Running with Sherman: The Donkey with the Heart of a Hero

4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars | 3,690 ratings

Price: 17.72

Last update: 09-10-2024


About this item

"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.


Top reviews from the United States

Kindle Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars Fun, heartwarming story with extra knowledge sprinkled in
Reviewed in the United States on August 23, 2023
Running with Sherman is a fun, heartwarming story with extra knowledge sprinkled in. We learn about a family who moves out to the countryside, and takes in unwanted animals. One of those lucky critters happens to be Sherman, the donkey who needs a purpose, and how the author and his family help to make their dreams for Sherman come true. Along the way, we learn about living and being assisted by kind Amish neighbors; depression and how adrenaline can play a part, as well as animals being part of the solution; and so much more! Most exciting for me, we learn about donkey/burro racing, both the history and how it's done today, as well as preparing for such a run. Sherman and his friends, both animal and human, provide a funny and good-willed cast of characters that kept me reading to the end. I'll have to check out some more McDougall books...
BThankful
5.0 out of 5 stars Great book to read
Reviewed in the United States on July 28, 2024
Great book to read; keeps one highly engaged in its story. Still reading first chapter, but am continuing to read with interest.
Goose
4.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic & motivational!
Reviewed in the United States on July 11, 2022
I only gave this 4 Stars because the 5 Star review is reserved for Born To Run. Christopher McDougall is a great writer and has a "no frills" style. He doesn't spend three paragraphs describing a sunset like other authors and he knows his audience. This book is fantastic and even brought a tear to my eye a few times. When I lose my motivation for running/working out from time to time, I often reread Born To Run or this book to light my fires again.
D Diamondo
5.0 out of 5 stars heartwarming and inspiring
Reviewed in the United States on August 18, 2024
McDougall is now officially my favorite author. I read Born to Run in one sitting, and likewise couldn’t put Running with Sherman down. I was sad when I finished it because it brought me so much joy to read about how a scruffy little donkey could inspire so many people to achieve things beyond most peoples’ imagination.
deborah
5.0 out of 5 stars Good read.
Reviewed in the United States on August 10, 2024
Nice book.
Heklathemorriganandme
5.0 out of 5 stars Life, love and Long Ears
Reviewed in the United States on January 19, 2020
.... this is a wonderful, roller coaster of a book that will twist your heart strings, make you laugh out loud and remind you that the most important part of life is discovering and embracing a purpose. The second most important is to always be compassionate and see the other person (and donkeys!) point of view and thirdly; be FLEXIBLE! (I could easily add #4: have a sense of humor!)

This book was well written and authentic. I’ve been an Equestrain for more years than is prudent to admit to, and Chris does a great job of keeping it real and not diminishing Sherman and his fellow burro teammates. A mentor once told me, ‘ mules are like horses, only more so’. It’s so very true of the mules and donkeys...they don’t suffer foolish humans and they have self preservation in spades. Humans can bully and exploit horses, the “long eared legion” a.k.a. Donkeys & Mules, won’t put up with a nasty human for one nanosecond. They will give it their all as long as they feel like it’s their idea (fun with a purpose) and that they are an equal partner.
Working with Sherman proved that nothing less than a partnership would do; for all members of team Sherman. It’s crazy how it sneaks up on you. If you work with any form of animal rehabilitation you know that you and the critter have to meet in the middle and pull together for a common goal. Nothing will force a human to change as deeply as several hundred pounds of equine. The horse is the mirror to your soul. (Or in this case, The Donk!) They reflect back what we give ....and they don’t lie.

It was easy to engage and feel connected with the various people in the book and root for them in their trials and triumphs. I felt like they were old friends by the close of the book. (Which I almost hated to see end!...)

Great easy, conversational style read. Bonus points for reviving my faith in humanity and supportive, caring community. Read it and Enjoy! Who rescued whom??!! Go Sherman!
Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars A Must-Read if You Want to Understand Donkeys - and People
Reviewed in the United States on November 8, 2023
A Must-Read if You Want to Understand Donkeys - and People. I've messed with mules and horses for years and what MacDougall writes in Running With Sherman is spot on - from how you can't force a donkey to do anything to the importance of tuning into what they're trying to communicate. I especially enjoyed MacDougall's tone of voice - funny, factual and clever, but especially kind with none of the self-centered drama around which so many books are built these days. A terrific read for anyone that enjoys a great yarn, animals, learning about the Amish and a good laugh. Highly recommended!
Josie
3.0 out of 5 stars I wanted to like it....
Reviewed in the United States on February 23, 2024
This book was highly recommended by a horsewoman friend and I expected to like it. So I was disappointed when the story ricocheted from one family to another, one donkey to another, and really one addiction to another. I'm pretty sure I don't like the idea of driving donkeys over rough terrain in long distance races and the people doing the running/driving seem to be driven by demons of their own. I did find the insight that letting/forcing teenagers train exhaustively for individual sports like gymnastics, swimming, ice skating, etc. can lead to their developing brains becoming dependent on the endorphins created by those repeated extreme training sessions, predisposing them to profound depressive episodes as adolescence ends and they move to other phases of their lives where they do not have time or inclination to push their bodies to these extremes and therefore do not have the self-created chemicals they have come to depend on. I wish the people could find some peace and quit driving the donkeys.

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