The True Story of a Woman, Her Horse, and Their Last-Chance Journey Across America
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Published Jun 2021
336 pages
Genre: Biography/Memoir
Publication Information
The triumphant true story of a woman who rode her horse across America in the 1950s, fulfilling her dying wish to see the Pacific Ocean, from the #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Perfect Horse and The Eighty-Dollar Champion.
In 1954, sixty-three-year-old Maine farmer Annie Wilkins embarked on an impossible journey. She had no money and no family, she had just lost her farm, and her doctor had given her only two years to live. But Annie wanted to see the Pacific Ocean before she died. She ignored her doctor's advice to move into the county charity home. Instead, she bought a cast-off brown gelding named Tarzan, donned men's dungarees, and headed south in mid-November, hoping to beat the snow. Annie had little idea what to expect beyond her rural crossroads; she didn't even have a map. But she did have her ex-racehorse, her faithful mutt, and her own unfailing belief that Americans would treat a stranger with kindness.
Annie, Tarzan, and her dog, Depeche Toi, rode straight into a world transformed by the rapid construction of modern highways. Between 1954 and 1956, they pushed through blizzards, forded rivers, climbed mountains, and clung to the narrow shoulder as cars whipped by them at terrifying speeds. Annie rode more than four thousand miles, through America's big cities and small towns. Along the way, she met ordinary people and celebrities—from Andrew Wyeth (who sketched Tarzan) to Art Linkletter and Groucho Marx. She received many offers—a permanent home at a riding stable in New Jersey, a job at a gas station in rural Kentucky, even a marriage proposal from a Wyoming rancher. In a decade when car ownership nearly tripled, when television's influence was expanding fast, when homeowners began locking their doors, Annie and her four-footed companions inspired an outpouring of neighborliness in a rapidly changing world.
"Thanks to deeply sourced research and her own travels along Wilkins' route, Letts vividly portrays an audacious woman whose optimism, courage, and good humor are to be marveled at and admired. Upbeat and touching, Wilkins' story is the perfect pandemic escapist read." - Booklist (starred review)
"Letts inspires in this miraculous true story of one woman's trek from Maine to California on horseback...Letts's attention to detail and clear admiration of her 'funny, quirky, and bold' subject light up the narrative and make it hard to put down. This story has it all: bravery, determination, and a whole lot of heart." - Publishers Weekly
"This engaging folk-hero biography, which follows Wilkins throughout her grand adventure, also touches on the cultural history of mid-20th-century America...A heartwarming and nostalgic book to appeal to horse lovers and fans of the author's previous books." - Kirkus Reviews
"This poignant, inspiring story is not just about a woman choosing to live instead of die but also about an America that no longer exists. Annie Wilkins will never leave your heart. Her determination and homespun common sense make her a heroine for the ages. And thanks to this remarkable book, she'll never be forgotten again." - Melanie Benjamin, author of The Children's Blizzard
"Elizabeth Letts once again hits it out of the park with this triumphant tale of Annie Wilkins, 'the last of the saddle tramps.' A love story on so many levels—from the menagerie that was with her every step of the way, to the kindness of strangers who opened their homes to help Annie complete this ride of her life—this book will tear at your heartstrings from beginning to end. I loved it, and so will you!" - Robin Hutton, author of Sgt. Reckless: America's War Horse
"Annie Wilkins was an American original, and The Ride of Her Life gives her the tribute she deserves. Elizabeth Letts has created an indelible account of hope, loyalty, generosity, and sheer grit—and the power of a woman doing something just because she wants to do it." - Matthew Goodman, author of Eighty Days
This information about The Ride of Her Life was first featured
in "The BookBrowse Review" - BookBrowse's membership magazine, and in our weekly "Publishing This Week" newsletter. Publication information is for the USA, and (unless stated otherwise) represents the first print edition. The reviews are necessarily limited to those that were available to us ahead of publication. If you are the publisher or author and feel that they do not properly reflect the range of media opinion now available, send us a message with the mainstream reviews that you would like to see added.
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Photo: Nora Alalou
Elizabeth Letts was born in Southern California where she spent all of her time on the back of a horse when she wasn't reading a book. She graduated from Yale with a major in history and then joined the Peace Corps. After her Peace Corps service, she studied at the Yale School of Nursing where she trained as a certified nurse-midwife. She began publishing books while working and raising four children. Her books have been Indie Next, Library Reads and Junior Library Guild selections, and a Goodreads Reader's Choice Finalist. She's been honored with the 2017 PEN USA Award for Research Non-Fiction, the Daniel P Lenehan Award for Media Excellence from the United States Equestrian Foundation, and her books have reached #1 on the New York Times Bestseller lists. She lives in southern California ...
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