Seabiscuit: An American Legend [B0367]

2002 PB. From the author of the runaway phenomenon Unbroken comes a universal underdog story about the horse who came out of nowhere to become a legend. 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.

From RECENT Amazon/GoodReads reviews: "Just wonderful in every way."; "Who knew that horse racing was a hugely popular sport during the Depression? This is yet another book of fascinating American history and pop culture. The author transports us back to a time that's not really that far back when you think about it. Nevertheless it was a much different time. More than the story of an amazing horse, I enjoyed the details of life back then. I felt nostalgic as I finished the book."; "Fantastic read. I grew up watching the 2003 movie. I had a huge stuffed animal horse that I would sit on while I watched the movie over & over again. I saw this book at a thrift shop and immediately took it with me. I'm glad now that I'm grown I can look at this story with a more mature mind and fully understand every character's story. Truly beautiful. Makes me tear up and gives me goosebumps."