Description: Death of a Racehorse by Katie Bo Lillis investigates the dark undercurrents of modern horse racing through two major scandals, exposing a sport plagued by drug abuse, class tensions, and profit-driven neglect of animal welfare. With insider access, Lillis reveals how ambition, wealth, and flawed industry practices have pushed horses beyond their limits in a system prioritizing money over ethics.
Brief description: Katie Bo Lillis is a CNN senior reporter covering intelligence and national security. Prior to her role at CNN, she worked for Atlantic Media traveling the Middle East, covering America's wars. But she was raised in the saddle in rural Virginia, and her first love was thoroughbred horse racing. She now lives on a farmette with a small barn in northern Virginia with her husband and son.
Review Quotes: "[A] penetrating debut.... a disturbing exposé of horse racing's dark underbelly." --Publishers Weekly
This informative and compelling read is sure to attract an audience far beyond the first-Saturday-in-May crowd. --Booklist (starred review) "This is an amazingly insightful, detailed, and convincing book about why the problems with American horseracing are so complicated and difficult to resolve. Maybe the best thing about it is that Katie Bo Lillis has some hope. Now that I've read it, I do, too."--Jane Smiley, Pulitzer Prize winning author of A Thousand Acres and Lucky "I was on the edge of my seat. Death of Racehorse is a serious piece of reporting, deeply researched and beautifully told. This isn't just a book about horse racing--it's a thriller-like read about money and power in America. I learned a lot. A very special thanks to Katie Bo Lillis for writing this terrific book." --Wolf Blitzer, CNN, The Situation Room