have tantrums about when he couldn't eat perfectly due to...being poorly prepared, and could only eat, say, vegan plebian thai takeout. he really seems to be on that rich Hollywood vegan stereotype train.

probably the biggest negative relating to the content of the book, however, is the fact that it feels like an ad in a lot of ways. instead of just talking about his plant based diet, Roll must mention his “special” (it's not) PlantPower (there might as well be an ® or ™️ after it) diet and his Vitamix every single page. certainly felt like it.

overall the book was okay, i guess. he seemed to really focus heavily on his personal life for a long time, then he went really hard on the series of triathlons he did, and then it just ended. i felt it cut off early and without enough commentary or insight, but it was fine. i felt his transition to fitness was lacking in detail as well, and that made it somewhat hard to grasp at times. wouldn't necessarily recommend it to anyone that isn't a big fan of his. i like his podcast and all, but that's much more about the guests than this guy.

read a Scott Jurek book instead imo.

Interesting story of a guy who went from being an addict to crushing Ironman competitions. There's info about his vegan approach that some may enjoy, but I didn't find either that interesting... maybe fun if you're reading a lot about adventure racing or different dietary approaches, otherwise I think there are better reads out there.

A handy guide to the products and services offered by a California entertainment lawyer.

If you like paying for a book that tells a little bit of story and a whole lot about all the other great things you can buy from the same author, you'll love Rich Roll. From the shoehorned chapter about his marvelous PlantPower – “vegan” to the rest of the world – diet, to the appendix jam-packed with his Jai sports drinks and Jai eCookbook and Jai cleansing program and Jai meditation program and his wife's debut music album(?), you'll be drooling at all the money you can soon give Rich Roll.

The shame is that there's a lot of solid nutritional and training advice, but it's so thoroughly interwoven with his sales pitch that it's difficult to separate the advice from the marketing. The incessant 12-step sloganeering gets tiresome, too.

For a good memoir about ultraendurance and veganism without all the self-promotion, read Scott Jurek's Eat & Run.