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11 reviews for:
Beautiful Jim Key: The Lost History of a Horse and a Man Who Changed the World
Mim Eichler Rivas
3.72 AVERAGE
11 reviews for:
Beautiful Jim Key: The Lost History of a Horse and a Man Who Changed the World
Mim Eichler Rivas
3.72 AVERAGE
Beautiful Jim Key was an “educated” horse, trained by a former slave with a lifelong reputation for his ability to work with animals. The two, managed by a tireless promoter, performed before millions of spectators in the 1890s and the first few years of the 20th century. Their careers became closely tied to the birth of the ASPCA and related movements.
I wish I could’ve seen Jim perform, but the book was somewhat of a chore to read. There were many detours along the way, and while the detours were never totally irrelevant, they sometimes strayed too far away from the main story, and, more annoyingly, for far too long. There were also, particularly near the end, several conjectures that seemed a bit of a stretch.
There’s a lot in this short book (the last 50 pages are notes on sources and an extensive index). There’s slavery, the Civil War, the role of Tennessee during that war, the histories of several world’s fairs and expositions, race relations, the early history of SPCA, the story of the promoter AR Rogers, and a few notes on Walt Disney, Alice Roosevelt, the health of President McKinley’s wife, Helen Keller, and, oh yeah, Beautiful Jim Key.
In a way, the detours make it a good picture of American society in that era, and therefore much more than a horse story, but it wasn’t exactly what I was looking for when I chose this book.
I wish I could’ve seen Jim perform, but the book was somewhat of a chore to read. There were many detours along the way, and while the detours were never totally irrelevant, they sometimes strayed too far away from the main story, and, more annoyingly, for far too long. There were also, particularly near the end, several conjectures that seemed a bit of a stretch.
There’s a lot in this short book (the last 50 pages are notes on sources and an extensive index). There’s slavery, the Civil War, the role of Tennessee during that war, the histories of several world’s fairs and expositions, race relations, the early history of SPCA, the story of the promoter AR Rogers, and a few notes on Walt Disney, Alice Roosevelt, the health of President McKinley’s wife, Helen Keller, and, oh yeah, Beautiful Jim Key.
In a way, the detours make it a good picture of American society in that era, and therefore much more than a horse story, but it wasn’t exactly what I was looking for when I chose this book.
What a fascinating and wonderful story about a man who trained his beloved horse to read, write, count, make change, debate politics, and other seemingly impossible stunts.
The story is true and was well-researched and well-written. Beautiful Jim Key was "the onetime ugly duckling of a scrub colt who became one of the most beloved heroes of the turn of the century [1900]."
His owner and trainer, Dr.
William Key, trained Jim using patience and kindness and achieved amazingly dramatic results. Dr. Key, himself, enslaved as a child, was an acknowledged horse whisperer and a self-trained veterinarian. He believed so strongly in the virtue of kindness to animals that he eventually aligned himself with early humane society groups dedicated to preventing cruelty to animals.
Common practices and attitudes of the time are noted and explained in the context of Jim Key's nine years on the road. He was a remarkable horse, who had a mind of his own and a great sense of fun and play. He wanted to perform, right up until his last years when he developed painful rheumatism and could barely rise from a lying position without help.
I could hardly put the book down. It was fascinating and gripping, an exemplary work of nonfiction.
I highly recommend it!
The story is true and was well-researched and well-written. Beautiful Jim Key was "the onetime ugly duckling of a scrub colt who became one of the most beloved heroes of the turn of the century [1900]."
His owner and trainer, Dr.
William Key, trained Jim using patience and kindness and achieved amazingly dramatic results. Dr. Key, himself, enslaved as a child, was an acknowledged horse whisperer and a self-trained veterinarian. He believed so strongly in the virtue of kindness to animals that he eventually aligned himself with early humane society groups dedicated to preventing cruelty to animals.
Common practices and attitudes of the time are noted and explained in the context of Jim Key's nine years on the road. He was a remarkable horse, who had a mind of his own and a great sense of fun and play. He wanted to perform, right up until his last years when he developed painful rheumatism and could barely rise from a lying position without help.
I could hardly put the book down. It was fascinating and gripping, an exemplary work of nonfiction.
I highly recommend it!
I loved this book much more than I thought I would. I loved that Beautiful Jim Key was so smart (such a character!) and truly seemed to understand what was going on around him. I also loved that Jim and his owner Doc were really interested in the Humane movement. What a surprise to know that the movement was considered to be the snobby cause of rich people who didn't know about the world (that's kind of how I feel about the whole locavore / organic movement right now... It's a nice ideal, but it's too easy to say that everyone should buy organic and local when not everyone has unlimited funds to spend on food).
Spoiler alert!!
The ending was kind of sad. Getting old is crappy!
And the whole last chapter was pretty much about the author and how she got involved with the book. I think that would have been better as an epilogue or something a little more disconnected from the main story.
Spoiler alert!!
The ending was kind of sad. Getting old is crappy!
And the whole last chapter was pretty much about the author and how she got involved with the book. I think that would have been better as an epilogue or something a little more disconnected from the main story.
hopeful
informative
inspiring
medium-paced
This was an interesting read but I thought there were a lot of extra details that weren't needed. It was interesting to learn how this horse and trainer changed the way the world treats animals and children. This horse and training has done amazing things for the world around them.
The story of Jim Key is especially fascinating and mesmerizing - it's hard to believe a story like his almost got lost in history. I'm delighted that someone cared enough to share his life with those who weren't lucky enough to live during his heyday. The author was very thorough in researching Jim's life and those who were important to him. Almost a little too thorough - there were many, many extraneous details in this book that I could've done without, and parts of it were a bit dry to get through. However, the story of Jim entices you to keep reading - to let him touch your heart and mind as he did for tens of thousands so many years ago, and to remember the lessons of patience and kindness to animals and fellow mankind.
informative
slow-paced
I loved this book. Jim Key was a true wonder horse.
The only reason I can think of for him to be forgotten and Clever Hans to be so well-known is the prevailing cynicism in society. The disappointing story is so much easier to believe than the story of a horse who really could make change and spell, even under the conditions of the 'Clever Hans test'.
Another aspect is that people, for some reason, don't like to hear that animals can think, that they have personality, that they have feelings. They are nowhere near the complexity of humans, of course, but they do have those things, and that's something many humans don't want to face. I'm still unsure why, if it rattles their belief in the superiority of man, if it challenges their belief in a creator-deity, or perhaps it makes them feel guilty for the way we treat animals? I don't know. But whatever the reason, they won't face a truth that is easily observable merely by spending time with an animal.
And if you try to argue, 'Oh, well, it's just instincts and hormones and chemicals in the brain, it's not really thinking', then I submit to you that humans are no different. We are still not sure how much of our minds and personalities are made up of mere instincts and chemicals. Does the source make them any less valid? Does the fact that someone is depressed merely because their brain chemicals are unbalanced make their depression any less distressing? No. So why should a horse's sorrow at being left alone in a pasture be any less valid? Certainly, that sorrow is caused by the horse's instinctual desire for companionship, but that doesn't make it any less real, nor the horse less lonely.
Anyway, that little rant aside (which the book doesn't touch on, so don't be put off from the book because of it), this is an excellent book. There are a few slow parts in the beginning, but once you get past those, you will find an engaging and moving true story.
The only reason I can think of for him to be forgotten and Clever Hans to be so well-known is the prevailing cynicism in society. The disappointing story is so much easier to believe than the story of a horse who really could make change and spell, even under the conditions of the 'Clever Hans test'.
Another aspect is that people, for some reason, don't like to hear that animals can think, that they have personality, that they have feelings. They are nowhere near the complexity of humans, of course, but they do have those things, and that's something many humans don't want to face. I'm still unsure why, if it rattles their belief in the superiority of man, if it challenges their belief in a creator-deity, or perhaps it makes them feel guilty for the way we treat animals? I don't know. But whatever the reason, they won't face a truth that is easily observable merely by spending time with an animal.
And if you try to argue, 'Oh, well, it's just instincts and hormones and chemicals in the brain, it's not really thinking', then I submit to you that humans are no different. We are still not sure how much of our minds and personalities are made up of mere instincts and chemicals. Does the source make them any less valid? Does the fact that someone is depressed merely because their brain chemicals are unbalanced make their depression any less distressing? No. So why should a horse's sorrow at being left alone in a pasture be any less valid? Certainly, that sorrow is caused by the horse's instinctual desire for companionship, but that doesn't make it any less real, nor the horse less lonely.
Anyway, that little rant aside (which the book doesn't touch on, so don't be put off from the book because of it), this is an excellent book. There are a few slow parts in the beginning, but once you get past those, you will find an engaging and moving true story.
because of extenuating circumstances, it took me much longer to finish this book, but i would have torn through it if i could. the information in this book went beyond the story of Jim Key, but provided a rich history from the civil war to the early 20th century.
This is an informative and well-researched read filled with fascinating history about both animal and man. I greatly enjoyed reading it and learning all about Jim Key and his loving owner Dr. Key who trains Jim key with patience and kindness. It was fun to read about Jim Key’s talents and learn about Dr.Key’s achievements in his personal life and training Jim Key. Their story is really an inspiring and remarkable part of history.
I ended up giving it four stars because the author has a tendency to get off track with topics and sometimes leap into other unrelated information within chapters. Other than that, I really loved this book. If you’re an animal lover, horse fanatic, or a history fan I highly recommend reading it.
I ended up giving it four stars because the author has a tendency to get off track with topics and sometimes leap into other unrelated information within chapters. Other than that, I really loved this book. If you’re an animal lover, horse fanatic, or a history fan I highly recommend reading it.