Hillenbrand's first book was the acclaimed Seabiscuit: An American Legend (2001), a non-fiction account of the career of the great racehorse Seabiscuit, for which she won the William Hill Sports Book of the Year in 2001. They were college sweethearts and married in 2008. She now lives in Washington, D.C, with her husband, Borden Flanagan, a professor of Government at American University. People at these vigorous moments in their lives-it's my way of living vicariously. And it's just fantastic to be there alongside Louie Zamperini as he's breaking the NCAA mile record. It was a beautiful thing to ride Seabiscuit in my imagination. I can't have it physically, so I'm going to have it intellectually. On the irony of writing about physical paragons while being so incapaciated herself, she says, 'I'm looking for a way out of here. She has struggled with the condition ever since, remaining largely confined to her home. She studied at Kenyon College in Gambier, Ohio, but was forced to leave before graduation when she contracted Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. 'I read it to death, my little paperback copy,' she says. A favorite of hers was Come On Seabiscuit, a 1963 kiddie book.

Born in Fairfax, Virginia, Hillenbrand spent much of her childhood riding bareback 'screaming over the hills' of her father's Sharpsburg, Maryland, farm. Laura Hillenbrand is an American author of books and magazine articles. National Book Critics Circle Award Nomination, 2002 Awards-William Hill Sports Book of the Year Award.Seabiscuit was adapated to film in 2003 and stars Jeff Bridges and Tobey Maguire. Laura Hillenbrand beautifully renders this story of one horse's journey from also-ran to national luminary. The rags-to-riches horse emerged as an American cultural icon, drawing an immense following and becoming the single biggest newsmaker of 1938 - receiving more coverage than FDR or Hitler.

But, thanks to the efforts of three men, Seabiscuit became one of the most spectacular performers in sports history. Seabiscuit was an unlikely champion: a roughhewn, undersized horse with a sad little tail and knees that wouldn't straighten all the way.

Seabiscuit by laura hillenbrand