Seabiscuit An American Legend, by Laura Hillenbrand, is a thrilling fast moving tale. This true story is about three men and their thoroughbred, who was a cultural icon. Seabiscuit is a fascinating tale about racing in all its dramas, tragedies, risks, and dark secrets.
This story tells of how three complete strangers lives are brought together by a horse named Seabiscuit. Charles Howard bought Seabiscuit when other men had given up all hope on him. Seabiscuit was a train wreck, two hundred pounds overweight, and his foreleg was no good. No one would go near Seabiscuit's stall because he would lunge toward anyone that would pass by him. Then Charles met a shy man named Tom Smith, a trainer of many horses. Ignoring his sporadic lunges and snapping jaws Tom showered Seabiscuit with affection and carrots to win over his trust. With Seabiscuit ready to be raced Charles and Tom had to find a rider that could handle him. That's when John "Red" Pollard came into their lives. Besides Tom, Red was the only other person that could handle Seabiscuit. The trio and the amazing thoroughbred went on to win many races and break many records.
The author was able to write a true biography of this American Legend by collecting facts and truths told by men and women of that era. Her feel for the drama of the sport and her talented writing bring the story to life. I believe she chose this style of writing to give the men and women of this era a true story of horse racing and the many lives involved.
Seabiscuit An American Legend , would rate as an "R" movie. There is a time in the book where a lot of the horse races take place at the Tijuana track in Mexico. There the riders frequently visited a whore house between races. At this time in America this city was known as sin city.
Rating this story on a scale of 1-10 it would surely deserve a race to 10. I enjoyed reading this true story of three men and their dedication and love for an amazing horse.