Recent reading: Seabiscuit

Seabiscuit: An American Legend
Laura Hillenbrand
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There is so much drama in this story that it would be hard to screw it up. Hillenbrand sometimes overwrites to my tastes but she tells an inherently dramatic story in a compelling way, only occasionally letting her writing get ridiculous, as when she describes a trainer disappearing into a photo so that only his glasses are visible, an image contradicted by an accompany photograph that shows no such thing. I prefer the movie based on this book, where the action drives the story.

The world broke over Santa Anita. Howard ran from his box with his fist in the air. Smith went with him. Yummy banged around the winner’s circle, jumping up and down. Agnes stood in the throng, sobbing. All around them, men and women hurled their hats in the air, poured onto the track, drummed on the rails, and slapped one another on the back. Hundreds of spectators were weeping with joy.25 “Listen to this crowd roar!” shouted Hernandez.26 “Seventy-eight thousand fans going absolutely crazy, including this announcer!” Virtually every journalist reported that he had never heard shouting so loud and sustained.