I highly recommend Seabiscuit to any of the following people:Īnyone who has the slightest interest in horses or sports,Īnyone who thinks jockeys have an easy job,Īnyone with no interest in horses who just loves good writing,Īnyone who thinks non-fiction is dull and would welcome a surprise, Sometimes I still put one down unfinished, but now that I know how they can be, I try more often. And ever since then, I've given non-fiction more chances, and with better luck, than ever before. Everyone loved it, whether or not they cared at all about horses or sports. This was one of the universally best-received choices we've read in book club. She not only puts you in the saddle, she takes you back in time. Another reason for the success of this novel is her success at placing the events in their historical context.
#SEABISCUIT AN AMERICAN LEGEND BY LAURA HILLENBRAND PLUS#
It's so visceral, she really puts you in the saddle, plus the prose is beautiful in and of itself. There is a section where she describes the jockeys' experience of riding in a race that is one of the best pieces of prose I have ever, and will ever, read. Hillenbrand has really explored her topic thoroughly and passes on all the details to us. It really does read like a novel, and yet it is so deep - Ms. Seabiscuit, I was happy to find, was a complete surprise. In fact, as one of those over-achieving students who always completed college reading assignments, I would have to say that many textbooks were actually better reads than the average non-fiction offering on store shelves. Despite my interest in the subject matter, the writing would drive me crazy - too technical, too boring, too text-book like. So many times I had picked up a non-fiction book on a topic that I was really curious about, and either put it down unfinished or forced myself to slog through it. I just couldn't believe that all the hype was real.
That book was Seabiscuit.Įven though I have always loved horses, I had avoided reading Seabiscuit. In November 2003, a pioneering member of my book club was the first to choose a non-fiction book instead of a novel. Prior to November 2003, non-fiction only entered my reading choices on sporadic occasions. If you enjoy a good sports story, if you like stories about the underdog becoming the champion, or if you enjoy books with a good history lesson, it is definitely worth giving Seabiscuit a try! Luckily for me, I was enthralled with horse training and the finer points of horse racing much more that I ever thought I would be. If these things do not interest you, you may find some parts slow. While it did not bother me, there is an awful lot about horse racing and horse training. In the end, I can 99% guarantee you will be exhausted and satisfied. Humble beginnings, Scrappy, unlikely heroes, successes, adversity, failure, no hope, recovery, and final ultimate triumph - all these elements are here! You will be amazed, you will be moved, you will be yelling at each horse race retelling, cheering of Seabiscuit to succeed. The story of Seabiscuit reads like it was written for Hollywood and plays out like almost every emotional sports story ever.
I was definitely satisfied with the experience! Because of all this, I figured I might be interested in the biography of one of history's most famous horses. Now I live within a couple of hours of close to a dozen horse tracks - including Churchill Downs, home of the Kentucky Derby. I lived in Kentucky for about 10 years where horse racing is king. I have been known to bet a couple of bucks on a horse race or two. Over four years, these unlikely partners survived a phenomenal run of bad fortune, conspiracy, and severe injury to transform Seabiscuit from a neurotic, pathologically indolent also-ran into an American sports icon.Īuthor Laura Hillenbrand brilliantly re-creates a universal underdog story, one that proves life is a horse race. Smith urged Howard to buy Seabiscuit for a bargain-basement price, then hired as his jockey Red Pollard, a failed boxer who was blind in one eye, half-crippled, and prone to quoting passages from Ralph Waldo Emerson. When he needed a trainer for his new racehorses, he hired Tom Smith, a mysterious mustang breaker from the Colorado plains. Three men changed Seabiscuit’s fortunes:Ĭharles Howard was a onetime bicycle repairman who introduced the automobile to the western United States and became an overnight millionaire. But his success was a surprise to the racing establishment, which had written off the crooked-legged racehorse with the sad tail. Seabiscuit was one of the most electrifying and popular attractions in sports history and the single biggest newsmaker in the world in 1938, receiving more coverage than FDR, Hitler, or Mussolini.
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