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I just finished "Out of the Clouds," about Stymie and Hirsch Jacobs, and just wanted to say how much I enjoyed it. There were some reviewers who complained that it "wasn't enough about the horse," but a book like this is as much a social history as the story of a champion racehorse. I found it fascinating. We've all heard of Damon Runyon and the high rollers fictionalized and celebrated in "Guys and Dolls," but I never knew of his relationship with Jacobs. And while I knew of Jacobs as a trainer, I didn't realize how successful he'd been as a TB breeder. Interesting stuff. Both horse and trainer a true "Horatio Alger" story.

Looking forward to reading that, thanks for the info! "West With The Night" is my favorite: True story about the first woman pilot, Beryl Markham, to do loads of flight stuff, AND when her father's farm in Kenya failed, she rode her favorite horse to Niarobi (sp) and became the leading trainer on the track - when she was 18!

Tarlo Farm wrote:Looking forward to reading that, thanks for the info! "West With The Night" is my favorite: True story about the first woman pilot, Beryl Markham, to do loads of flight stuff, AND when her father's farm in Kenya failed, she rode her favorite horse to Niarobi (sp) and became the leading trainer on the track - when she was 18!

Back in the "bush" Beryl was a known " fabricator ". She lied when the truth was more interesting than the lie. I remember reading a book of short stories she wrote, and some one had made a post script inserting the true story. In every case the truth was way more interesting than the lie.

Fascinating horse woman but a legend in her own mind. Anyway, her father was actually the race horse trainer. Yes she joined him at it, but he trained horses in Nairobi and she got tired of being left on the farm so rode to join him. Just FYI.

Old story, debunked. Her father had actually returned to South America when she returned to Nairobi. First woman to fly in Africa, first woman to fly east to west across the ocean, crashing in Canada. Period.

https://www.nytimes.com/1987/08/23/book ... d-one.html

I just finished 'The Confidence Code' which is "the science and art of self-assurance - what women should know". It was insightful and I enjoyed reading it, and apparently I am relatively unafflicted by some of the very common confidence challenges that women experience in the workplace.

Recently finished reading "Costly Grace--an Evangelical Minister's Rediscovery of Faith, Hope, and Love" by Rob Schenck. Despite the fact that I'm not a religious person, it was a very eye-opening and timely book.