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Search - Seabiscuit: An American Legend
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Seabiscuit: An American Legend Author: |
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Book Information
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Other Versions of this Book: Audio Cassette, Audio CD (Abridged), Hardcover, Hardcover
Book Description:
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. But his success was a surprise to the racing establishment, which had written off the crooked-legged racehorse with the sad tail. Three men changed Seabiscuit’s fortunes:
Charles Howard was a onetime bicycle repairman who introduced the automobile to the western United States and became an overnight millionaire. When he needed a trainer for his new racehorses, he hired Tom Smith, a mysterious mustang breaker from the Colorado plains. 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. 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.
Author Laura Hillenbrand brilliantly re-creates a universal underdog story, one that proves life is a horse race.
From the Hardcover edition.
Charles Howard was a onetime bicycle repairman who introduced the automobile to the western United States and became an overnight millionaire. When he needed a trainer for his new racehorses, he hired Tom Smith, a mysterious mustang breaker from the Colorado plains. 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. 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.
Author Laura Hillenbrand brilliantly re-creates a universal underdog story, one that proves life is a horse race.
From the Hardcover edition.
Members who requested this book also requested:
Genres:
- History >> Americas >> United States >> 20th Century >> General
- Sports >> Individual Sports >> Horses >> Racing
- Sports >> Miscellaneous >> History of Sports
- Sports >> General
Top Member Book Reviews
Lydel B. (
2 member(s) found this review helpful.
I loved this book! I had the opportunity to get close to thoroughbreds when my former neighbor was raising them. Magnificent animals! This books details a piece of history that had been unknown to me before. A fascinating true story!
Jody W. (
2 member(s) found this review helpful.
Tremendous horse and a tremendous book to honor him. I loved this book. I recommend it for horse lovers and non horse people.
2 member(s) found this review helpful.
Seabiscuit was an unlikely champion: a roughhewn, undersized horse with a sad little tail and knees that wouldn't straighten all the way. But, thanks to the efforts of three men, Seabiscuit became one of the most spectacular performers in sports history. The rags-to-riches horse emerged as an American cultural icon, drawing an immense following and becoming the single biggest newsmaker of 1938 -- receiving more coverage than FDR or Hitler. Laura Hillenbrand beautifully renders this story of one horse's journey from also-ran to national luminary.
1 member(s) found this review helpful.
I devoured this book in a day. I have no particular interest in horses or horseracing but this held my attention completely. It is full of amazing real life characters and fascinating detail. I loved the movie, but the book has so much rich material that the movie had to leave out. I highly recommend this book to anyone.
1 member(s) found this review helpful.
I read this book while I was recuperating from a newly broken wrist. I couldn't put it down (literally!!!). Lauren Hillenbrand tells the story of the unlikely success of Seabiscuit and his jockey. Her writing is wonderful, her subject well researched; and all the more amazing when you consider that she wrote most of this book flat on her back in bed due to a crippling case of chronic fatigue syndrome. I highly recommend this book.
1 member(s) found this review helpful.
It is easy to see why this book stayed on the New York Times bestseller list. Seabiscuit was a world glass athlete who captured the imagination of the American public during the Great Depression. No other racehorse has rivaled Seabiscuit’s fame. This is a spell-binding story of the world of horse racing, the men who staked fortunes on the outcomes of races, and the men who risked their lives to be jockeys. The author’s ability to fill in the details and vivid writing style brings you to the race and into the jockey’s quarters. I was particularly interested in the details of how they purged to reduce their weights to the acceptable level right before a race, and the risks entailed in riding horses. Another fascinating detail was how a mountain of horse manure melted during a flood and washed away a track. The story ends with the death of Seabiscuit, whose skills made fortunes for his owners and for many other people.
1 member(s) found this review helpful.
Fantastic book. Even though I had seen the film first and knew the basic story, I was on the edge of my seat the whole time I was reading. The races are described in incredibly vivid and exciting detail. Well worth your time to read this, even if you're not usually into non-fiction.
1 member(s) found this review helpful.
One of the best books I have ever read. The details in the book goes to show how much research and time Hillenbrand put into her book. The character development was wonderful and really gave me a different perspective towards the world of horse racing.
Patty P.
1 member(s) found this review helpful.
Terrific book! Well researched, and reads like a novel. Most of our family read it and loved it, even though none of us is interested in horseracing, or even sports.
1 member(s) found this review helpful.
detailed and interesting story of the amazing racehorse, his unlikely rise to fame against long odds, and the equally unlikely coming together of a number of different personalities, who all became rather devoted to this horse. The story also includes much background on the depression, and on the history of racing.
Please Rate these Book Reviews
This is a fantastically written book for any horse lover. Hillenbrand does an excellent job keeping you hooked with many small but important details and paces the story well. Her amazing research caught the words and memories of people who lived during that era and were involved in racing-sometimes catching interviews shortly before the person died. If you love horses, like racing, or just like accurate historical accounts this is a wonderful, colorful, interesting story.
My son read this first at age 13 and couldn't put it down. So much better than the movie!
Valerie L. (You don't have to know or care about racehorses or horse racing to love this remarkable book -- part history, part biography -- Seabiscuit is so much more than and predictably better than the movie made from it. This is a great read, superbly written, and filled with memorable characters about a memorable period of American history.
Wow! What an informative book. I read this book solely because I had heard about Seabiscuit and wanted to hear more of the story. Knowing nothing about horses, jockeys, etc. I wondered if I would even finish the book due to lack of interest. I did finish, and it was a fabulous book. Laura Hillenbrand provided so much explanation & details that I had no trouble following. A fabulous story and a "must read" for anyone.
Everyone needs a winner even in the worst of times. The depression was affecting everyone and along comes this most unlikely hero. Not perfect not pretty but boy can he run and with his running goes everyones spirt right to the finish line. I loved this book. It makes you feel good to read and that's a feeling we all need once in a while.
Janis K. (Laura Hillenbrand has written a book so good that it not only sets the gold standard for all racing histories, it simultaneously transcends its subject and becomes a classic portrait of early 20th century America. "Seabiscuit: An American Legend" is the story of the miraculous meeting of 4 self-made men: the owner, the trainer and two colorful jockeys and one less than promising racehorse. Together they lived the greatest adventure in racing history. Hillenbrand makes racing interesting to reader through wonderful anecdotes. Not only will you learn the physical feats and tactical strategy a jockey must employ during a race, but you will also enjoy Hillenbrand's vivid description of the jockey's life. The tale of Seabiscuit's rise from obscurity is filled with so many twists and turns that it will keep you on the edge of your seat...Highly recommended
Nora S. (Back cover. "A Captivating Story...with the detail of good history, the blisering pace of Seabiscuit himself, and the charm of grand legend"
He was a cultural icon. A world-class athlete. Achampion who triumphed over terrible handicaps to become a legend of the racetrack. No other race-horse has rivaled Seabiscuit's fame or his sway over the nation's imagination. now Laura Hillenbrand unfolds the spellbinding story of this marvelous animal, the world he lived in and the men who staked their lives and fortunes on his dazzling career. A riveting tale of grit, grace, luck, and an underdog's stubborn determination, Seabiscuit is an American Classic.
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