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The Ride of Her Life: The True Story of a Woman, Her Horse, and Their Last-Chance Journey Across America

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Annie did that too. She was living in extreme poverty which continued throughout her cross-country journey. It was surprising how she survived largely because of the kindness of strangers who took joy in the opportunity to help her, stable her horse and provide her food and sleeping accommodations. That was what America was like in the 1950's before TV taught us to distrust everybody after watching dozens of frightening crime shows. As I read, impressed with her tenacity, I had to reflect on how little Annie's world resembled my own. I marveled at how safely she traveled, assisted by so many, believing this would not be what she would encounter trying to make such a journey today, which saddened me. She was a strong and strong-willed woman, but she lived in a time when we were not as afraid of our neighbors and strangers as we seem to be now. She defied many odds, including her doctor's prediction. Her experience was extraordinary enough that veterinarians treated her animals free most of the time and it was heartwarming to see that they were all each other's life companions.

Annie Wilkins, a sixty-three-year-old Maine farmer, embarked on a challenging journey in 1954. Despite facing multiple hardships, including failed marriages, the recent loss of her brother and father, financial difficulties, and the loss of her farm, Annie had a dream to visit the Pacific Ocean before her life expectancy of two years, as confirmed by her doctor due to a recent recovery from pneumonia. Her desire to fulfill her late mother’s wish to see the Pacific Ocean also motivated her. The times were different and Annie became a celebrity with newspapers taking on her story and so she was a well-known figure as she approached a new town. She depended on the kindness of strangers, who welcomed her with open arms and gave her food, medical care, and a place to spend the night. They celebrated her birthdays and holidays and gave her a sense of belonging she had never known before. I felt as if I were there, astride a horse by Annie’s side, experiencing her remarkable journey as it unspooled. Touched by the kindness of strangers all along the 4,000-mile, two-year trip, clopping on new highways, through streams and up mountains, in blizzards and scorching heat, through large cities and small, to fulfill a final wish.It is both a sad story of a woman who worked very hard her whole life and was pretty much penniless and it is also very inspiring story of a woman who at such age is so brave and wanders into unknown. I loved this book! It’s a wonderful non-fiction account of Annie Wilkins and her late-in-life adventure across the United States in the mid 1950’s. She travels on a horse with a dog, and at some point she catches an attention of reporters and people start following her story. Annie kissed his little head with tears in her eyes. Two years. She opened the door of her house and stood there, looking around.

The tale is also nostalgic. Most chapters touch on the cultural history of mid-20th-century America and the postwar prosperity that transformed the U.S. You will read about; the hurrying to build interstate highways for the seven-million-dollar cars that were being produced, the brand new supermarkets that took over the General Stores, the brand new McDonalds restaurants, which forever changed how families eat when they travel. In addition, all of America fell in love with, “I Love Lucy” because owning a TV became the norm. Most importantly there is an emphasis on Americans helping strangers. Not sure if we could say that today.Before she started traveling she lived on family property in Minot, Maine only a few miles from where she was born. Sadly, her health failed and she was given a diagnosis of terminal cancer (2 to 4 years left, they said). They offered her a place in a rest home. She was in her early sixties. She decided that was not how she wanted to spend the last years of her life. Instead she bought a horse, probably part Morgan, just before he was to be sent to a glue factory. She named him Tarzan and was determined to ride him across the country to California. Her dog would accompany them. Annie Wilkins lives in rural Maine, and is endeavoring to continue to run the family farm. It hasn’t gone well. Between a series of events beyond her control and an aging body, she falls behind, and then more so, until the bank gives notice of foreclosure. At the same time her lungs aren’t doing well; the doctor gives her two or three years to live, but only if she does so restfully. She is offered a place at the county home, which is essentially a charity lodging for the indigent. I received this Advance Review Copy (ARC) novel from the publisher at no cost in exchange for an honest review. In August 1955, she reached Cheyenne, Wyoming, where she witnessed the annual Frontier Days, a renowned rodeo event. Annie met some famous people and became famous herself, once her story was published as a human interest in local newspapers. She got numerous job offers and even an offer of marriage.

All this to say, great book, true story, precious animals, a brave and positive-thinking old woman, and the country that I call home. I was concerned about her pets, because she decided to make this cross country trek, seemingly without much forethought, and they had no choice but to follow her to follow her. However, I was impressed with the care she took of her animals. If you like nearly lost causes, horses, American travel, American trivia, history, and adventure, you must read this book. Although I will say that it drags in some places and it does not have a happy ending for all concerned, but it is still well worth your time. The triumphant true story of a woman who rode her horse across America in the 1950s, fulfilling her dying wish to see the Pacific Ocean, from the #1 New York Times bestselling author of THE PERFECT HORSE andTHE EIGHTY-DOLLAR CHAMPION. Annie Wilkins was not a woman of the world. She lived her life quietly, working from dawn to dusk at her farm, but at age sixty-three, she made a decision that would impact her life and the lives of countless others. Annie decided to travel from her home in Maine cross country to California.This is an EXCELLENT book based on the true story of Annie Wilkins. She is a farmer in Maine. When she realizes that there is no future in farming in Maine, she buys a horse and sets off on a journey to CA. She, her horse, Tarzan, and her dog, Depeche Toi, experience much. Starting in the fall of 1954, they finally arrive in Hollywood CA in the spring of 1956. Along the way, Annie sleeps outdoors, in jails and in the homes of strangers. One thing she definitely found: that the “American people still welcome travelers as much as they did in pioneer days." Throughout her voyage, Annie, accompanied by Tarzan, Rex, and Depeche-Toi, braved challenges such as crossing snowy mountains, avoiding poisonous snakes, and surviving flash floods while traversing Idaho. Mesannie Wilkins (Annie) was 63 when her doctor told her she had 2 years to live. She’d just recovered from pneumonia when they found a spot on her lung. The doctor wasn’t sure if it was cancer or tuberculosis, but either way the prognosis wasn’t good.

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