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Summary: Seabiscuit: An American Legend
Review: This is the most wonderfully written book--it is the kind that you almost don't want to read too quickly as you don't want it to end. I happen to be a horse lover, though not particularly of race horses, but this is so much more that anyone looking for a great adventure read would enjoy it. The colorful characters and economic conditions of those times come dramatically to life in Hillenbrand's book and you almost feel as if you were there; I found myself wishing I were. Though it is history and the events have obviously taken place in the past, there is a cliff hanger quality so that you can hardly wait to see what happens next. Hard to put down!
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Summary: Seabiscuit Reigns!
Review: I never thought I'd fall in love with a dead horse. But such is the skill of Ms. Hildenbrand and the charm of Seabiscuit-what can I say? This charming book, beautifully written and carefully researched, is far more than a horse story. It is America in the midst of a grim depression that looked for diversions from the stark realities of surviving. It is a biography of the three men who had faith in Seabiscuit: his owner, his trainer and his jockey. Seabiscuit was an unlikely champion. He was small, short-legged, knobby-kneed,with a rough coat. He was trained in California, which, at the time, was considered a very low class place to be for a thoroughbred. The power and glory were in the hands of the Eastern Establishment. Seabiscuit had one thing going for him. Once his interest was engaged, he was the fastest horse in the world. Thoroughbreds are noted for their foul dispositions and though Seabiscuit liked to taunt and tease the competition, he was a well-mannered and affectionate fellow. He did enjoy a good snooze and hated to get up in the morning, and he loved to eat. When put on an enforced diet, he would scream his displeasure. He adored the camera and when he heard the click or pop of flashbulbs, he immediately fanned his tail, batted his eyes and faced front and forward, which I presume he thought was his best camera angle. Seabiscuit was made to order for Americans who love to love the underdog. The author devotes an entire chapter to Seabiscuit's famed match race with War Admiral, the champion East coast thoroughbred. War Admiral was a magnificent horse with speed, fire, and a ferocious temper. It took years to arrange this match and protracted negotiations went on right up to the starting gate. Ms. Hildenbrand's recounting of this Race of the Century (and it truly was!) is a masterpiece in nail-biting suspense. I never knew I could hold my breath for an entire chapter. This is my Book of the Year. Highly recommended.
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Summary: Seabiscuit
Review: As a former sportscaster and sports writer I've covered many sports, read many books. But this was by far the best book I've ever read about anything. I could literally smell the track, hear the crowd and taste the adrenaline going into the final turn. It moved me to tears and I'll never watch a horse race the same way again. What a brilliant piece of literature. My congratulations to Laura Hillenbrand, she is truely a gifted writer.
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Summary: One Nighter
Review: Don't start to "scan" this one, because the minute you pick it up you are hooked...It has been a long time since I have started a book and finished it that night. It is an easy read about a real life horse and people with strong personalities. If you work with or own horses, you will recognize the traits in the horses and yourself. If you are not around horses, you will find your self thinking - "I didn't know they did that"...Great read - don't miss it.
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Summary: They're off!!
Review: A POPSPICK. My favorite book of the year and I have never seen a horse race. Big nasty beasts they are who can pulverize your buns just ambling around a dude ranch. But this author can tell a story. I think this is the only book that I have ever read that I want to get the audio. In fact I'm inspired to Santa Anita to see where some of history was made. A great story well told.
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Summary: Read this book!
Review: This is one of the best books I've read. I couldn't put it down. The author brought Seabiscuit, Pollard, Howard, and Smith to life.
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Summary: Leslie Says
Review: I loved this book. It was highly readable and reminded me of an adult version of the Black Stallion books I read as a kid. The authors expertise on horese racing is apparent, as is her expertise as a writer.
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Summary: This Book Is A Winner
Review: Here's a millionaire-type question: In 1938 who was the number one newsmaker? Was it Franklin Delano Roosevelt, Hitler, Mussolini, Pope Pius VI, Lou Gehrig, Howard Hughes, or Clark Gable? If per inch type in newspapers is the measurement of popularity, then Seabiscuit was the biggest newsmaker of 1938. Sometimes 40,000 fans would come just to watch his workouts! Seabiscuit excited a nation. Like Shirley Temple, Seabiscuit struck a chord with the American people and gave them hope and excitement as the depression enveloped them in despair and hopelessness. Laura Hillenbrand has written a book that is not just about one of the greatest, if not the greatest, racehorse that ever lived. The life story of Charles Howard (owner of Seabiscuit) is fascinating. One gets a good history of the automobile and how Mr. Howard introduced it to San Francisco. I never knew the hatred and hostility that people had for the first automobiles. Many cities had laws that allowed you to shoot them, but you were not supposed to shoot the driver. However, if an automobile were stuck in the mud and blocking your passage, it was permitted by law to tear the automobile apart. Seabiscuit is full of historical insights and personal drama about the lives of the owner, jockey, and trainer of Seabiscuit. I knew nothing about the role that Tijuana played in horse racing and how thousands of Americans had to get passes to enter Mexico. This book is not for the squeamish. The author's documentation of the suffering and pain that the jockeys had to go through is quite disturbing. I rather not give any details, but the methods they used to lose weight are shocking and disgusting. As one reads the book, the author increases tension and anticipation mounts as they prepare Seabiscuit for a one-on-one race with War Admiral, the pride of the east coast. I especially liked the many pictures the author has included
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Summary: What a Story!
Review: Great writing, even better story. Now off to search for archive footage of this amazing horse!
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Summary: Who Would Ever Buy a Book About A Racehorse?
Review: Not me. At least that's what I thought when I spotted the first review for this book and glanced at it briefly, assuming this was just some oddity, getting attention simply because it was different. I was wrong. I bought the book after accidentally hearing the author interviewed on TV. Her remarks whetted my appetite. This was no ordinary racehorse, and his story was no ordinary story. If Seabiscuit had indeed attracted more media coverage in his prime than any other single identity -- even surpassing FDR -- there must be something really special about the horse and his achievements. After a couple of hints, the book appeared as a Father's Day gift. It reads like a novel -- a very exciting novel. In fact I could almost not put it down. Seabuscuit's story is not just the story of a champion thoroughbred. It's a cinderella story, an underdog saga, a tale of irrepressible talent and unbelievable accomplishments against great obstacles. The author skillfully interweaves the events of Seabiscuit's life with the lives of his owner, his trainer and the two jockies that rode him to dozens of track records against some of the finest thoroughbreds in the history of American racing. And just when the reader thinks he has experienced the most exciting moment in Seabiscuit's stunning career, the author takes us to an even more shining instant. Reading this book, you will be surprised at how often you find a lump in your throat or a tear in your eye. In the movie they will surely make from this incredible book, the story will undoubtedly focus more on the people than the horse, almost certainly hinging on Red Pollard, the jockey who rode Seabuscuit to most of his legendary wins. I envision Gene Hackman as Charles Howard, the multimillionaire owner who plucked Seabiscuit from obscurity, and either Paul Newman or Robert Redford as Tom Smith, the silent and ingenious horsewhisperer-like trainer responsible for the nurturing of Seabiscuit's indominatable spirit. Red Pollard is my casting dilemma. I can't imagine who might play this eccentric character known to quote often and extensively from the works of Ralph Waldo Emerson and who survived the brutal and dangerous circumstances of a jockey's existence, struggling back from permanently crippling, nearly fatal injuries to share Seabiscuit's greatest glory. But don't wait for the movie. Buy the book.
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