The Sport of Kings by C.E. Morgan

I delayed reading this book for the longest time primarily because of the horse racing. This book isn't about horse racing of course but it does contain a lot (read too much) about horses and horse racing. It's about rage and 'spoiled inbred racist motherfuckers'. I admired so much about this book and its epic sprawling storytelling. Morgan's ability to examine racism, ambition, privilege, the legacies of slavery, the role and treatment of women and the mythology of the South while rendering a page-turning story and carefully drawn characters is nothing short of breathtaking. I did, however, find the Darwinian evolution and genetics ideas a little laboured. The writing here is inspired.