Seabiscuit: An American Legend (Ballantine Reader's Circle)

What it's about

Seabiscuit was an undersized, knobby-kneed racehorse who seemed lazy and was given up on by his first trainers. In the 1930s he was bought by Charles Howard, a car salesman who had become rich, and trained by Tom Smith, a quiet former mustang breaker. With Red Pollard, a half-blind jockey, Seabiscuit became the most famous athlete in Depression-era America, culminating in a 1938 match race against the Triple Crown winner War Admiral.

Why it's worth reading

It was a #1 New York Times bestseller and became an Oscar-nominated film. Hillenbrand makes horse racing as gripping as any thriller, even if you've never cared about horses.

You'll love it if you liked

Moneyball, The Wager: A Tale of Shipwreck, Mutiny and Murder or Killers of the Flower Moon: The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI

Good to know

Hillenbrand wrote it while living with severe chronic fatigue syndrome. You don't need to know anything about racing.