Long Shot: My Bipolar Life and the Horses Who Saved Me - Hardcover

Harris, Sylvia; Boone, Eunetta T.; Boulware, William H.

3.64

145 ratings by Goodreads

9780061714443: Long Shot: My Bipolar Life and the Horses Who Saved Me

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0061714445 ISBN 13: 9780061714443

Publisher: Ecco Pr, 2011

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The author describes her battle with bipolar disorder and the surprisingly calming effect that horses had on her condition. 30,000 first printing.

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Review:

"An inspirational story."--Kirkus Reviews

"[A] truly compelling tale of the havoc mental illness can wreak and how a passion can lead to healing."--Booklist

"Inspiring. . . . One of the more interesting sports book that you will find."--Philadelphia Tribune

"Heart-wrenching. . . . Highly recommended for people struggling with [bipolar disorder] and anyone who loves them. . . . [Harris's] fighting spirit emanates from the page."--BlackVoices.com

"An edgy, unapologetic account of [Harris's] race to outrun the illness that consumed her. . . . A tribute to the power of the horse to calm, contain and inspire."--The Economist

An edgy, unapologetic account of [Harris s] race to outrun the illness that consumed her. . . . A tribute to the power of the horse to calm, contain and inspire. --The Economist"

Terrifically insightful [and] beautifully crafted, this book pulls no punches. . . . Each page of "Long Shot" reminds us once again of the adage that the outside of a horse is good for the inside of a person. --Lowell Sun"

Heart-wrenching. . . . Highly recommended for people struggling with [bipolar disorder] and anyone who loves them. . . . [Harris s] fighting spirit emanates from the page. --BlackVoices.com"

[A] truly compelling tale of the havoc mental illness can wreak and how a passion can lead to healing. --Booklist"

An inspirational story. --Kirkus Reviews"

From the Back Cover:

Seabiscuit meets Manic when Sylvia Harris, a single mother crippled by her struggles with bipolar depression, discovers the healing, calming effect of horses.
Alcohol. Lithium. Buddhist chanting.

To quiet the voices in her mind, Sylvia Harris tried all of the above. At times, her manic behavior led her to dress up as a cowgirl and show off her imaginary rope skills in the middle of a quaint Northern California village, or spend the night in a torpor of fear awaiting the alien invasion she knew was on the horizon. At its worst, it led her to look for love in all the wrong places and create a family she had difficulty caring for. Although she sometimes found temporary relief and brief moments of calm, darkness always followed. At the nadir of her twenty-year battle with bipolar depression, Harris found salvation in the most unlikely of places: Cardinal Farm, an equine ranch outside of Orlando, Florida.

Harris had always been drawn to animals, but she had no idea of the healing power she would discover while working with horses. And though she still experienced raging highs and destabilizing lows, eventually—through grooming, caring for, and, against all odds, racing horses—she was able to find stability and, ultimately, joy.

With an unflinching eye toward her weaknesses and the pain that her life decisions have inflicted on others, Harris examines the ravaging power of her bipolar behavior and the magical power of horses, showing us how the mythic interspecies connection between humans and these magnificent animals continues to astonish and inspire.

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