Another compelling book by Jeannette Walls. This is sorta like a prequel to The Glass Castle, which I had previously reviewed. Half Broke Horses is a biography on Jeannette Walls' late grandmother, an amazing woman who was fearless and unafraid to break traditions. Interestingly, the book was written in the first person and I am pretty impressed at how Walls managed to revive the spirit of her grandmother. You can almost believe that the book was written by Lily Casey Smith herself.
Lily Casey Smith was born on a farm and at a young age, was able to tame half broke horses that people might have given up on. She was the tough one amongst the three Smiths, while her youngest sister was the pretty one that everyone thought would have a bright future. Unfortunately, that was not the case. Lily's sister had dreams of Hollywood but never quite made it. Instead, she got herself pregnant and later killed herself when she could not live with the humiliation.
Lily's resume would have impressed many, even at this age and time. She was a rancher, teacher, pilot, horse tamer (she could put many a cowboys to shame), etc. She had a lot of gumption, uprooting herself from home on a horse and travelled for months just to accept a teaching job. She seemed to be invincible! I wished we could all be a little more like her, be a little less fearful, not afraid of taking risks, love adventures a little more....
I think all women should read this book, in the hope of finding that adventurer hiding in us...
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