Secretariat: The Making Of A Champion by William Nack
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Book Reviews of Secretariat: The Making Of A Champion
Book Review: Secretariat: The Making of a Champion
Summary: 4 Stars
Overall, an excellent book. The racing sections, especially, have a real "you are there" feel to them. However, many Secretariat fans may not be as interested as the author is in the history of thoroughbred racing and the breeding farms leading up to Secretariat's entry into the racing scene. But the biggest problem I had with the book-arguably one of two definitive biographies of the horse-was the lack of quality photography. There are about a half dozen grainy black and whites-this for one of the handsomest horses ever to set foot on a track!Book Review: Mustang
Summary: 4 Stars
"Secretariat" is a compelling and addictive book that thrusts the reader into the lifestyle of Big Red himself. The reader learns all about the colts amazing breeding, training, and the record shattering Triple Crown, that he won in 1973. It's a very god read for those who enjoy racehorses and their careers or anyone who likes a great peice of storytelling.Book Review: a great story told with too many words
Summary: 3 Stars
The story of Secretariat is among the most thrilling in all the history of American sports and popular culture because it was one of the very rare instances in which an athletic achievement of truly mythological proportions was witnessed live on television by millions upon millions throughout the nation. With the most famous, accomplished and beloved animal performer of all time as a subject, one would think that by now there would be a dozen Secretariat books and a couple of movies as well (Seabiscuit? - hmmph!). Sadly, in the former category we only have this earnest but flawed volume by veteran horse racing writer William Nack.
While the narration of the Belmont is scintillating, there are two major flaws which prevent this from being the biography that is worthy of Big Red:
1) a shockingly skimpy collection of photographs (there are several mentions of Secretariat's numerous magazine covers but no images of any of them!)
2) tedious recitations of Secretariat's lineage (chapters 3-6) and the biographies of every last member of his breeding syndicate (chapter 19) which add nothing in the way of either reminiscence or insight.
Until we reach the long overdue time when others join in, Secretariat's flag is now being held highest by the absolutely brilliant ESPN SportsCentury documentary that airs on ESPN Classic during every Triple Crown season. It is a must to see that show before buying this book.
Book Review: Secretariat: The Making of a Champion
Summary: 3 Stars
I came to this book not knowing very many details about Secretariat. I had already read "Seabiscuit: An American Legend" by Laura Hillenbrand, and I loved it. To me, Hillenbrand's book filled in all the gaps left out in the children's Seabiscuit book I had read over and over as a child ("Come on Seabiscuit" by Ralph Moody).It was because of the Hillenbrand book I found "Secretariat: The Making of a Champion". I expected the Secretariat book to be as clear and revealing. It did contain a wonderful amount of information and detail. However, I found it somewhat difficult to read, because I was not at all familiar with the people involved in Secretariat's training. I thought the book tended to jump around abruptly between people and places and timelines, and I wound up reading a lot of passages over again, trying to figure out where the story was going.
Overall, I thought it was a good book, but I think people who are not already familar with the horse's career will have a harder time following the story.
Book Review: good text
Summary: 3 Stars
Very comprehensive book of Claiborne farms, the family, and Secretariat, as well as the triple crown races. However, pictures would have made this book complete and it's severly lacking in that area.