Blood Horses

Notes of a Sportswriter's Son

By: John Jeremiah Sullivan

Narrated by: John Jeremiah Sullivan

"Sullivan has found the transcendent in the horse." (Sports Illustrated)

Winner of a 2004 Whiting Writers' Award

One evening late in his life, veteran sportswriter Mike Sullivan was asked by his son what he remembered best from his three decades in the press box. The answer came as a surprise. "I was at Secretariat's Derby, in '73. That was...just beauty, you know?"

John Jeremiah Sullivan didn't know, not really - but he spent two years finding out, journeying from prehistoric caves to the Kentucky Derby in pursuit of what Edwin Muir called "our long-lost archaic companionship" with the horse. The result - winner of a National Magazine Award and named a Book of the Year by The Economist magazine - is an unprecedented look at Equus caballus, incorporating elements of memoir and reportage.

In the words of the New York Review of Books, Blood Horses "reads like Moby-Dick as edited by F. Scott Fitzgerald.... Sullivan is an original and greatly gifted writer."

©2005 John Jeremiah Sullivan (P)2020 Random House Audio

Moving

The horses are moving. The stories of his dad are moving. They flow together the way members of a herd all seem caught in the same current. This is something only John Jeremiah Sullivan may be able to pull off and I love him for it.

I have been waiting for another collection for years; Pulp Head was a formative experience for me. This is not the same, and it does not disappoint. Thanks John.

Unsung Juggernaut IMHO

Got here by way of Pulphead which I suggest giving a try first and moving over here if that gives you a good feeling inside. He reads his own stuff and I think, like Saunders, it’s delivered better as a result. At the outset I didn’t know hardly anything and did not think I cared about horse racing. At the end, I’m still not sure that I “care” but I was thoroughly immersed and moved by the story. Kind of like DFWs tennis writing. And, to me, this is at its core a story about a boys relationship with his father. It’s a shame this gets shelved in the equestrian section rather than in the great modern novelists section. I won’t do it justice…. Maybe DFW, George Saunders and Eudora Welty in a blender. Whatever it is, it’s solid. Don’t think about it just buy it. This man deserves your money more than you do.

Terrific Debut!

I initially discovered the writing of JJS by stumbling upon his article in GQ magazine. I was immediately hooked and read everything else I could find by him. His writing style is very unique - part introspective, part dreamy, and always firmly rooted in the classic works of American writers. When Audible (cleverly) notified me that he has a book coming out, I pre-ordered right away.

The wait was totally worth it. While I was initially surprised that he chose to use a very similar tone and approach as his essays, because of that the book quickly felt comfortable and familiar. I know that some people are attracted to the book because of the main subject matter (horse racing). To me that was almost not important, but I learned SO much. The story of his troubled relationship with his father, and his father's life is also very interesting, and relatable. The personal musings are fantastic, and would be very familiar to people who have read his other works. The fact that the book is read by John himself, only adds to the experience.

I highly recommend that you pick up this book. Come for the horses, stay for the writing. Come for the writing, learn about horses. You can't go wrong!