Beautiful Jim Key: The Lost History of a Horse and a Man Who Changed the World

Amazon.com
An inspirational tale that was nearly buried beneath the detritus of time (namely floods and fires), Beautiful Jim Key recalls the remarkable life of a remarkable horse at the turn of the previous century. Revered not for his speed on the track, Beautiful Jim Key was instead a cerebral celebrity who electrified fairgoers from St. Louis to Boston with apparent feats of mathematics, reading, and writing, even making change for a dollar. But as might be expected, author Mim Eichler Rivas's story is about much more than a horse from Tennessee imbued with a staggering intellect. It's also about Jim Key's equally remarkable trainer, Dr. William Key, a black man and onetime slave who narrowly survived the American Civil War, prospered against all odds, and emerged as a wealthy inventor, self-trained veterinarian, and community pillar. Dr. Key's use of kindness and patience to train Jim, rather than the de rigueur tactics of beatings and intimidation, gave way to fresh thinking about animal husbandry at a time when animals were considered virtually inanimate. And then some: "The horse and the man from Tennessee had not only helped pioneer the humane movement but had, over the past seven years, in direct and indirect ways, changed the face of popular entertainment. [Suddenly], the big-budgeted theatrical productions began adding nonhuman cast members to their shows." The author provides ample scene-setting color, especially when describing the various exhibitions Jim Key headlined, and does a reasonably good job of footnoting her various claims about Jim's mental prowess, though occasionally the reader wonders how, exactly, she decoded the horse's thought process. Her writing style is also somewhat tepid, but still, there is no doubt that Jim Key was an exceptional horse in an exceptional era guided by an exceptional man. Thanks to Rivas, Seabiscuit must now share a posthumous marquee along with Beautiful Jim Key. --Kim Hughes

From Publishers Weekly
Starred Review. In the days before television, movies and even radio, World's Fairs and other annual expositions were among America's most popular forms of mass entertainment. From 1897 to 1912, one of their largest draws—attracting tens of thousands of wildly enthusiastic fans daily—was a horse. Beautiful Jim Key, whose owner, Dr. William Key, "taught [him] by kindness," could, according to awed contemporary accounts unearthed by longtime ghostwriter/collaborator Rivas (Finding Fish), add, subtract, spell, cite Bible passages and pluck silver dollars from the bottom of a barrel without drinking the water. Impressive as those feats were, though, they're just one part of this captivating, if occasionally fussy, literary excavation of lost Americana. There is the remarkable life of Dr. Key: born a slave, he was a Union sympathizer in the Civil War even as he saved the lives of his owner's Confederate sons. He was a self-taught veterinarian of great renown, a polished peddler of patent medicine and the man who transformed a bay stallion crippled at birth into "the smartest horse who ever lived." Rivas shows how the intimate bond between horse and man prompted hundreds of thousands of schoolchildren to pledge "always to be kind to animals" and propelled the growth of animal-rights and anti-cruelty groups. The world was smaller at the turn of the 20th century; this book's compelling claim that one horse and one man changed it is not, in context, overly brazen. 16 pages of b&w photos not seen by PW. Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Berry Gordy
"A wonderful true story of an extraordinary horse and an equally extraordinary man. Beautiful Jim Key, is astonishing."

David Geffen
"Like Laura Hillenbrand’s SEABISCUIT, this brilliantly recreated history of BEAUTIFUL JIM KEY is destined to become a classic."

Bob Womack, author of The Echo of Hoof Beats: History of the Tennessee Walking Horse
"Beautiful Jim Key represents a rediscovered treasure that has lain hidden for almost a century. . . . Remarkable"

Entertainment Weekly
"Rivas’s engaging story is filled with eyebrow-raising details."

Entertainment Weekly
"Engaging . . . filled with eyebrow-raising details."

Parade
"Compelling...provides a vivid slice of Americana."

Knoxville News-Sentinel
"Rivas performs an important service by bringing this story to light and reminding us how it was almost lost."

People
"If Beautiful Jim Key were alive today, he’d have a movie deal."

Contra Costa Times
"A wonderful slice of American life at the turn of the last century . . . [Rivas] deserves praise."

Contra Costa Times
"Beautiful Jim Key is a wonderful slice of American life at the turn of the last century . . . [Rivas] deserves praise."

Book Description

For close to a century, a majestic chapter of American history has been buried in an obscure grave in Shelbyville, Tennessee. Beautiful Jim Key, the onetime ugly duckling of a scrub colt that became one of the most heralded and beloved heroes of his day, was famous neither for his beauty nor his speed but instead for his exceptional intelligence. Said to have an I.Q. equivalent to that of a human sixth-grader, Jim exploded on to the national scene in 1897 by demonstrating inexplicable abilities to read, write, spell, do mathematics, tell time, sort mail, cite biblical passages, and debate politics.

For the next nine years, Jim performed in nationwide expositions and world's fairs to wildly receptive crowds, smashing box-office records, overcoming hurdles of prejudice and skepticism, all the while winning rapturous praise from the press and leaders such as President McKinley, Booker T. Washington, and Alice Roosevelt Longworth.

In this breathtaking saga, Jim's astonishing journey is coupled with that of his trainer and best friend, Dr. William Key, a self-taught veterinarian, former slave, Civil War veteran, prominent African-American entrepreneur, and one of the most renowned horse whisperers of his time -- a man who shunned all force in the training of horses, instead relying on kindness and patience.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

"For close to a century, a majestic chapter of American history has been buried in an obscure grave in Shelbyville, Tennessee. Beautiful Jim Key, the one-time ugly duckling of a scrub colt that became one of the most heralded and beloved heroes of his day, was famous neither for his beauty nor his speed but instead for his exceptional intelligence. Said to have an I.Q. equivalent to that of a human sixth-grader, Jim exploded on to the national scene in 1897 by demonstrating inexplicable abilities to read, write, spell, do mathematics, tell time, sort mail, cite biblical passages, and debate politics." "For the next nine years, Jim performed in nationwide expositions and world's fairs to wildly receptive crowds, smashing box-office records, overcoming hurdles of prejudice and skepticism, all the while winning rapturous praise from the press and leaders such as President McKinley, Booker T. Washington, and Alice Roosevelt Longworth." In this saga, Jim's astonishing journey is coupled with that of his trainer and best friend, Dr. William Key, a self-taught veterinarian, former slave, Civil War veteran, prominent African-American entrepreneur, and one of the most renowned horse whisperers of his time - a man who shunned all force in the training of horses, instead relying on kindness and patience.

FROM THE CRITICS

Publishers Weekly

In the days before television, movies and even radio, World's Fairs and other annual expositions were among America's most popular forms of mass entertainment. From 1897 to 1912, one of their largest draws-attracting tens of thousands of wildly enthusiastic fans daily-was a horse. Beautiful Jim Key, whose owner, Dr. William Key, "taught [him] by kindness," could, according to awed contemporary accounts unearthed by longtime ghostwriter/collaborator Rivas (Finding Fish), add, subtract, spell, cite Bible passages and pluck silver dollars from the bottom of a barrel without drinking the water. Impressive as those feats were, though, they're just one part of this captivating, if occasionally fussy, literary excavation of lost Americana. There is the remarkable life of Dr. Key: born a slave, he was a Union sympathizer in the Civil War even as he saved the lives of his owner's Confederate sons. He was a self-taught veterinarian of great renown, a polished peddler of patent medicine and the man who transformed a bay stallion crippled at birth into "the smartest horse who ever lived." Rivas shows how the intimate bond between horse and man prompted hundreds of thousands of schoolchildren to pledge "always to be kind to animals" and propelled the growth of animal-rights and anti-cruelty groups. The world was smaller at the turn of the 20th century; this book's compelling claim that one horse and one man changed it is not, in context, overly brazen. 16 pages of b&w photos not seen by PW. Agent, Elizabeth Kaplan. (Feb. 1) Forecast: Animal lovers, horse fanciers, Civil War buffs and fans of Seabiscuit (the horse, the book and the film): there are a number of distinct audiences for this fine book, and a PBS documentary should help spread the word. Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.

Library Journal

While looking for a new story, Rivas, ghostwriter for Antwone Fisher's best-seller Finding Fish, discovered an amazing one in her own home state. In Shelbyville, TN, in 1889, Dr. William Key-a former slave, self-taught veterinarian, and shrewd businessman-bred a valuable Arabian mare from the Barnum and Bailey Circus with a Hambletonian, expecting a trotting race winner. Instead, a crippled, sickly colt was born and soon orphaned when the mare died. Dr. Key named it Jim after a town drunk and Key after himself, and having discovered the horse's intelligence, taught him tricks and then numbers and the entire alphabet. Jim also learned to spell and do simple arithmetic. Together, Jim Key and Dr. Key became very influential through their many public performances in furthering the cause of humane treatment for animals and even better treatment of children. While skeptics might note that the facts supporting the horse's ability to read and do math came from advertising pamphlets, the book remains valuable for its well-researched, little-known history of middle Tennessee, the state's role in the Civil War, and Dr. Key as a former slave. Librarians should note that Jim Key's story is being made into a PBS documentary. Highly recommended for all public libraries.-Patsy Gray, Huntsville P.L., AL Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.

Kirkus Reviews