Skip to main content
PBS logo
 
 

Book Review of My Year of the Racehorse: Falling in Love with the Sport of Kings

My Year of the Racehorse: Falling in Love with the Sport of Kings
reviewed on + 38 more book reviews


Author's Note: "The Material relating to Mocha Time and the racetrack can be verified online through various racing websites. While this book in non-fiction, I took some creative license by conflating, making into composite characters, and changing names and distinguishing characteristics of friends and acquaintances. I did this as a way of protecting the privacy of others and sheltering myself from their anger. I've also exaggerated situations, occasionally, for comic effect; given myself the best one-liners in conversations; shuffled the chronological deck on some non-racing events, and thrown in one or two meaningful traumatic experiences that actually occured outside my year at the track."I read this author note after four pages of MFA-enriched dialogue. After four pages, I couldn't take it any more. Too much description. Too much mocking of the other bettors at the race track. Enough so that I didn't really care why this guy paid in as part owner of Mocha Time, AKA "Blackie", or why he only did it for a year. Nothing on the page said to me, "Keep reading. This'll be worth your while."