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Horse Racing and "Lord of Misrule"

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We speak with 2010 National Book Award winner Jaimy Gordon — and ride into the world of horse racing.

Trolley the horse arrives at the premiere of "Secretariat" in Los Angeles, Sept. 30, 2010. (AP)
Trolley the horse arrives at the premiere of "Secretariat" in Los Angeles, Sept. 30, 2010. (AP)

The National Book Awards are the Oscars of literature — the big night.

Last month, the prize went to near-unknown novelist Jaimy Gordon, the dark horse contender, for writing about horses -- racing, the track, the stables, grooms, jockeys, trainers, and gamblers.

She didn't write about the big races - the Triple Crown, Kentucky Derby stuff. Her story is set in the down-and-out world of dusty, third-tier tracks and hard-scrabble dreams.

Jaimy Gordon is with us, as well as Bill Nack, the man who wrote “Secretariat”.
-Tom Ashbrook
Guests:

Jaimy Gordon, author whose novel "Lord of Misrule" won the 2010 National Book Award. Read the recent New York Times profile of her.

William Nack, longtime writer for Sports Illustrated whose most recent book is "Secretariat" — it's the inspiration for the new movie by the same name. He's also author of "My Turf: Horses, Boxers, Blood Money, and the Sporting Life."

This program aired on December 17, 2010.

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