SEABISCUIT An American Legend

Foregoing any bells and whistles, George Newbern’s understated narration is the ideal match for Hillenbrand’s sweeping account of how a small bay horse—an underdog with crooked legs, often described as ugly—came to be more important to the American psyche than President Roosevelt and the war against Hitler. Newbern’s unhurried pace and warm, comfortable timbre invite listeners to sit back and enjoy this history of horse racing during the Great Depression, to become familiar with some of the major players as well as many of the ne’er-do-wells, and to revel in the extraordinary story of three men—owner Charles Howard, trainer Tom Smith, and jockey Red Pollard—and the unlikely horse who bound them all together. S.G. © AudioFile 2015, Portland, Maine [Published: FEBRUARY 2015]