The ride of her life: the true story of a woman, her horse, and their last-chance journey across America
(Large Print)
Author:
Published:
New York : Random House Large Print, [2021].
Format:
Large Print
Edition:
First large print edition.
Physical Desc:
xii, 491 pages (large print) : maps ; 24 cm
Status:
Description
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.
Copies
Location
Call Number
Status
Last Check-In
Lac Courte Oreilles Large Print Nonfiction
LP 636.1 LET
Available
Aug 21, 2024
More Details
Language:
English
ISBN:
9780593414064, 0593414063, 9781648383397, 1648383394
Notes
Bibliography
Includes bibliographical references (pages 451-465) and index.
Description
The true story of 63-year-old Maine farmer Annie Wilkins who, in 1954, rode her horse across America, fulfilling her dying wish to see the Pacific Ocean.
Description
"The incredible true story of a woman who rode her horse across America in the 1950s, fulfilling her dying wish to see the Pacific Ocean, from the #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Perfect Horse and The Eighty-Dollar Champion. 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" --,Provided by publisher
Citations
APA Citation (style guide)
Letts, E. (2021). The ride of her life: the true story of a woman, her horse, and their last-chance journey across America. First large print edition. New York, Random House Large Print.
Chicago / Turabian - Author Date Citation (style guide)Letts, Elizabeth. 2021. The Ride of Her Life: The True Story of a Woman, Her Horse, and Their Last-chance Journey Across America. New York, Random House Large Print.
Chicago / Turabian - Humanities Citation (style guide)Letts, Elizabeth, The Ride of Her Life: The True Story of a Woman, Her Horse, and Their Last-chance Journey Across America. New York, Random House Large Print, 2021.
MLA Citation (style guide)Letts, Elizabeth. The Ride of Her Life: The True Story of a Woman, Her Horse, and Their Last-chance Journey Across America. First large print edition. New York, Random House Large Print, 2021.
Note! Citation formats are based on standards as of July 2022. Citations contain only title, author, edition, publisher, and year published. Citations should be used as a guideline and should be double checked for accuracy.
Staff View
Grouped Work ID:
f2a20631-f780-c4d8-cc84-cec010114111
QR Code
Record Information
| Last Sierra Extract Time | Jan 01, 2025 02:17:54 PM |
|---|---|
| Last File Modification Time | Jan 01, 2025 02:18:07 PM |
| Last Grouped Work Modification Time | Jan 02, 2025 06:11:04 AM |
MARC Record
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| 020 | |a 0593414063 |q (large print ; |q paperback) | ||
| 020 | |a 9781648383397 |q (McNaughton bound) | ||
| 020 | |a 1648383394 |q (McNaughton bound) | ||
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| 100 | 1 | |a Letts, Elizabeth, |e author. | |
| 245 | 1 | 4 | |a The ride of her life : |b the true story of a woman, her horse, and their last-chance journey across America / |c Elizabeth Letts. |
| 250 | |a First large print edition. | ||
| 264 | 1 | |a New York : |b Random House Large Print, |c [2021] | |
| 300 | |a xii, 491 pages (large print) : |b maps ; |c 24 cm | ||
| 336 | |a text |b txt |2 rdacontent | ||
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| 504 | |a Includes bibliographical references (pages 451-465) and index. | ||
| 505 | 0 | |a Prologue -- Living color -- Live restfully -- Tax money -- The search -- Leaving home -- Cars -- Strangers -- Jailbirds -- Veterans -- Face in a box -- Horse people and dog people -- The checkered game of life -- Odds -- Party time -- The Clover Leaf Inn -- Log cabins -- A new friend -- Lost -- Maps -- Last of the saddle tramps -- Poison -- Molehills and mountains -- The Red Desert -- Winter again -- A long road -- Tough as nails -- The Golden State -- Epilogue. | |
| 520 | |a The true story of 63-year-old Maine farmer Annie Wilkins who, in 1954, rode her horse across America, fulfilling her dying wish to see the Pacific Ocean. | ||
| 520 | |a "The incredible true story of a woman who rode her horse across America in the 1950s, fulfilling her dying wish to see the Pacific Ocean, from the #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Perfect Horse and The Eighty-Dollar Champion. 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" -- |c Provided by publisher | ||
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| 650 | 0 | |a Horsemen and horsewomen |x Travel |z United States |v Biography. | |
| 650 | 0 | |a Travel with horses |z United States. | |
| 650 | 0 | |a Overland journeys to the Pacific. | |
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| 655 | 7 | |a Travel writing. |2 lcgft | |
| 655 | 7 | |a Biographies. |2 lcgft | |
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