Laura Hillenbrand brings us the story of a horse that dominated the headlines of newspapers across the nation in 1938, as the rest of the world was beginning a second World War. But this is not just the story of a great horse, it is the story of an owner who made it in this country on his own. This is the story of a jockey who is too big to continue in a sport that requires very small and light riders upon the horses. And it is a story of a horse that no one wanted, no one gave a chance to win, and how he became the most popular horse of the decade - and possibly the first half of the century.

This book is meant for advanced readers. While it is lenghty, the story moves at a fast pace. I would recommend this for anyone in high school that might be an animal lover. "Seabiscuit" the movie does a great job in following the book as very few pieces are left out. However, the movie is long and dull in parts and does not have the same flow as the book. ( )

I don't even like horses or horse racing, but this was a good read. Interesting insight into the life of being a jockey. ( )

When I was younger I read all the horse, dog, and pony books I could get my hands on. Now it takes allot more to capture my interest. I scummed to all the hype about the movie and saw it. I knew I had to read the book. The book is so much richer than the movie. It is so well written and factual it makes no difference if you know what one end of a horse is or what a race is all about. You will learn in a most delightful way. ( )

Tied for 5th w/ Blackbird. How could I care so much about these people and that horse? So well-written. ( )

This book is a well-written, and engaging book about a famous race horse. ( )

An intense tale of a horse that became a legend. The eye opening view on the horse racing world was also interesting. It was slightly difficult to tell all of the different races apart from each other. I was a little lost at some points. Seabiscuit is a great book and moves at a decent pace. ( )

This book not only tells the story of a racehorse, it goes in-depth into the time period of the early 20th century. It may be focused around horse racing but it goes father than that into the state of the country and the mentality of the time. It also tells the individual stories of the Seabiscuit's owner, trainer, and jockey. It's purely amazing, whether you are interested in horse racing or not. ( )

Great story of three men and a wonderful "plain" horse with a lot of heart who inspired working people during the Depression. ( )

Charles Howard was good at spotting opportunities and made a fortune as the General Motors automobile distributor for the Western United States in the 1920's. He also made the most unlikely choice of Tom Smith as trainer for his newly established racing stable.
Smith was 56 when Howard met him and had spent his life around horses, cattle ranching, taming mustangs for the British cavalry, circus shows, small time racing but by 1934 he was out of money and he lived in the same stall as his only horse.
Charles Howard decided that the uncommunicative Smith was the right person for his project, and Smith travelled round the tracks for him looking at hundreds of cheap horses until he found the well bred loser "Seabiscuit". He saw something there, and together with jockey Red Pollard they went on to win everything in American racing.
Laura Hillenbrand obviously loves horses and has written a great story about the almost magical rise of "Seabiscuit".

Engaging when I was reading it and full of interesting characters, which I'd almost totally forgotten the next week. Good beach read. ( )

I don't read a lot of nonfiction, but I was very pleasantly surprised with this book. Seabiscuit is an amazing tale of history and it still reads like a great novel. I know the term "couldn't put it down" is cliche, but I honestly couldn't think of a better way to describe my experience while reading this book. Seabiscuit and Red Pollard are perhaps two of the most astounding athletes I have ever heard of, surpassing many of today's sports superstars with their talent, skill, and heart.

Took me completely by surprise. I never would have imagined that a book about a horse would be not only so incredibly well written, but a page turner as well. ( )

VG-

Sporadic black ink-looking smudges on outside edges of the paper. MInor denting/scratching to cover. No curling. Edges look great. Very mildy tanned pages.

(one)

What a great story and so well-done! ( )

enjoyed by all ( )

I'll admit, I can be a bit of a book snob-- I like to find hidden treasures and tend to stay away from the mainstream bestsellers that everyone's reading. But then my aunt got on my back about how I just had to read this book, and I'm very glad that she did. This is a finely crafted account of a moving story that combines the smooth pace of a traditional novel with the fascination of living history. The characters, both human and equine, are well-drawn and the race scenes are a real stand-out. I felt like I was actually at the races-- I couldn't read the words fast enough to see if Seabiscuit would prevail! I would recommend this to anyone looking for a good story. ( )

An incredible work of nonfiction that reads like a "can't put down" novel. Hillenbrand's research is astounding and her writing just plain terrific! A wonderful, wonderful story. ( )

Beautifully written. If the depression happened now would we be able to survive as the people did then? ( )

This may be my favorite book. Certainly it is one of the most inspiring books I've ever read. I couldn't put the book down. Perhaps the most amazing athelete ever to live. ( )

Took me back to the horse books of my youth. Such joy. ( )

I listened to this book and had the equivilent of 'couldn't put it down.' I listened to it every moment that I could, and at times thought I was sitting in a pavillion at a horse race, listening to the race being called. It's an amazing story about the heart and will of a very fine horse.

The book was written more on the side of documentary/historical perspective than blockbuster entertainment like the movie. It was really interesting to see all the changes that were made to the movie story in order to make it more dramatic and less controversial. ( )

3806. Seavbiscuit: An American Legend, by Laura Hillenbrand (read 25 Sep 2003) I have never heard anything bad about this book (there are only two one-star reviews on Amazon and of the 459, 414 are five-star). I have finally read it and was blown away! I found it touching and the race accounts well-told and thrilling. When I finished it I said to myself: Could it be that this book about a sport I have seldom paid any attention to is the best book I read this year? ( )

This book considering it was a non-fiction book, and I'm not a fan of very many non-fiction books, was a really great story that not only suprised me on how well it didn't seem like a non-fiction book but also how well the details were about the sport of horse racing.

I'm not a big fan of horses, racing, etc. But I still managed to love this book & Seabiscuit. ( )

An amazing story; well-written. Takes you into the horse-racing world of another time. ( )