Running with Sherman

The Donkey with the Heart of a Hero

By: Christopher McDougall

Narrated by: Christopher McDougall

"A delight, full of heart and hijinks and humor.... McDougall is a gifted storyteller who gets to the heart of the human-animal connection." (John Grogan, author of Marley & Me: Life and Love with the World's Worst Dog)

From the best-selling author of Born to Run, a heartwarming story about training a rescue donkey to run one of the most challenging races in America, and, in the process, discovering the life-changing power of the human-animal connection.

When Chris McDougall agreed to take in a donkey from an animal hoarder, he thought it would be no harder than the rest of the adjustments he and his family had made after moving from Philadelphia to the heart of Pennsylvania Amish country. But when he arrived, Sherman was in such bad shape he could barely move, and his hair was coming out in clumps. Chris decided to undertake a radical rehabilitation program designed not only to heal Sherman's body but to heal his mind as well. It turns out the best way to soothe a donkey is to give it a job, and so Chris decided to teach Sherman how to run. He'd heard about burro racing - a unique type of race where humans and donkeys run together in a call-back to mining days - and decided he and Sherman would enter the World Championship in Colorado.

Easier said than done. In the course of Sherman's training, Chris would have to recruit several other runners, both human and equine, and call upon the wisdom of burro racers, goat farmers, Amish running club members, and a group of irrepressible female long-haul truckers. An entire community comes together to help save Sherman, and along the way, Chris shows us the joy of a life with animals.

©2019 Christopher McDougall (P)2019 Random House Audio

Sweet entertainment

This story is so well written, so entertaining even with serious moments, and very well read by the author-which is rare.
I couldn't wait to get into it each day.

Enjoyed This Book!!

McDougall does it again. I really enjoyed this uplifting tale. He narrated it well. Very entertaining!!

If you loved Born to Run, you will love this too!

Excellent! I bought this book because I loved Born to Run but admittedly not sure if Sherman could compete. I enjoyed this as much if not more! I love the author and his witty and down to earth story telling. I can't wait for the next book, such pleasure to read his stories.

a batter story

I love Shermsn and his pal. Uplifting story that left me with a smile on my face.

Wonderful!!

This is a heartwarming, inspiring and interesting story— true to McDougall’s masterful storytelling ability that interweaves so much more insight into the basic story.

Sherman, the Spartan of Donkeys AROO!!

Enjoyed this story. I never knew of a this burro racing community, it’s sounds like a weird, fun, supportive, and ultra competitive community. I loved learning more about it. I didn’t want the story to end!! Way to go Sherman!!

so good!! inspiring.

never would have picked this book on my own. a friend pointed me toward it and it's one of my favorites of all time! amazing story. inspiring.

Better Than Born to Run

Having read Born to Run by the same author, I was prepared to be irratated by the over-embellishment of characters within the story and frankly a somewhat off-putting gaukishness toward young ladies and over-dramitized description of Jenn Sheldon. It's not that there wasn't more of the same in Running with Sherman, but because the storyline bounces along to so many different people who made the journey possible, these attempted charactures are more focused and poignant, and the storyline doesn't dwell too long on any particular character. In my view, the book ends up being a great biography of Christopher and Mica as much as Sherman's redemption. I did wonder why we heard so little about his own children in the latter part of the story, but perhaps that is best left untold so that his kids have a chance to escape their father's attempt to define who they are. All in all, it was a great listen. I enjoyed all the miles I ran while listening to it and appreciated the many underlaying themes like community, rural vs urban, understanding our roots, diversity, mental health, physical health, biology, and celebration of the human spirit. Bravo.

Delightful read!

4/5: This was a delightful read! It had so much more depth than I expected yet remained positive focused. McDougall does a great job of layering so many stories that are threaded together by a love for running or burro racing. Who knew burro racing was even a thing? I didn't! The story hinges on a rescue donkey named Sherman. Sherman turns out to be a warrior and a survivor. I also didn't know anything about donkeys so I learned a lot about that as well. This book manages to touch on so many topics: animal hording, animal rescue, donkey training, marathon training, motivation, mental health, family loyalty, community cohesiveness, and so much more! Just an all around enjoyable read!

Everything you expect and love about Christopher McDougal

This book is a captivating and heart warming story which flows like a folktale from the authors heart. And, like Born to Run it is filled with meticulous research and facts which satisfy the readers curiosity about substitutes and history within the plot. This is the perfect uplifting and engaging story for 2020 readers.