PDF A Girl and Five Brave Horses Sonora Carver 9781578987337 Books

Product details Paperback 224 pages Publisher Martino Publishing (October 27, 2009) Language English ISBN-10 1578987334

A Girl and Five Brave Horses Sonora Carver 9781578987337 Books Reviews

• I found this book after a bit of research on the story, itself, and the movie that my children and I had so loved.
  
  Sonora Carver tells her own story with a great deal of charm and intelligence, and with the flair for showmanship that her beloved mentor also possessed. Her style is conversational, and I found myself devouring the pages in rage eager anticipation.
  
  I knew the basics of the tale, as I said, because of the film "Wild Hearts Can't be Broken," and knew the diving horse show had been a regular feature at Steel Pier for many years. I knew Sonora had sustained an injury that left her blind, and knew she continued to dive for some time after attempts to restore her vision failed.
  
  While there are a few editing errors and typos in the kindle version, they are minor, and do not detract from the story.
  
  I highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys biography, history, animals (especially horses), and who enjoys being inspired and educated. Her own account of her life in showbiz and the obstacles she overcame is so much more than an autobiography, it is a celebration of life and of the miracles all a around us daily.
• I enjoy the movie, Wild Hearts Can't Be Broken, so much, that I just had to read the book. The book is even more inspiring than the movie; because, Ms.Sonora Carver tells her true life story among others' experiences. The book and movie are two very different stories; the movie being more entertaining and the book more historical. Read it once and you will recommend the book to others who will want to borrow it.
• Like many little girls, I was absolutely obsessed with horses. To an extent, I guess I still am. But as a child my life basically revolved around anything related to horses. In this, Carver and I are much alike. If you're unfamiliar with the name, Carver was an entertainer who was made famous by being one of the first female horse divers. Moreover, she was blind for more than half of the two decades she performed. Her memoir inspired the Disney film "Wild Hearts Can't Be Broken". I was quite enamored with the film when I saw it as a child, but now realize that it is sadly a huge departure from the real story to the point that it's nearly unrecognizable from the material from which it is based. I find this particularly disappointing because the true story is in fact a remarkable one that is far more interesting, entertaining and inspiring than the film's product.
  
  Carver's memoir is peppered with anecdotes of her life, citing interesting tidbits about all of the horses in the show and the intricacies of the training and physicality involved in horse diving. In fact, the entire book is written more like a lengthy conversation being told, wavering from point to point and focusing on what is of most interest to the author at that particular moment. While a bit jarring in terms of narrative flow I still found the story is easy to follow and as a horse enthusiast I found it desperately interesting. She recounts the specifics of how the horses were cared for, their particular personalities and, possibly most interesting of all, their individual diving routines and preferences. The majority of the book focuses on the first eight years or so Carver spent diving before being blinded. She chronicles in great detail the process by which she joined and trained with the touring exhibition, her first dive, and many of her experiences with all those involved in the circus type entertainment world to which she was involved. She makes it clear that she dearly enjoyed her chosen profession and it's hard to not feel likewise reading her words.
  
  One of the most intriguing aspects of the book for me was Carver's reminiscing on her struggles to retain normalcy after going blind. Absent is the wallowing in self pity that many would expect, but rather Carver is almost immediately aware of her need to do things on her own. Nearly an entire chapter is devoted to explaining how she went about regaining -- or more accurately maintaining -- her own independence and she is emphatic when explaining her reasons, noting that they might seem rather unorthodox. As a blind person, though, I share her conviction and completely agree with her reasoning.
  
  However, true to her own life her blindness is relegated to a position of near non-importance. And while she details much of the adjustment she experienced after losing her sight, she does not allow it to be the focus of this book anymore than she allowed it to overshadow her accomplishments as a performer. Perhaps it is because of this that no one was truly surprised when she made the decision to continue diving regardless of her lost vision. While the movie is focused on her battling to have the chance, Carver's only fight was a small internal debate that could probably be considered nothing more than nervous stage fright. And while many would say this in itself was a courageous decision, Carver herself is reluctant to label the idea of diving blind as especially inspiring. She does make casual mention of her realization and acceptance as a role model towards the end of the book; I personally found her story infused with a dynamic strength of character. Truly, it wasn't just the horses that were brave.
• Sonora Webster Carver, who died in 2004, was a remarkable woman who lived life to the fullest with honesty, self-awareness, and compassion toward others. She never felt sorry for herself, but embraced all of her challenges (both in her early life and later, after she became blind) with a sense of adventure and humor. Abundant in imagination and intelligence, she utilized all of her abundant talents to adapt to the events in her life.
  
  We are welcomed into Sonora's world through rich imagery and description, giving us a sense of immediacy and being with her wherever she is in the tank with a horse, on a train traveling to another show, off-stage when a scaffolding collapses. Carver's life was truly inspiring. "It seems to me," she wrote, "that everyone has to make adjustments to life, that we all have our limitations, but that if we are wise we do not make other people miserable by concentrating on these limitations. One of the fundamental responsibilities of every human being in his relationship with others is to create happiness . . . The prime [responsibility to ourselves] is not to make ourselves miserable by dwelling on something we can do nothing about. . . . I often have the feeling that I am part of the world and, though I cannot see my surroundings, the world is part of me. I am conscious of an indestructible, indomitable force, a constant and abiding truth that is stronger than any human being. This presence gives me strength and courage to face whatever comes, and I do not fear life or anything in it."
  
  I am so grateful that this book is available. My local library didn't have it, and I'm not sorry at all that I had to buy it. This is a book I will read again and again.