Love to Race by Amber Sawyer (2020) was a difficult book for me. This true story of Derek Bromac N is told by the horse. How does Sawyer know what this racehorse is thinking and feeling? At the back of the book is a nonfiction biography of Derek Bromac N that lists his bankroll, starts, and wins. Also the “very severe tear to his suspensory ligament (at age 13)”. This horse spent a year healing this leg injury at a family farm in Wisconsin. Then, he raced again at county fairs. To hear the horse tell it, the racing life was a blast. There’s also a photo and narrative by the author. Receiving Derek began Sawyer's “love for training older horses.”
I spent (only) 16 years in the horse world. One of my best friends “broke” yearlings, that is, she taught them to accept the saddle and bridle. At two, she mourned when they went to the track because she felt strongly that their bones were still too fragile for racing. Yet, in this story, Dereck says, “When I was only 2 years old, I got to start racing!”, like this is a good thing.
Tami Joe DeLisle illustrates this horse well, which is no easy feat.
Are the people in this story smiling because Dereck won races and money? Or are they smiling because they somehow just know Dereck loves the lifestyle?
