The ride of her life: the true story of a woman, her horse, and their last-chance journey across America
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NATIONAL BESTSELLER • The #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Perfect Horse and The Eighty-Dollar Champion presents a “heartwarming [and] engaging folk-hero biography” (Kirkus Reviews) of a woman who fulfilled her lifelong wish to see the Pacific Ocean by riding her horse across America.
“[Letts] vividly portrays an audacious woman whose optimism, courage, and good humor are to be marveled at and admired.”—Booklist, starred review
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, the three travelers 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.
“[Letts] vividly portrays an audacious woman whose optimism, courage, and good humor are to be marveled at and admired.”—Booklist, starred review
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, the three travelers 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.
Subjects
Subjects
Biographies
Biography & Autobiography
History
Horsemen and horsewomen
Horsemen and horsewomen -- Travel -- United States -- Biography
Large print books
Nature
Nonfiction
Overland journeys to the Pacific
Travel
Travel with horses
Travel with horses -- United States
Travel writing
Wilkins, Mesannie
Wilkins, Mesannie -- Travel
Biography & Autobiography
History
Horsemen and horsewomen
Horsemen and horsewomen -- Travel -- United States -- Biography
Large print books
Nature
Nonfiction
Overland journeys to the Pacific
Travel
Travel with horses
Travel with horses -- United States
Travel writing
Wilkins, Mesannie
Wilkins, Mesannie -- Travel
More Details
ISBN:
9780525619321
9780593414064
9780525619338
9780593400654
9781648383397
9780525619345
9780593414064
9780525619338
9780593400654
9781648383397
9780525619345
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Grouping Information
| Grouped Work ID | f2a20631-f780-c4d8-cc84-cec010114111 |
|---|---|
| Grouping Title | ride of her life the true story of a woman her horse and their last chance journey across america |
| Grouping Author | elizabeth letts |
| Grouping Category | book |
| Grouping Language | English (eng) |
| Last Grouping Update | 2025-01-04 15:59:06PM |
| Last Indexed | 2025-01-04 15:59:30PM |
Solr Fields
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0
accelerated_reader_reading_level
0
author
Letts, Elizabeth
author_display
Letts, Elizabeth
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Online OverDrive Collection
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"In 1954, Annie Wilkins, a sixty-three-year-old farmer from Maine, embarked on an impossible journey. She had no relatives left, she'd lost her family farm to back taxes, and her doctor had just given her two years to live--but only if she "lived restfully." He offered her a spot in the county's charity home. Instead, she decided she wanted to see the Pacific Ocean just once before she died. She bought a cast-off brown gelding named Tarzan, donned men's dungarees, loaded up her horse, and headed out from Maine in mid-November, hoping to beat the snow. She had no map, no GPS, no phone. But she had her ex-racehorse, her faithful mutt, and her own unfailing belief that Americans would treat a stranger with kindness. Between 1954 and 1956, Annie, Tarzan, and her dog, Depeche Toi, journeyed more than 4,000 miles, through America's big cities and small towns, meeting 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 who loved animals as much as she did. As Annie trudged through blizzards, forded rivers, climbed mountains, and clung to the narrow shoulder as cars whipped by her at terrifying speeds, she captured the imagination of an apprehensive Cold War America. At a time when small towns were being bypassed by Eisenhower's brand-new interstate highway system, and the reach and impact of television was just beginning to be understood, Annie and her four-footed companions inspired an outpouring of neighborliness in a rapidly changing world"--
format_category_mellen
Audio Books
Books
eBook
Books
eBook
format_mellen
Book
Large Print
eAudiobook
eBook
Large Print
eAudiobook
eBook
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isbn
9780525619321
9780525619338
9780525619345
9780593400654
9780593414064
9781648383397
9780525619338
9780525619345
9780593400654
9780593414064
9781648383397
itype_mellen
BOOK - HARDCOVER
BOOK - PAPERBACK
LARGE PRINT BOOK
BOOK - PAPERBACK
LARGE PRINT BOOK
last_indexed
2025-01-04T21:59:30.234Z
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Non Fiction
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Non Fiction
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Online OverDrive
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Online OverDrive Collection
primary_isbn
9780525619321
publishDate
2021
publisher
Ballantine Books
Books on Tape
Random House Large Print
Random House Publishing Group
Books on Tape
Random House Large Print
Random House Publishing Group
recordtype
grouped_work
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Biographies
Horsemen and horsewomen -- Travel -- United States -- Biography
Large print books
Overland journeys to the Pacific
Travel with horses -- United States
Travel writing
Wilkins, Mesannie -- Travel
Horsemen and horsewomen -- Travel -- United States -- Biography
Large print books
Overland journeys to the Pacific
Travel with horses -- United States
Travel writing
Wilkins, Mesannie -- Travel
title_display
The ride of her life : the true story of a woman, her horse, and their last-chance journey across America
title_full
The Ride of Her Life The True Story of a Woman, Her Horse, and Their Last-Chance Journey Across America
The ride of her life : the true story of a woman, her horse, and their last-chance journey across America / Elizabeth Letts
The ride of her life : the true story of a woman, her horse, and their last-chance journey across America / Elizabeth Letts
title_short
The ride of her life
title_sub
the true story of a woman, her horse, and their last-chance journey across America
topic_facet
Biography & Autobiography
History
Horsemen and horsewomen
Nature
Nonfiction
Overland journeys to the Pacific
Travel
Travel with horses
Wilkins, Mesannie
History
Horsemen and horsewomen
Nature
Nonfiction
Overland journeys to the Pacific
Travel
Travel with horses
Wilkins, Mesannie
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