Geraldine Brooks on the grim legacy of American slavery, racism and injustice in 'Horse'

Good Reading Podcast

A discarded nineteenth century painting depicting a magnificent horse and its proud black groom is the starting point for Geraldine Brooks' deep dive into one of the darkest periods in American history. Kentucky 1850. Enslaved groom Jarret, forges a close bond with a foal that will carry it to the highest echelons of thoroughbred racing in America. On the eve of the Civil War an itinerant young artist makes his name from painting the horse reconnects with Jarret on a perilous night far from the glamour of the racetrack. In this sweeping story of spirit, obsession and injustice Geraldine Brooks sets the reader on a journey from the antebellum to the present day in a powerful and compelling portrait of the enduring consequences of slavery. In this episode Gregory Dobbs chats to Geraldine Brooks about her mid-life obsession with horses and the research that led her to one of the greatest thoroughbred racing stories story in history, the exploitation of enslaved black trainers, jockeys and grooms and the plundering of their expertise for the benefit of their white owners, and why it was important to connect this grim history with events in the 21st century.