Cover Image: Running with Sherman

Running with Sherman

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Member Reviews

So, while visiting Frisco, Colorado, I stumbled across a program at the local history museum about pack burro racing. The burros who were visiting were crazy cute, and I met a couple of racers, one of whom was a girl in her teens (racing [and occasionally winning] against men and women of all ages). I was impressed! So when I saw this book, I was compelled to read it. (Turns out, it was written by Christopher McDougall, who wrote [extremely well] "Born to Run", a book I enjoyed several years ago.)
Who knew there is a Triple Crown of pack burro racing (all run in Colorado)? Who knew that working with burros is soooo personal (both on the part of the human, AND the burro)?

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Running with Sherman
by Christopher McDougall

This was a wonderful read. As a fan of donkeys and running, this book was written just for me, but others will love it as well. It is a human interest story that weaves through the lives of all of the people who helped Christopher and Sherman prepare for the race in Colorado. The drama and asides throughout the book were engaging and kept the narrative moving. If this was fiction, it would be unbelievable, but it is non-fiction and it is excellent.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an eARC in exchange for an unbiased review.

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I loved this book. Christopher McDougall is a fantastic storyteller and lives a life that is interesting enough to be full of these marvelous stories. I find his little offshoot stories to be incredibly fascinating and in general, his writing just makes me feel good. If you want a read that’s a lot of fun and full of heart, this is a win.

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When the dung-covered donkey, hobbled by overgrown hooves, arrives at Christopher McDougall ‘s farm, he doesn’t think the animal will survive. But the donkey christened Sherman, does, and McDougall—with a host of help--nurses him back to health as the unlikely pair train for a burro race up and over a Colorado mountain. An inspiring, laugh-out-loud account of healing.

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This book was an absolute joy to read! Not only did I get a kick reading about the burro races, but I found it a heart-warming story about what it means to be yourself and love others who are different than you. I will be recommending this title to an upcoming Senior's book club.

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As the old adage goes, you can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make him drink. That may be true, but what about this: you can lead a donkey to the road, but you can’t make him run.

That’s the question asked by author Christopher McDougall in his new book “Running with Sherman: The Donkey with the Heart of a Hero.” In this nonfiction account, McDougall tells the story of Sherman, the donkey that he and his family rescued. From sad, almost tragic beginnings, we watch as Sherman – thanks to the boundless love and patience of Chris and his family and friends – goes from a shy, sickly, socially maladjusted donkey to a lean mean racing machine … eventually.

It’s a story about a donkey, yes. But it’s also a story about the lives that are touched by the indomitable spirit of that donkey. Through the successes and the bumps in the road alike, Sherman’s refusal to give up serves to rally the people around him. It’s the story of a man who has moved his family into the middle of Amish country in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. The story of a man touched by the generosity and gentleness of the Amish people.

The story of a man and his donkey.

Chris McDougall and his family were settling into their new life in Amish country in Pennsylvania. The adjustments weren’t always easy, but they managed to make it all work. They were happy, living a more removed life (though not nearly as removed as their Amish neighbors). One of the things they found themselves doing was taking in stray and unwanted animals, so when Chris was approached about taking in a donkey rescued from an animal hoarder, he figured it would be more or less like every other rescue.

Instead, a tragically sick animal arrived. This donkey’s fur was patchy. His hooves were overgrown. He could barely move. And worst of all, he had spent so much time isolated in a tiny stable that he didn’t really know how to be a donkey. Thanks to a little help from some of his neighbors, Chris was able to get the donkey – now named Sherman – headed in the direction of physically healing.

Emotionally? That was another story.

Chris watched as Sherman struggled to deal with his new life. There were baby steps – the biggest was when he made friends with a decidedly weird, borderline iconoclastic Oberhasli goat named Lawrence – but the donkey still seemed adrift, unable to deal with the realities of just being a donkey. It wasn’t until a friend told Chris that what a donkey needs more than anything is a job.

So Chris gave him one.

But it wasn’t pulling a plow or carrying a passenger. No, Chris had something a little different in mind. He was going to train Sherman to be a racing burro. That’s right – a racing burro. They were going to train and Sherman was going to run with Chris in the World Championship in Colorado.

What followed was an incredible journey, one that expanded to involve not just Chris and Sherman, but many others. Chris couldn’t do it all alone, you see. He needed the help of others – burro racers and goat farmers and troubled young neighbors. Oh, and the noted Vella Shpringa Amish running club (yes, really).

Along the way, we learn more about Chris and the people closest to him, his family and friends, all of whom are just as committed to help this troubled little donkey become a racer. It isn’t easy, with plenty of obstacles presenting themselves along the way, but Sherman proves to be quite a resilient beast, ready to tackle anything so long as his friends are by his side.

“Running with Sherman” is a magical read, one that elicits surprised chuckles even as it tugs at the heartstrings. The motley crew – both human and animal – that it introduces is an absolute delight; McDougall clearly has a gift for fully rendering the people that he meets. The term “inspirational” is a loaded one when it comes to books, but it’s an apt descriptor here; the story of Sherman’s journey – and McDougall’s alongside him – does inspire, capturing the beautiful spiritual connection that exists between man and animal.

And while McDougall is at the story’s center, it is the characters at the tale’s outskirts that truly fascinate. Amish runners in full skirts or suspenders striding through the woods under the full moon. Teenage girls who overcome potentially fatal childhood ailments to become burro racing champions. Young men whose surface-level perfect lives succumb to depression, only to find solace in jogging alongside a donkey.

(Again, it can’t be stressed enough – burro racing is a very real thing, a throwback type of event that celebrates the rough-and-tumble mining town past of the places where the races are held. Burros and humans run side by side; the burro carries a standardized set of tools designed to represent the usual kit used by miners.)

It’s a special thing to genuinely fall in love with someone you meet in the pages of a book. Rest assured: you can’t help but fall in love with Sherman the determined donkey. “Running with Sherman” is charming and hilarious, heartfelt and sincere. It’s a wonderful read for anyone who has loved an animal that needed to be loved … or has faced a challenge that seemed insurmountable but had someone there to stand (or run) alongside them.

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This heartwarming book reminds us humans that to truly flourish we need to value our connection with nature and animals. In rescuing Sherman, the McDougall family made themselves and all the others involved in Sherman’s training much healthier in mind and body.

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Thank you to NetGalley and Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group for sending me a free ARC copy in exchange for an honest review.

Unfortunately, Running with Sherman wasn’t the book for me, but the author is clearly talented with storytelling and I liked his humorous outlook on life. I did enjoy many of the interesting tidbits throughout, especially the short section on animal therapy with inmates (which decreased the percentage of repeat offenses in the example included) and the author’s experiences with a part of the Pennsylvania Amish community.

Running with Sherman started out slow, but began to pick up by chapter 5. However, I quickly began to lose interest as the chapters seemed to get more and more disjointed. Since this is my first book by McDougall I’m not sure if this is his writing style, but each chapter goes off on a tangent that eventually connects with the main story. But, by the time the author reaches that connection the chapter is over and I’ve forgotten both the point of the chapter and lost track of the main story, which I found increasingly distracting.

Don’t get me wrong, the author’s stories are entertaining and I generally enjoyed reading them, but they weren’t the reason I picked up the book. I picked up Running with Sherman to read about Sherman and the author’s journey to get a rescue donkey ready for a burro race the following year in Colorado. I would have enjoyed more time spent on that and less time spent on tangent stories and the author’s friends and family. Additionally, I was really uncomfortable reading the author’s account of others’ personal struggles, especially since it was unclear if he had gained prior permission to share those stories. I did not feel these stories were the author’s to share, and I hope the ambiguity surrounding that issue is cleared up in the final version.

Overall, this just wasn’t the book for me but thank you again to NetGalley and Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group for the privilege of reviewing an ARC.

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This book will not be for everyone. If you enjoy reading about animals and some of their quirky behaviors you will enjoy the story. For every quirky animal out there, there has to be a quirky owner. Members of the donkey family often get a bad rap for being ornery, obstinate creatures. If people can hang on to the animals, and gain their trust, a whole new world opens up, and a donkey will be a friend for life. Chris McDougall and his wife Mika took in a rescue donkey who was close to death. After giving some of their animals ridiculous names they decide this donkey had to have a mature, adult name, and they chose Sherman. Chris decided to enter Sherman and himself in a burro race in Colorado. With less than a year to prepare for the race, Chris must learn to understand how Sherman thinks. Chris ended up with another burro and a donkey, Matilda and Flower, and they all went to Colorado to run the race. Two additional burros needed two additional trainers (or the burros needed two additional people they could train!). Each person who worked with the burros developed the mental strengths of their burros, and the people learned their own strengths and weaknesses right along with the burros.

This story is laugh-out-loud funny in places! The story is also educational. McDougall lives in a remote area of Pennsylvania, with Amish neighbors. He has included chapters about Amish life, ultra-running, the history of Leadville, Colorado and the beginnings of burro racing.

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