Seabiscuit

By Laura Hillenbrand

Seabiscuit - Laura Hillenbrand
  • Release Date: 2001-03-06
  • Genre: Biographies & Memoirs
Score: 4.5
4.5
From 322 Ratings

Description

#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • 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.

BONUS: This edition contains a Seabiscuit discussion guide and an excerpt from Unbroken.

Praise for Seabiscuit

“Fascinating . . . Vivid . . . A first-rate piece of storytelling, leaving us not only with a vivid portrait of a horse but a fascinating slice of American history as well.”The New York Times

“Engrossing . . . Fast-moving . . . More than just a horse’s tale, because the humans who owned, trained, and rode Seabiscuit are equally fascinating. . . . [Laura Hillenbrand] shows an extraordinary talent for describing a horse race so vividly that the reader feels like the rider.”Sports Illustrated

“REMARKABLE . . . MEMORABLE . . . JUST AS COMPELLING TODAY AS IT WAS IN 1938.”The Washington Post

Reviews

  • Thrilling Read

    5
    By julieruse
    This book has become one of my all time favorites. Historical account of a legendary jockey and horse.
  • Seabiscuit

    5
    By Woofio
    Captivating! This book is an exceptional read...and one that I will re-read throughout the remainder of my life. Congratulations, Maestra Lauren!
  • Brilliantly Crafted!

    5
    By TampaPearce
    A well balanced master work of history, sports, perseverance and life's ups and downs.
  • Seabisquit

    5
    By Tex Turkey
    Another great story by Laura Hillenbrand . Yes i LOVED THE BOOK an I couldn't put it down . This book told the story of those who helped put Seabiscuit atop the sports world an became the greatest horse to ever run .
  • The awesome book

    5
    By Dogs256
    This such an awesome book to read! It tells a great story!
  • Enchanting story

    5
    By llindalu
    Fabulous reading, hard to believe Seabiscuit is her first novel. I found this true account of the amazing Seabiscuit's life filled with humor, reality, history, sadness, exhilaration, disappointment and success. More please, from this talented journalist author.
  • Go Seabiscuit!

    5
    By Der Bingle
    If you start this book, you'll finish it before you know it. It's a great read. Get the Kleenex ready.
  • Sea biscuit

    4
    By DMWalkland
    I've seen the movie but I haven't read the book but I bet the book is awesome too!!!!
  • Seabiscuit - a stpendous book! Great writing! Great story!

    5
    By bwatcher75
    Seabiscuit is written so well that you will not want to put it down once you start reading it. The story is so gripping and told so well by Laura Hillenbrand that you will enjoy every minute you are reading it. Definitely worth reading from cover to cover. It is written with a heart as big as Seabiscuit's love of racing and winning. Laura Hillenbrand's many historical facts in the book make it a joyful historical view into the racing world of that era. Enjoy!
  • Sea biscuit

    5
    By pamelia potter
    What a great story