Friday, September 25, 2015

The Cephalopod Coffeehouse: September 2015

Welcome one and all to the Cephalopod Coffeehouse, a cozy gathering of book lovers, meeting to discuss their thoughts regarding the works they enjoyed most over the previous month.  Pull up a chair, order your cappuccino and join in the fun.  If you wish to add your own review to the conversation, please sign on to the link list at the end of my post.

Title: Seabiscuit: An American Legend
Author: Laura Hillenbrand
via Wikipedia
I think of Seabiscuit as being a recent publication but 2001 was 14 years ago.  It was the rare sports book that transcends genre, setting a new standard for a thoroughly researched, fully engaging non-fiction work, easily accessible to someone who knows nothing about the sport in question.  A publishing sensation, it vaulted from the New York Times bestseller list to the big screen.  The film, starring Tobey Maguire was a critical and commercial success in its own right.  I finally got around to reading the book this month.

Seabiscuit was one of the most famous racehorses in American history and easily the most famous who never won a Triple Crown race.  In 1938, according to Hillenbrand, more newspaper space was devoted to this extraordinary thoroughbred than to President Roosevelt.  He was a late bloomer, too old for the Kentucky Derby by the time he came into his own, yet he bested every major rival of his era, most famously War Admiral, 1937's Triple Crown winner.  Underestimated by the eastern establishment, Seabiscuit put California racing on the map and was the perfect underdog symbol of a depressed nation in desperate need of inspiring heroes.

The horse and his supporting cast are vividly drawn.   Larger than life owner Charles Howard contrasts with trainer Tom Smith who spoke only when absolutely necessary.  Jockeys Red Pollard and George Woolf are both daring and more than a little crazy.  The stallion himself, though, is the star - proud, fiercely competitive and displaying evidence of a playful sense of humor.  Early temperament issues were subdued by expert handling, his success as much a product of nurture as nature.

I grew up in Maryland, one of the most important horse racing states in the country.  Yet I've never been to the track nor placed a bet on a horse.  But off and on, I've been drawn to the sport as a casual fan.  The Black Stallion movies certainly fueled my imagination as a child.  Hillenbrand balances the excitement and the dangers of racing well.  Horse racing was a far more popular sport in the age of radio than it is now but the jockeys were also more vulnerable. Pollard himself was instrumental in establishing the Jockeys' Guild, essentially the profession's first labor union. 

There are many interesting parallels with Daniel James Brown's chronicle of the University of Washington crew of the same era, The Boys in the Boat (my review here).   Both books examine sports more popular in the '30s.  Both address the bias of East Coast media against West Coast teams and athletes - a perception still alive and well in 2015.  Seabiscuit and the Washington crew employed similar race strategies, letting others set the pace before pulling ahead in the home stretch.  Each book references the subject of the other.  The Boys in the Boat makes several references to Seabiscuit's celebrity and Hillenbrand's book acknowledges the inspiration Tom Smith drew from the Washington crew's strict diet in guiding his horse's eating habits.

Seabiscuit is easily enjoyed by the non-fan, I think.  I have yet to see the movie, though My Wife and I did watch the excellent American Experience documentary profile.  The book has certainly piqued my own interest in the sport, particularly the 20th century's two most celebrated champions: Man O'War (Seabiscuit's grandsire) and Secretariat.

Please join us and share your own review of your best read from the past month.  This month's link list is below.  I'll keep it open until the end of the day.  I'll post October's tomorrow.  Meetings are the last Friday of each month.  Next gathering is October 30th.


28 comments:

  1. Looking back, I realized I have posted three book reviews this September... It is hard to think of which is my favorite but I think it would have to be the book by my former teacher who was a POW in World War 2.

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    1. I'm glad you shared that book with us this month - fascinating!

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  2. I have seen the movie and it is one of my favourites! I hope you are not disappointed in the film once you see it since the books are usually better than the films. It sounds, however, like the film sticks close to the book just in the way you describe it

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    1. I'm prepared to keep an open mind about the movie. I don't know if we'll be watching it anytime soon. My wife has very limited patience for inspiring sports movies.

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  3. I've seen the movie, which was very good. I've been meaning to watch it again for a while but haven't gotten to it. Probably, I will not read the book.

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  4. I'll have to check out this book! My old friend is into horse racing and she loved this book and movie.

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    1. Great book, even if you don't know much about racing.

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  5. I read this book soon after it came out and liked it very much. The movie is good, as is the documentary. Good choice! I lived in Maryland. A track was in one city where we lived for three years. We never went there. It wasn't considered a safe part of town, unfortunately. I've never forgotten the excitement of watching Secretariat win the Triple Crown.

    Love,
    Janie

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    1. A race track in a sketchy part of town? Somehow, not surprising. I'm guessing you lived in Laurel? That was closer to me than Pimlico. Even so, I never went.

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    2. Yes, we lived in Laurel for three years, and then moved to western Maryland for 12 years.

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    3. I don't know western Maryland at all. I've driven through many times, but always on my way somewhere else.

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  6. I loved the movie, and sadly never read the book. I'm afraid I'm no good at non-fiction...it makes me too sleepy, in general. I actually have UNBROKEN, by Hillenbrand, on my shelf, and have yet to crack it open. (Did I mention I've had it since 2010?)

    Still, great review, Mr. Squid. You've made me want to watch the movie again....

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  7. God I used to love horse stories when I was younger. I remember reading a book about Man o' War, and Black Beauty, and more than one of the Black Stallion books. I haven't read this book but I suspect it might renew my love for horses.

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    1. I read the first two Black Stallion books. I tried Misty of Chincoteague but didn't get very far. My daughter, fortunately for the family budget, is not especially into horses so she hasn't taken to such stories.

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  8. I love horse racing and used to follow it. It is very exciting to see in person.
    Wonderful book review.

    cheers, parsnip

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    1. I can imagine it is. It's not a sport I've deliberately avoided - just never gotten caught up in it over the long haul. So much emphasis is put on three races - not much of a "season."

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    2. There are many other races leading up to and after the Triple Crown.
      I grew up out west with horse racing.

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    3. Yes of course, I didn't mean to imply otherwise. In Maryland alone, between Pimlico, Laurel and the state fair, there are several races daily for a decent portion of the year. But to the casual fan, it's not the easiest sport to follow beyond the Triple Crown races. Tennis suffers from a similar problem, actually. None but the most devoted fans really gives a hoot about any tournament beyond the four Majors. In the age of cable television, golf and NASCAR have done a much better job of promoting their lower tier events.

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  9. I'm not into sports, but I would like to read this as well as watch the movie.

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  10. I'm not a fan of horseracing - we have an annual national horse race here, and one year recently, two horses had to be euthanised after the race due to injuries. I think it's pretty barbaric :( But much of our nation is blindly right into it without thinking about the animals.

    All that said, I think Seabiscuit is one of the best horse names I've ever heard - they always give them super stupid names over here in Australia, names like Who Shot Thebarman, Signoff, Precedence, Mutual Regard, Unchain My Heart, and My Ambivalent. No kidding, those were actual race horse names from last year's race. They're just dumb.

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    1. Admittedly, from an animal rights perspective, horse racing isn't the greatest (though better than dog racing). The first and only time we watched the Kentucky Derby with my daughter, we were all excited by the rare inclusion of a filly, Eight Bells. Poor thing had a horrible spill and was euthanized on the track. It was quite the traumatic experience for our whole family.

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  11. I do like to watch horse racing. And this sounds interesting.

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  12. I haven't read this one, nor have I seen the movie. I feel like it just came out- but can't believe it has been 14 years. Boy, time flies. I am glad to hear you enjoyed this one so much- it does sound very interesting. Thanks for sharing!
    ~Jess

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