Seabiscuit: An American Legend

Seabiscuit: An American Legend#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

#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.

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

Binding Type: Paperback
Publisher: Ballantine Books
Published: 03/26/2002
ISBN: 9780449005613
Pages: 448
Weight: 0.78lbs
Size: 8.14h x 5.52w x 0.94d

Review Citations: BookPage 04/01/2002 pg. 23
New York Times 03/31/2002 pg. 20
Booksense '76 May/Jun 2002 05/01/2002 pg. 1
Entertainment Weekly 09/05/2003 pg. 80

Accelerated Reader Quiz #/Name: 68777 / Seabiscuit: An American Legend
Reading Level: 7.5 / Interest Level: Upper Grade / Point Value: 21