Beautiful Jim Key: The Lost History of a Horse and a Man Who Changed the World | 
 enlarge | Author: Mim Eichler Rivas
Publisher: William Morrow
Category: Book
List Price: $25.95
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Avg. Customer Rating:  22 reviews
Sales Rank: 285382
Media: Hardcover
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 352
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.4
Dimensions (in): 9.1 x 6.2 x 1.4
ISBN: 0060567031
Dewey Decimal Number: 179.3
EAN: 9780060567033
ASIN: 0060567031
Publication Date: February 1, 2005
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Condition: New - may have a small remainder mark on the edge.
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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
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. Masterful storyteller and bestselling author Mim Eichler Rivas at long last gives two cultural icons their due, not only unraveling the mystery of their disappearance but examining how, thanks to the rare and intimate relationship between horse and man that was championed by promoter and humane activist Albert R. Rogers, a dramatic shift took place in the public mind that made kindness to animals a cornerstone of modern civilization and helped launch the animal rights movement. Unveiled against the backdrop of American history, BEAUTIFUL JIM KEY is their incredible tale.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 17 more reviews...
 Study of times, people, animals and goodness September 28, 2007
This story of a good man who made a good life for himself, his family and his animals, built from circumstances that were to say the least, less than the best, is a case study in human nature.
I cannot help but contrast Dr. Key with Michael Vic. Key was a man born into slavery and from that experience, chose to treat all life with respect. He and his horse became a catalyst for the change in public sentiment that came as a result of his goodness toward animals and activity the American Humane Movement. Michael Vic who, when also given a life of plenty, choose the opposite path. It seems to be a sad commentary.
I must heartily endorse the book. It is a good story and a good read.
 Altruism or Commercialism September 3, 2007
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
I found this story an interesting story about race relations and progress in teaching society about kindness to animals at the turn of the 19-20th century -- after I got through the heavy emphasis on commercialsim. However, the heavy thread of commercialism that ran throughout was very off-putting to me -- probably it was a big thread in the author's source materials. She tried to present the story with the exploitation of Jim Key's talents as a key to acceptance of kindness of animals in our society as a main theme -- but I saw that as more of a side benefit of the humans' desire to become wealthy -- a "gimmick" used to further the commercialization of Jim Key. To me altruism truly exists only where the primaries are not attempting to gain anything for themselves, whether that be money, reputation, or praise. Hence this story is about commercialization, not altruism. Now it is true that Bill Key highly valued kindness to animals and that he was uncompromising about the right of Jim Key to enjoy the wealth too -- and that was a great and unusual characteristic at that time (and probably still is today) -- but it does not change the fact that commercialization seems to me to be the main theme of the story. In fact the author seems to make more points about the promoter's innovative commercializations than she does about the progress of teaching kindness to animals.
Both Beautiful! May 7, 2007
Both Jim Key and Dr. Key were beautiful! What a lovely story...even better because it's true. Mim Rivas' research is extensive and detailed. It's good that a documentary is in the works...so that others will know the story...and perhaps read the book.
 Wonderful story--but poorly told March 18, 2007
I am a longtime horse and animal lover, as well as a person with active interests in the humane movement. I was so excited to hear about this book--especially since I live in middle Tennessee and have been to Shelbyville numerous times and had never heard of Jim Key or the humans surrounding him.
However, I finished reading the book tonight and was left feeling terribly frustrated. The book was confusingly written--at times it seemed more like a stream-of-consciousness narration than a compilation or unearthing of a historical story. The author's lack of attention to timelines made it difficult to follow--a less interested reader would probably have put it down early on. In addition, there was such obvious and annoying bias towards A.R. Rogers and his odd behavior after Dr. Key passed--the flowery adjectives used to describe him are less fit for anything resembling history but more for one of the pamphlets he'd have written! Those are just a few of the flaws of this book, sadly obscuring a wonderful and unknown history.
I'm no great author, but I do love reading and good writing. This book was a terrible disappointment. That said--it is an amazing story that other reviewers have summed up nicely, and that alone garners the 2 stars.
A book well worth every word. January 29, 2007
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
There are those who have horses, then there are those who love and live with them. This book will truely touch the heart of those whos' horses are part of the family, and not just an object to be sold when no longer usefull. Me and my wife have aquired 12 horses who are perfectly healthy, but other people tossed away as used cars. We have seen that even though they are not as intelligent as Jim Key they do possess the ability to think and act unlike what most give credit for. This story made me cry as well as smile and just admire this magnificant horse. Its so true today we need another Jim Key as animal abuse still runs rampit in our society, but thanks to him and his influence, many, many animals are spared and saved by our human societies of today. I also found the history of William Key very fascinating, bringing your mind insync with the way those lived back then and how both the man and his horse faced the same obsticles in early american society on two differant levels. This book is sure to open ones mind not only to the feelings and wellfare of our animals, but even those feelings of our fellow human beings, no matter what race or color they may be as horses of all colors can get along in a herd, maybe we should be learning from these so called "stupid animal" as so many portray them. I have since then payed a visit to the Jim Key memorial as I needed to see for myself, to be closer in body as the book took me there already in mind. I thank the author for her hard work and research for such a book which is already affecting us once again, even to the point that Breyer has released a Jim Key model and I only hope to see this story maybe taken further into a full length movie or film, another true story which will surely equal if not surpass that of our other famous equines who have etched thier names in the making and history of our own race.
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