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On Sept. 27, 1988, Canadian sprinter Ben Johnson was stripped of his 100-meter gold medal when tests showed a performance-enhancing drug in his system. As Alex Rodriguez appeals his illegal doping ban from Major League Baseball, Frank Deford reflects on a historical moment of drug use among athletes.

Britain's Brian Cookson says he will focus on helping cycling recover from years of doping scandals. "I felt I owed it to the cycling world to put an end to the misery that we were all going through," he says.

Also: Annie Proulx wrote the libretto for an opera based on "Brokeback Mountain"; Jesmyn Ward on losing her brother; Isabel Allende recalls Pablo Neruda's funeral.

Also: the first English-language bookstore in Cuba; the role of public libraries during natural disasters; the best books coming out this week.

Cycling superstar Lance Armstrong founded the cancer charity in 1997. After years of denials, he admitted in January that he used performance-enhancing drugs during his career. Nike earlier cut ties with Armstrong. Now it is parting ways with the foundation.

Armstrong made $18 million riding for a team sponsored by the U.S. Postal Service. The government wants its money back (and then some).

The fallen superstar has been banned for life from most competitions because of doping charges. The U.S. Anti-Doping Agency's reach doesn't extend to U.S. Masters Swimming. But swimming's international authority objected to his planned participation. Then, Armstrong withdrew.

Sports Illustrated writer Michael McCann had been covering Lance Armstrong's legal issues for the past year when he noticed a new follower on Twitter. It was the disgraced cyclist himself, and he invited McCann over for an exclusive interview.

The lawsuit alleges that Armstrong and his team's pervasive doping campaign defrauded the U.S. Postal Service out of more than $31 million in sponsorship fees.

Through a lawyer Armstrong said he would be willing to cooperate in an international tribunal but not in "American prosecutions that only demonize selected individuals."