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    Seabiscuit: An American Legend
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    Seabiscuit: An American Legend
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    Seabiscuit: An American Legend
    Audiobook13 hours

    Seabiscuit: An American Legend

    Written by Laura Hillenbrand

    Narrated by George Newbern

    4/5

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    Currently unavailable

    Currently unavailable

    About this audiobook

    Laura Hillenbrand, author of the runaway phenomenon Unbroken, brilliantly re-creates a universal underdog story in this #1 New York Times bestseller.

    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.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherPenguin Random House Audio
    Release dateNov 16, 2010
    ISBN9780307878632
    Unavailable
    Seabiscuit: An American Legend
    Author

    Laura Hillenbrand

    Laura Hillenbrand is the author of the number-one bestseller Seabiscuit, which won the William Hill Sports Book of the Year award. It was made into a major international film, which was nominated for seven Academy Awards, including Best Picture. She lives in Washington, D.C.

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    Reviews for Seabiscuit

    4/5

    1,517 ratings87 reviews

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    • 5/5
      Vivid descriptions of events and the people who shaped the popular Thoroughbred Seabiscuit reminds me of the enthusiasm my parents - in particular my father - had for this horse and his triumphs. The story of the trainer Tom Smith and jockey Red Pollard made me imagine my father in those roles, since so much of his life and dreams intersected with the lives of those men. I'm glad Laura Hillenbrand uncovered these details through meticulous research so we can relive this story as if we are living it in the present.
    • 4/5
      An interesting account of the men who made Seabiscuit a focus of their lives and talents from 1937 to 1940 and the phenomenon that was made of him and his career. Laura Hillenbrand writes spectacularly unindulgent race scenes from the jockey's viewpoint in which calculation and intensity are perfectly balanced with the flow. The majority of the narrative is not race scenes and the flow is roughened by staying much further on the calculated side rather than the impassioned one. A good book about a great horse.
    • 5/5
      a little too much detail but heck you have to admire hillenbrand's thoroughness.
    • 5/5
      May, 2001This book is so well-written that the skill required to produce it is mostly well-hidden.Writing about heart-pounding, once-in-a-lifetime sporting events is a difficult and daunting task. The accounts could easily be either maudlin or grandiose. Ms. Hillenbrand does them superbly, conveying the atmosphere and the excitement of the build-up to race day, and the running of the race itself.To so eloquently and realistically convey in words an event as physically brief and intense as a horse race is true achievement. I commend Ms. Hillenbrand on this excellent book.
    • 5/5
      This is one of the best audiobooks I've ever listened to. I listened with my husband, who is not a reader, as we drove across country. The time flew by. We were sorry when the books was over. Hillenbrand took us on a literary journey that presented the history of all the main "players," an in-depth look at horse racing in the first decades of the 20th Century, and delivered an emotionally affecting story of a great horse and the people who loved him. Campbell Scott, a gifted actor and a narrator for many audiobooks, read so perfectly that I will be sure to seek out his other book performances.
    • 5/5
      Seabiscuit: an American Legend is a beautifully written book. The book tells the stories of the horse, Seabiscuit, and the people most close to him: his owner (Charles Howard), trainer (Tom Smith), and primary jockey (Red Pollard). Hillenbrand gives us a lot of detail about their lives, so that we feel like we know them. Her descriptions of their appearance is as vivid and detailed as you would find in a novel. In fact, the book reads like a novel. And the story of Seabiscuit is extraordinary. Short and unimpressive in appearance, he did not have the look of a champion. But with unexpected speed and heart, he was able to win races the experts did not believe that he could. He became wildly popular with the depression-era audiences, who loved his underdog story.Hillenbrand masterfully recounts the stories of Seabiscuit's most important races, with an especially dramatic telling of the famous match race with War Admiral. We follow the lives of Seabiscuit, his owner, trainer, and jockey through all their ups and downs. This is truly a tale that if someone wrote it as fiction, no one would believe it.Laura Hillenbrand completed an extraordinary amount of research in order to provide the rich details of the story. I am thankful that she was able to talk to so many who could provide eyewitness details before they were gone. A truly unforgettable book.
    • 4/5
      Great story of famous horse that was given up on, but 3 men, owner, trainer and jockey, got together and made him a great racer. He was a Depression era favorite. Movie not bad too.
    • 5/5
      I loved this book. I did more research on Seabiscuit, but I couldn't find any information that Laura Hillenbrand hadn't already uncovered. I collected some pictures of this famous and lovable horse and I wish I could have seen him race. I have to be satisfied with film footage.
    • 3/5
      I get really bored about halfway through; Ms. Hillenbrand's second book is amazing but this failed to deliver the same narrative suction.
    • 4/5
      I will say only this; it takes a writer of skill and talent to make ones heart race, describing a scene you already know the result of. A fascinating story, well told.
    • 5/5
      Having read this book, I'm not sure Seabiscuit's story is really that interesting. I'm opposed to horse racing though. Which is a testament to Hillenbrand's ability as a storyteller, because I LOVED this book.
    • 3/5
      This is a story about a horse who was the darling of thoroughbred racing in the 30's. It's not a subject that interests me at all but I got tired of hearing about how great this book is. The reviews are not wrong. It is a fabulous read. Hillenbrand is a wonderful story teller. The story doesn't matter.
    • 5/5
      have a copy of this in my collection. the book and movie were both good
    • 4/5
      Hillenbrand wrote a first-rate non-fiction book that reads like a novel. She packs a ton of historical detail about jockey culture, early horse-racing, biographies of key players, individual races, race politics and much more in this 400-page book. A lesser writer would have lost herself in the details, but Hillenbrand had a clear vision of her book and always brought us back to that central and beloved character: Seabiscuit. If you liked the movie, you'll love the book.

      1 person found this helpful

    • 2/5
      I discovered that the information presented in this book overwhelmed my mind and was difficult to read. The information depressed me. I am sure that some readers found it to be interesting, it just was not up my alley. The story or narrative moved to slow for my liking. The author wrote a well constructed book, it just was not what this emotional reader needed at this time. Because my in-person Book Club is discussing this book; I truly tried to read it, but I ended up skimming it instead.
    • 2/5
      I know horse racing fans will disagree, but I can't help but see the abuse in the "sport". Mostly for this reason, the book did not appeal to me. Also, at over 450 pages, it is a lengthy book filled with the minutiae of racing, trainers, and training methods.
    • 5/5
      This was one of the best books I have read in a really long time.

      I am not particularly a horse-racer or a historical novel lover. I mean, I've read a couple of historical fiction that I've loved (think Killer Angels by Shaara) and a couple of horse books (Black Beauty, King of the Wind, etc). But hot damn, this outstrips those kiddie horse books by far.

      It was well-researched, well-written, and just beautifully done.

      I could feel the tension of the races with Hillenbrand's descriptions. A nose length away, the almost insurmountable challenges, the false starts and muddy tracks. I could imagine the string of horses racing down a track with fans screaming on the side.

      When Smith and Howard worried about Seabiscuit, I was worried too. The moments leading up to a big race and Seabiscuit didn't seem to be doing okay with sores on his knees, I was tense and wondering whether he could race.

      I loved the little historical bits included in the story. It really set the scene and gave life to the world besides just horse racing. For example, the inclusion of scenes of the Great Depression, the explosion of automobiles and the Buick, and mention of FDR and his Fireside Chats.

      It was never boring. I ended up loving every single character in spite, despite, and because of their flaws. It's not like Pollard is a stereotypical hero what with his chronic affection for alcohol, his proneness to careless remarks, and frequent accidents and injuries. But we cheer for him, we cheer him on. Howard is sort of a glory-hound and knows how to play the public. But we admire his horse knowledge and dedication to people he loves.
      Even side characters are fascinating in their own right. The jockey who suicides, Marcela Howard who exerts such empathetic authority, Woolfe and his cool demeanor, even Kayak II and War Admiral as rivals.
      And of course who doesn't love Seabiscuit, the lazy horse who nibbles on his victory blossoms?

      If you told me it was historical fiction, I would completely believe you. The way the action rises and falls, and the triumphant resolutions, I would almost doubt the veracity of true life because when does real life ever wrap up all loose ends? But really, it is that great of a story.

      This book teaches you a little bit of history and a bit about past American figures in the horse racing world, and then plunges you into a whole new world and legend. It's a masterpiece cited with pages of notes and documentation. I am thoroughly impressed.

      Five stars. There is no higher rating. I would not know how to improve upon this book.
      Recommended for everyone~
    • 5/5
      I finally got around to reading this and I'm so glad that I did. Seabiscuit's story is well-known to racing fans, but mere racing statistics cannot explain this horse's popularity to Depression-era fans. Hillebrand never outright tells us why people cared so much about Sea Biscuit, but by the end of the book, its no surprise that his inspiring story resonated so much with his fans. Hillebrand is a talented writer--even in scenes where we know the outcome, such as in the match race with War Admiral, she has a great way of heightening the tension even more, so that we're just as excited to read about the race despite knowing how it ends. This is, of course, non-fiction, but Sea Biscuit's story has a natural arc that lends itself to this kind of storytelling. I think even non-horse lovers and people not caught up in the thrill of horse racing in the 1930s wil find a lot to like here. Well done.
    • 4/5
      Listening to this book was a treat - the narrator added suspense and excitement to an already exciting story. Hillenbrand is an excellent writer and makes this story of Seabiscuit, one of the star horses of the 1930s, easy and thrilling to read. Not sure exactly why her style is so good - perhaps because she doesn't get bogged down with convoluted sentence structure... whatever it is, it makes for a great book. However - couple of problems I had with the book: 1) apparently the author made some claims that simply weren't true (like, the number of newspaper articles on Seabiscuit was more than Roosevelt etc...) and 2) the retelling of all the scratches simply got old. It became annoying to read about yet another Seabiscuit scratch - I guess I was just feeling the same irritation that many horse-race fans of the 30s felt when they heard about another scratch. Overall, fantastic book, even for those of us who aren't horse fanatics.
    • 4/5
      It's a well written history of Seabiscuit but after a while it lost my interest. For someone with more passion about horses and race horses in particular, this would be quite a page turner.
    • 4/5
      What a horse! What a time! What a book!The date listed is when our book club discussed it, but I had read it previously.
    • 5/5
      Listening to this audio book, it is like I was really there. I could see and small the horses and hear the cheering of the crowds. I only wish she would feel well enough to tackle another.
    • 5/5
      Fantastic! I knew nothing about horses and horse racing before I read this book and have generally had little interest in either subject.
      Hillenbrand's remarkable writing sucked me in to the point where I would frequently physically react with cringes, fistpumps, and laughter.
      A great American story with fascinating characters and real-life drama kept me deeply engrossed until the very last page.
    • 4/5
      After having achieved fame and winning races all over the place, there was a great deal of pressure to run Seabiscuit in a match race against War Admiral, his blood relative who was cleaning up the tracks in the East. After finally making the arrangements for a race at Belmont in late 1939, not so easily done because War Admiral, a triple-crown winner, was due to be retired at the end of the year and what did the owner have to gain by possibly losing to a rival, the race was called off because Seabiscuit had knee problems. He was then entered in a race with War Admiral in a full field.

      "Red" Pollard, the jockey who was scheduled to ride him in the race, and who had ridden Seabiscuit many times, was terribly injured just before the race. He was known for his extraordinary use of scatological language and he was forced to make a 45 minute ride to the hospital with his leg horribly mangled. NBC arranged for a live interview with him and his good friend and rival jockey [c:]Wolf. Because network executives had nightmares that Pollard might indulge in his penchant for expletives, they gave both riders a spirit to follow. Everything was just fine until the interviewer had Wolf ask Pollard how he should ride Seabiscuit. At this point Pollard, in his hospital bed "accidentally drop the script and said as the producer rushed to give them to him in the correct order, "well you just put one leg over his back, put your feet in the stirrups, and then fuckitup as usual." As technicians tore out of their seats to cut the transmission, Wolf collapsed on the floor laughing hysterically. The match race was finally held at Pimlico in 1938. That year Seabiscuit obtained more newspaper space than Hitler or FDR

      Seabiscuit didn't look like much. With his smallish stature, knobby knees, and slightly crooked forelegs and a reputation for being lazy, loving to lie around his stall sleeping much more than most horses. He looked more like a cow pony than a thoroughbred. But looks aren't everything; he had heart. Tom Smith, one of the heroes of the story, had an uncanny ability to recognize quality in horses --"he had cultivated an almost mystical communication with horses" (but ironically hated talking to people) -- and to get the absolute best out of them. Smith had all sorts of tricks to make the horse adapt to unusual situations. Smith was a character himself who played all sorts of hide-and-seek games with the media so they would not find out how fast his horse was during practice sessions.

      There were numerous setbacks. On several occasions Charles Howard, Sea biscuit's owner, an automobile baron who once declared that "the day of the horse is past," was told by veterinarians that his horse would never run again after an injury, but each time Smith was able to nurse the horse back to greatness. And what's truly astonishing is that many of his record-breaking runs were made when he was considerably older than the other horses and carrying unheard of added weight. Not only that, Seabiscuit was known to slow down (this was even sometimes used as a strategy) to let other horses close up during a race, because Seabiscuit seemed to love taunting his rivals and then effortlessly racing ahead to finally win by several lengths.

      Hillenbrand describes the social atmosphere of the 1930s when Seabiscuit became an American icon: the snobbery of the eastern establishment that regarded western horses as inferior, and the horrible conditions that jockeys worked under. They were constantly dieting using even tapeworms and purgatives to lose weight. Often they were so weak they could barely keep themselves in the saddle.

      Hillenbrand is a wonderful story teller. You can feel yourself pulling for the characters, whipping through the pages to see what happens next. This book should not be missed.
    • 2/5
      This was a well written book, but I couldn't get into the book. I just wasn't interested enough in the horse racing. And this book is really about horse racing. It is does have descriptions about the people, but they weren't the main focus of the book.
    • 5/5
      This was a great book too. It brought history to life as it told the tale of the little horse who could, & proved it every time he stepped on the track. He may not have been beautiful like his arch rival War Admiral, but he had heart & courage to overcome his small stature & conformational flaws.
    • 3/5
      I finally got around to reading this. A great horse story; and who doesn't love a good horse story?
    • 5/5
      So, you're not a racing fan? That shouldn't stop you from checking out "Seabiscuit: An American Legend" by Laura Hillenbrand.The story begins by introducing us to the human elements: Charles Howard, Tom Smith and "Red" Pollard. Howard was a bicycle repairman who built a fortune by establishing a car dealership empire on his own sweat and ingenuity. Smith was the taciturn trainer, the enigma from the western plains, who saw something in an ill-mannered, indescript runt of a racehorse. Pollard was the young boy who wanted to be a jockey so badly, he went out on his own by the age of fifteen, enduring unbelievable hardships that were horrifyingly standard practice at the time. And the three things these men had in common? They had faith in the abilities and stubborn determination of a thoroughbred that other successful horsemen had written off as a worthless "plater", the least talented equine in the racing world.I loved this book, and found myself wishing for a traffic jam, so I could read it during my commute to and from work. From me, that's high praise indeed.
    • 5/5
      This is the story of a racehorse, Seabiscuit, who became a darling of the public during the Great Depression. Back then racing was big in America and a lot of people saw their own struggles reflected in this underdog horse and his winning spirit. This is the kind of book that reviewers love to say reads like a novel and I quickly got caught up in the story. I'm not really a racing aficionado. I'm there for the Triple Crown races but otherwise can't be bothered and hadn't heard of Seabiscuit before the film adapted from this book. I don't even know that most would consider me an animal lover--certainly not compared to many friends of mine. But that didn't matter--I loved the book. And after all, it's not just the story of a horse or a sport but owner Charles Howard, trainer Tom Smith, and jockey Red Pollard--and each comes across as a distinct personality in this and have great stories surrounding each of them.
    • 5/5
      This story takes us back in time to the 1930’s, a time of much turbulence in the world. This work, however, focuses on one horse and his important people. Together with owner Charles Howard, trainer Tom Smith, and jockey Red Pollard, Seabiscuit makes sports page history. The story reveals it just as it happened. We get to know the people and Seabiscuit first and then follow this horse’s training and racing days. The story is written in such a way that the races seem like actual play-by-plays. It’s often hard not to jump up and yell “Go, Seabiscuit!” as the races are run on the pages of this book! Well researched and lots of fun, this book is delightful reading for any animal lover or fan or sports history.