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A Woman’s Journey of Healing and Transformation through the Way of the Horse by LINDA KOHANOV New World Library $24.95 (hardcover)
Because of this eclectic mix, readers are not required to be horse lovers or even riders. (I’m not.) Kohanov only asks us to accompany her on the process that changed her life and happens to have involved horses. Throughout, her voice is authentic enough to be convincing, her own amazement persuasive enough to be inspirational. At the beginning of The Tao of Equus, the author admits to roping wild coyotes for fun and holding some of the belief that animals were "functional possessions, biological machines that lost their value if they were broken." Although she already thought of herself as an animal lover, Kohanov began to see a deeper relationship developing with her horses. Following a route as old as time, she moves from relating to her animals as cherished belongings to recognizing their worth as educators for her. The schooling really heats up when Rasa, an expensive black mare, becomes lame, and Kohanov must choose between subjecting her to a dangerous operation or permanently losing her as a mount. With a last-minute decision, the learning catches fire. In the moment when the animal is chosen over her role, a shift begins between horse and woman. One of the many outstanding parts of The Tao of Equus: the parallels Kohanov draws between the treatment of abused horses and abused women. Frankly sharing from her own history, she makes a convincing case for the similarities. Another outstanding part of the book: the in-depth analysis of the unique experience of horses. Following a rather Jane Goodall-like method of inquiry, Kohanov relates her insider observations about the idiosyncrasies in "the way of the horse." She infers many lessons for herself and her readers through this technique, always adding plenty of narrative and anecdotal corroboration as well as intuitive footnoting. The Tao of Equus is compelling and well written. A good entertainment book as well as an excellent source of inspiration and support, it’s for giving to yourself or a friend when times are tough. It’s also for giving to anyone who wants to see a good writer recording an impressive research and self-discovery process, a paradigm for journalers! |
The Tao of Equus
is my new favorite book to tell everyone to read. It’s
a true story that reads like a novel — one that deserves
to be a movie, kind of a meld of Black Beauty and The
Color Purple with some mythology and dream interpretation
thrown in for good measure!