sociopaths and Smiley

[c. j. jackson]

Hello Everyone! I’m C. J., a frequent reader of horse blogs though I’m
horseless.

I’ve recently moved to Kentucky and have found that animals are
treated appallingly here. So when I read that Mugs was reading The
Sociopath Next Door in order to understand horse abusers, I decided to
give the book a try. I’m not yet finished with it, but wondered if
anyone in the club felt enlightened about animal abusers—a group in
which I lump the agribusiness employees who beat downer cows into the
slaughterhouse queue and who mindlessly throw ill-but-very-much-alive
chickens into Dumpsters. I suspect that most animal abusers are not
sociopaths but very good compartmentalizers, for they act with
conscience and compassion in other parts of their lives. Kentucky
Senator Rand Paul is a perfect example. He’s known for his charity to
the vision-impaired, yet he sees horses simply as property and
believes horse owners should be free to do with their property as they
please.

I’m only halfway through Barn Blind, a book I’d avoided reading
earlier because it’s clearly labelled a “tragedy.” (I’m trying to keep
my reading life “light” these days because real life has been tragic
enough.) On the other hand, I’d avoided reading Smiley’s Horse Heaven
(because I’m opposed to much of the racing industry) until last year
and ended up loving it. I can understand anyone’s reluctance to choose
it for a book club because of its considerable length, but it’s so
engaging that the pages just fly by. Smiley’s writing from the
perspective of the animal characters is especially clever and lovely.

I see that some of you aren’t keen on Smiley, but I’m not sure why.
Some of her books, like Barn Blind, are bleak and dark; others, like
Horse Heaven and Moo, are funny and philosophical. I hope you give her
another chance. I think it’s important to note that Barn Blind was
Smiley’s very first novel. Twenty years later, she published Horse
Heaven and four years after that she published A Year at the Races,
her nonfiction collection of anecdotes and reflections on horses. In
her intro, she writes “every horse story is a love story” and notes
that little has been published on this topic. Since then, as you all
know, the blogosphere has added a great deal of anecdotal evidence
supporting Smiley’s beliefs about equine emotions and intelligence and
the equine-human bond, though scientific research still lags on the
subject.

As for Barn Blind, it’s a tense read for me because I dread whatever
is about to happen next. However, Smiley’s characters are brilliantly
realized, from their inner monologues to the personas they present to
the public. And because they’re so real, it’s uncomfortable to spy on
their lives (especially the very scary Kate, who probably should not
have been allowed to breed—horses or children). I can’t speak for the
equestrian details, though. I’m interested in hearing the “horsaii”
crowd’s reaction to their authenticity. So far, my limited knowledge
of the equine lifestyle hasn’t hampered my reading or enjoyment of the
book. The comments here lead me to think there may be no further
discussion on this book, though I hope that’s not the case.

One more thing: Is anyone here familiar with the magazine The BARK?
It’s described as The New Yorker for dog lovers and contains a perfect
blend of essays, behavioral and health information, and feature
articles on all things DOG. I highly recommend it. I would like to
subscribe to whatever the horse counterpart is. Is there a New Yorker
for horse lovers?

Thank you, Mugs, for starting this book club. I look forward to
following its progress.

C. J. Jackson
blogger at LULL: Practicing Life Between the Past and the Future
http://lillslull.blogspot.com/

[j.hunt...@q.com]

Thanks C.J.! I'm getting more into the book the further I go...I'm hoping we have a few more out there that are hanging in.

[Amy Dreyer]

C.J., what good timing you have!  I had read your mini-review and went to the library to find that they were selling used paperbacks for 50 cents, and what do I see on the table but "Moo"!  


Grey

[c. j. jackson]

Grey,

I love those kind of finds! Moo skewers academia and its politics, a
topic that may or may not be interesting to you. Because I have a
number of friends who have worked at universities, I've heard some
crazy stories about bureaucracy, favoritism, and irrational decisions
made in these workplaces. Smiley's depiction of an ivory tower touches
on all of this. Happy reading!

cj

[Amy Dreyer]

Oh now what's really funny is I showed it to some friends who came over, and they recognized the author.  Apparently she worked at Iowa State University, and that's kinda what she based "Moo" on.  Apparently she really didn't like working here...(I live in Ames!)  Too funny!

   On the original subject, I finished up "Barn Blind" and...Hmm.  Quite an abrupt ending, but honestly I don't know how else she could have ended it.  There is no resolution since it's dealing with a family, and with families you just don't get resolutions, especially families that are so dysfunctional.  I'll do a more thorough write up on the book soon.

   Grey

[j.hunt...@q.com]

wait! don't tell to much, I'm not done yet!

---

From: "Amy Dreyer" <greyd...@gmail.com>
To: whoahprah-whi...@googlegroups.com
Sent: Sunday, March 18, 2012 9:12:19 PM
Subject: Re: sociopaths and Smiley

[Amy Dreyer]

That's mainly what I was waiting for, I don't like giving out spoilers. ;) 

[j.hunt...@q.com]

Than you...I'll get to it.

---

From: "Amy Dreyer" <greyd...@gmail.com>
To: whoahprah-whi...@googlegroups.com

Sent: Sunday, March 18, 2012 11:11:59 PM