Half Broke Horses A True-Life Novel [Paperback]

Half Broke Horsesis Laura Ingalls Wilder for adults, as riveting and dramatic as Isak Dinesen’sOut of Africaor Beryl Markham’sWest with the Night.Destined to become a classic, it will transfix readers everywhere.

“Those old cows knew trouble was coming before we did.” So begins the story of Lily Casey Smith, Jeannette Walls’s no-nonsense, resourceful, and spectacularly compelling grandmother. By age six, Lily was helping her father break horses. At fifteen, she left home to teach in a frontier town—riding five hundred miles on her pony, alone, to get to her job. She learned to drive a car and fly a plane. And, with her husband, Jim, she ran a vast ranch in Arizona. She raised two children, one who is Jeannette’s memorable mother, Rosemary Smith Walls, unforgettably portrayed inThe Glass Castle.

Lily survived tornadoes, droughts, floods, the Great Depression, and the most heartbreaking personal tragedy. She bristled at prejudice of all kinds—against women, Native Americans, and anyone else who didn’t fit the mold. Rosemary Smith Walls always told Jeannette that she was like her grandmother, and in this true-life novel, Jeannette Walls channels that kindred spirit.Half Broke Horsesis Laura Ingalls Wilder for adults, as riveting and dramatic as Isak Dinesen’sOut of Africaor Beryl Markham’sWest with the Night. Destined to become a classic, it will transfix readers everywhere.This reading group guide forHalf Broke Horsesincludes an introduction, discussion questions, and ideas for enhancing your book club. The suggested questions are intended to help your reading group find new and interesting angles and topics for your discussion. We hope that these ideas will enrich your conversation and increase your enjoyment of the book. 
 

 
Introduction

Jeannette Walls’s grandmotlƒn