Black Beauty by Anna Sewell Book Review -Jan 2018
I have been on a classics kick for a while now. For me, classics are like quilts handed down. The soft, old ones that have been well-loved by the previous generation can be overlooked by the present for a plush, colorful throw. You find that years have gone by and you haven't unfolded Grandma's quilt. Then one day, you die, never having enjoyed the heirloom. What a pity that you never felt the love stitched into that classic piece, all because you wanted the new thing that shined. Up until last year, I hadn't read a single classic. When I realized this, I put off reading anything new until I'd consumed a few. One of my favorites is Black Beauty.
I think the best way to review this book is to hit on some quotes that moved me deeply. But first, a short description.
This read is a first-hand account of a horse's life. Black Beauty is passed from owner to owner, experiencing the many different treatments that are common of varying owners. By the end, you have a better understanding of sympathy, empathy, and the inner-feelings of the beast.
One point Black Beauty hits on is the cruelty of animal-altering. I have a strong disliking for ear-clipping, tail-docking, etc., for cosmetic purposes.
"Why don't they cut their own children's ears into points to make them look sharp? Why don't they cut the end off their noses to make them look plucky? One would be just as sensible as the other. What right have they to torment and disfigure God's creatures?...They always think they can improve upon nature and mend what God has made."
Using tools such that cause pain just so an animal can perform in a "fancy fashion" is nothing short of cruelty.
"...if we could act a little more according to common sense, and a good deal less according to fashion, we should find many things work easier;"
"...how hard-hearted and cowardly it was to hurt the weak and the helpless; but what stuck in my mind was this, he said that cruelty was the devil's own trade-mark, and if we saw any one who took pleasure in cruelty we might know who he belonged to, for the devil was a murderer from the beginning, and a tormentor to the end."
And I love how the author went so far as to dismiss the excuse of ignorance when dealing with animal cruelty...
"Only ignorance! only ignorance! how can you talk about only ignorance? Don't you know that it is the worst thing in the world, next to wickedness? and which does the most mischief heaven only knows. If people can say, 'Oh! I did not know, I did not mean any harm,' they think it is all right."
"...Now I say that with cruelty and oppression it is everybody's business to interfere when they see it;"
The bond between horse and rider is one of a kind...
"...when a good driver and a good horse, who understand each other, are of one mind, it is wonderful what they can do."
And lessons on leading a content life are not few in this gem of a read.
"Well," said Larry, "you'll never be a rich man." "Most likely not," said Jerry; "but I don't know that I shall be the less happy for that. I have heard the commandments read a great many times and I never noticed that any of them said, 'Thou shalt be rich'; and there are a good many curious things said in the New Testament about rich men that I think would make me feel rather queer if I was one of them."
Being a leader, not a follower. Treating others how you'd like to be treated. The dangers of living a life of drunkenness and hard-heartedness. These are all things touched on in a way that will etch such lessons upon your heart.
Language: none
Violence: mild
Sexual Content: none
I give this book a well-deserved 5 stars.
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