Kirkus Star
THE KIRKUS STAR
Awarded to Books of Exceptional Merit

BROWSE BOOK REVIEWS




Kentucky Derby Books


Cover art for AFFIRMED
NONFICTION
Released: April 1, 2011

"Engaging history of perhaps horse-racing's finest moment."
Sports historian Sahadi (One Sunday in December: The 1958 NFL Championship Game and How It Changed Professional Football, 2008, etc.) tells the story of Affirmed's 1978 Triple Crown triumph. Read full book review >
Cover art for LORD OF MISRULE
FICTION
Released: Nov. 14, 2010

"Exceptional writing and idiosyncratic characters make this an engaging read. "
A novel of luck, pluck, farce and above all horse racing--not at tony and elegant sites like Churchill Downs and Ascot but rather at a rinky-dink racetrack in Indian Mound Downs, W.Va. Read full book review >
Cover art for CROSSFIRE
FICTION
Released: Aug. 1, 2010

The late Dick Francis's 44th, and last, canter around the track echoes several of his greatest hits. Read full book review >
Cover art for WILD HORSE ANNIE AND THE LAST OF THE MUSTANGS
NONFICTION
Released: March 16, 2010

"Given that the fight continues to protect wild horses and ban the slaughter of horses of whatever kind, this book is timely, though it pales next to Deanne Stillman's Mustang: The Saga of the Wild Horse in the American West (2008)."
Modest tale of a scrappy advocate for wild horses and her three-decade battle for their protection. Read full book review >
Cover art for HORSEPLAYERS
NONFICTION
Released: May 1, 2005

"Amusing, opinionated, rambling and filled with a dizzying array of handicapping formulas--in short, everything a horse-racing book should be."
A Chicago journalist spends a lively year playing the ponies. Read full book review >
Cover art for BLOOD HORSES
NONFICTION
Released: April 1, 2004

"Reflections from horse country about equine bloodlines, as well as the author's own. (20 b&w illustrations)"
The offspring of a journalist tells of equine bloodlines and, not incidentally, his own family history. Read full book review >