17 May / Running with Sherman: The Donkey with the Heart of a Hero by Christopher McDougall [in Library Journal]
*STARRED REVIEW
What began as a New York Times series becomes a captivating book – and with Chris McDougall narrating, quite the aural gift. Sherman arrived on McDougall’s Pennsylvania farm close to death, rescued from an (unintentionally) abusive hoarder. A supportive herd – McDougall’s family (human and animal), their rural community, farflung friends, and kind strangers—rally to save Sherman. “You need to give this animal a purpose. You need to find him a job,” McDougall’s horse trainer neighbor insists.
That job eventually leads to the Leadville Boom Days International Pack Burro Race, with donkeys carrying a 33-pound packsaddle of prospector’s tools as people run alongside them. This all takes place in the highest city in the continental United States: Leadville, CO. Once again, McDougall summons training guru Eric Orton who got him ultrarunning in Born to Run.
Overcoming training challenges, unforeseeable setbacks, and even broken bones, McDougall, his wife Mika, their young neighbor Zeke, and their burros Sherman, Flower, and Mathilda all arrive in Leadville, aiming for the finish line. McDougall’s infectious tenacity never wavers, resulting in a can’t-press-stop audio delight, which also includes the Sherman-inspired original song, “Happy I Was Wrong,” by Andrew Marsini.
Review: “May Audio Reviews,” Library Journal, May 7, 2020
Readers: Young Adult, Adult
Published: 2019