Seabiscuit's "gallop was so disorganized that he had a maddening tendency to whack himself in the front ankle with his own hind hoof." And so the spell-binding story about a horse that runs with a duck waddle, a jockey (Red Pollard) who is blind in one eye, a trainer (Tom Smith) who is practically mute, and an owner (Charles Howard) who brought cars to the West is born. This unlikely group of misfits joins together through chance -- and because all three men immediately see the untapped potential in a mistreated, high-spirited, and lazy horse named Seabiscuit. This trio devotes their love, skills, and energy into turning Seabiscuit into one of the most phenomenal horse racing legends.

Tom Smith, perhaps the original "horsewhisperer", spends hours learning and understanding his horse. When Seabiscuit is first put into his care for training, the horse is nervous, paces incessantly, weighs too little, and suffers from a sore body. Tom spends time caring for Seabiscuit, showering him with affection and carrots, even sleeping in Seabiscuit's stall at night. A daily routine is introduced plus animal companionship. Before long, Seabiscuit has his own entourage: a cow pony named Pumpkin, the little stray dog Pocatell, and Jojo the spider monkey. Under Tom's care, the high-spirited Seabiscuit learns to trust, becomes calm, and, most importantly, starts winning horse races.

The triumph of Seabiscuit is ultimately the story of what any person (or animal) may accomplish when their talents are recognized, supported, and expanded. Seabiscuit, given his inauspicious start in life, could just as easily have faded away into non-existence running third tier races. However, the love and care he receives from his owner, jockey, and trainer have you cheering until the end of the book for Seabiscuit to keep running (and winning) with his heart. Not only does Seabiscuit capture the hearts of the misfit trio, he will capture yours.

This fascinating work of non-fiction is one of the best books I've read in a long time. Unlike a lot of historical non-fiction, this intriguing story did not read like a textbook - it read like fiction and not once did I find myself skimming the details ... too interesting to skim through!

When I first heard about this story, I wasn't sure about it - after all, I really know (or should I say "knew") very little about horse racing. Despite my misgivings, I soon realized that a major purpose of this book was not only to teach the reader about this sport via Seabiscuit's career but also to memorialize the amazing individuals (Charles Howard, Tom Smith, Red Pollard, George Woolf, etc.) who defied all odds to make such a successful racing career possible.

I especially liked the chapters dealing with the difficulties of life as a jockey - the way the jockeys punished their bodies to the extreme for the honor of participating in a harrowingly dangerous sport was truly unbelievable...and I thought ballerinas were harsh on their bodies when it came to weight loss! Red was my favorite character and I can't help wondering if the author felt a particular kinship with the jockey as a result of her own struggles with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome - after all, she did have to push her own body beyond her normal physical limits to complete her research and write this amazing book!

Ms. Hillenbrand successfully incorporated the story of Seabiscuit's racing career into the historical context of the era. Seabiscuit was a much needed diversion for Americans who were suffering the depths of the Great Depression. ...And perhaps, through Laura Hillenbrand, Team Seabiscuit is still providing us all with an inspirational diversion from today's distressing headlines!

Oh - and don't skip the interview with Laura Hillenbrand at the end of the book. It was very interesting to see how Ms. Hillenbrand's own background influenced her writing and how her research helped her to resurrect this intriguing epoch in American history.

I'm excited about the movie although I hope Universal Studios does this wonderful literary work justice!

This is more than a book about horse racing, it is a book about four fascinating people and a special horse during one of the USA's most interesting time periods. Seabiscuit was indeed an american legend, who came from humble beginnings and a rather undistinguished early racing career, to become Horse of the Year and a legendary racehorse.He was able to take on and defeat the more fashionably bred Triple Crown winner War Admiral in a memorable match race. Readers also get to meet the colorful characters associated with Seabiscuit: Charles Howard, Tom Smith, George Woolf, and Red Pollard. The exploits of Seabiscuit's jockeys Red Pollard and "Iceman" George Woolf provide a fascinating and (sometimes comical) read. Seabiscuit captured the imagination of late 1930s America; Franklin D. Roosevelt was a big fan and listened to Seabiscuit's races on the radio. The author explores the pedigree of Seabiscuit, a grandson of Man O'War. Seabiscuit's sire Hard Tack was a terror on and off the racetrack and at one point flatly refused to leave the starting post. I enjoyed this book tremendously and highly recommend it.

I hate to give away some of the books more interesting points, but I LOVE the way this book is written to explain away muggle sightings of magical beasts such as the Loch Ness Monster, and other creatures featured in muggle "fairy stories" such as fairies, unicorns, trolls, etc. It also explains how such creatures can really exist without our knowledge. The Foreward by Dumbledore that mentions the "Thiefs Curse" on anyone reading the book who did not purchase it is also cute. The notes by Harry, Ron, and Hermoine are amusing as well.

Another benefit for any reader of Harry Potter books is that it gives one a greater understanding of why creatures like the centaurs in the first book and the mermaids in the fourth book mostly want little to do with humans. Of course this portrayal of the centaurs behavior is only in the book and not the movie, and therefore wouldn't be at all intriguing to someone who has only seen the movie, but only to a true addict like myself. I can't wait till the 5th book is released - I WANT MORE!

This book is great for HP fans! Learn what a Imp is or learn about Muggle awareness. Learn about almost every beast in the magical world with this. Learn what a Doxy is or a Flobberworm. Harry's world is full of make-belive animals. With over 75 animals to learn about you will be amazed how JK thought of it! It gots a Foreword by Dumboldore. This book gives you a understanding of HP's world in the books.

Fantastic Beasts is a cute little book. I appreciated the effort that went into maintaining the illusion that this was an actual textbook from Harry Potter's "World", especially the notes scribbled at odd intervals by Harry and Ron Weasley. There's an informative introduction by Albus Dumbledore, and a foreward by Author Newt Scamander. There are also illustrations scattered throughout of some of the 75 Beasts described in the text. A short read, but lots of fun, and a few really good laughs.

Now, onto the real reason to get the book: Proceeds will benefit Harry's Books, a division of Comic Relief U.K., to help impoverished children around the world. Big kudos to the talented J.K. Rowling for donating her time, efforts, and talent to this cause. By buying this book you will be helping needy children, and getting a fun read at the same time. Harry Potter fans won't be disappointed!