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Seabiscuit: An American Legend - Laura Hillenbrand
Amazon.com Price: $12.00
Publisher: Ballantine Books
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Reviews from Pethobbyist.com:

Review By: Christie Keith, 2005-10-30

Every spring as the Kentucky Derby rolls round, millions of Americans who don't normally have an interest in horse racing get Derby Fever. I've never been one of them. Despite my own fast dogs, horse racing never captured my imagination. Until, that is, I read Laura Hillenbrand's amazing book Seabiscuit: An American Legend, just out in paperback after a long spell at the top of the NY Times bestseller list in hardcover.

Seabiscuit was a homely horse with an impressive pedigree whose early career was in the hardluck world of small time tracks and claim races. Seabiscuit threw his knee when he ran, and couldn't even fully straighten out his legs. But millionaire automobile dealer Howard Smith saw him and spotted what everyone else had missed. The rest is quite literally history.

During the 30s, Seabiscuit was not only the most famous horse or the most famous athlete; he was the single most famous personality of his era, garnering more column inches in the newspapers and magazines than Hitler, FDR, or anyone else. His incredible Cinderella story, from the lowest echelons of horse racing to the highest ranks of fame and fortune, appealed to an America caught in the grip of the Depression.

Hillenbrand captured not just the story of this scrubby little horse, nor of the men who trained and nurtured him, but of the nation that idolized him and the era he symbolized. She conducted numerous interviews with primary players in Seabiscuit's story, as well as with the family and friends of those now dead. She saw rare film footage of Seabiscuit's races, and her account of his famous one-on-one race with his chief rival, War Admiral, is without question one of the most vivid and exciting passages of writing in any genre I've ever read. Only the best novels take you to another time and place; it's very rare that non-fiction has this power.

If you are a horse fan, the story of "Lone Plainsman" Tom Smith's training and nurturing of this scrappy horse will add a whole other element of enjoyment to Hillenbrand's tale. In today's era of "horse whisperers," the radical nature of Smith's gentle training methods might be missed, but there is no doubt they were as effective as they were unusual for their times. Smith took an unruly, ugly horse who hated to race, hated to compete, and hated people, and turned him into one of the fastest, hardest working, friendliest, calmest thoroughbreds ever to run a race.

Seabiscuit actually had his own railroad car, in which he traveled with his best friend, a horse named Pumpkin who he lived with for the rest of their lives, and his other buddies, including a monkey and a spotted mixed breed dog named Pocatell. Unlike most horses, Seabiscuit (known as a very lazy horse when he wasn't blistering the track) liked to sleep lying down, and his idea of a good day was one he spent cuddled into the hay napping with his friends. He snoozed his way across the United States, coming out of his private railcar to greet his fans along the route and accept carrots from newspaper reporters. (The only things he liked more than napping were eating and being admired.)

There has never been a horse like Seabiscuit. There has never been a story like this one. Hillenbrand, whose book is now being made into a feature film, has done justice to her subject with one of the finest works of history and sports biography ever published.

Copyright 2003 by Christie Keith. Used with permission. All rights reserved.



Reader Reviews from Amazon.com:

One of the best examples of storytelling that I have ever read!

Laura Hillenbrand makes horse racing fans out of everyone. More than simply a biography of a horse, this book portrays the spirit of a sport as it tells the tale of an owner, a jockey and a thoroughbred champion that captivated the nation.

This book was a great way to give historical insight into the life and times of the time period when automobiles were coming into existence and the USA was fighting bad times. Hard to believe a young female writer could be the author of this enjoyable read without missing the details of the lives and times of the characters.
Fascinating and Moving

I love horses. Although I have such serious problems with the industry's treatment of its animals that I won't support it financially, I must admit I find thoroughbred racing to be an absolutely thrilling sport. Laura Hillenbrand does a marvelous job bringing the excitement of horse racing alive on the page.

She also does a marvelous job bringing the slice of Depression-era social and cultural history she examines alive. The men who owned, trained and rode Seabiscuit and the horse himself were all fascinating characters who experienced horrible misfortunes and great successes. Hillenbrand carefully selects details to create a vivid tale of their lives and times. Seabiscuit was obviously a huge pop culture phenomenon in his day, when horse-racing, prize fighting and baseball were really the only professional sports on the national radar. Her writing can occasionally lapse into over-the-top breathlessness, but it's quite eloquent for the most part, very exciting to read, and frequently moves me to tears. I've read the book half a dozen times and my enjoyment never diminishes.

If you are a real fan of the book and enjoy the history, get the illustrated collector's edition, which has dozens of extra photos.

Cover photo: the horse's rear end

This review in written solely about the cover photograph. Who in their right mind cold have chosen it? I won't end go into detail. It's so obvious.
Great Book about a Great Horse Legend

My daughter needed this book for a 9th grade English assignment, she couldn't put the book down, of course she loves horses, she loved the book.
Awesome!! Aewsome!! Awesome!!

I bought the hardback in 2003. I know because when I pulled the book off my bookshelf last month (6/10) to finally read it I found the receipt inside!

I bought the book originally just because I love horses and I just wanted to read it. Well as you can see it took a while but WOW!!!!! What an amazing book about an incredible horse!! I wanted to change my puppy's name to 'biscuit' after I finished reading it! :)

You will be incredibly tense as the author is describing a horse race...your heart will beat fast, your breathing will be shallow...you couldn't put the book down even if your house was on fire...just waiting to see who is going to cross the finish line first.

This author has an amazing talent of making her characters come alive on the page. There are so many authors (best-selling to boot) that have little skill in character development. You just really connect with this mis-matched bunch of people. You feel what they feel. You laugh.. you cry... It is a masterpiece and quite a ride!




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