Horses Dont Fly Review Summary Essay

Gabriel A. Cabreja
Mr. Valentine
HIS
December 1, 2014

Book Review #3

The book Horses Don’t Fly was about a man named Fredrick Libby who was born and raised in Colorado. He lost his mother while he was still a young boy, and was raised by his father, older-brother, and his housekeeper. Growing up, Libby’s first job and passion was breaking horses. Throughout the book, Libby gives his readers a lot of stories about his experiences on horses. Libby eventually grows out of breaking horses and decides to go out and look for new work. Along with his friend, Berry, they wind up in Canada looking for an employment opportunity. After working on a farm for some time, and losing most of their money on an oil investment (which ended up being a scam), Libby and Berry found themselves in Canada with no work and short with money. To their surprise, a Canadian Army recruiter came up to them and asked them if they were interested in joining the Canadian Army, in a truck driving unit, that pays well and they would return back home around Christmas (which was the date it was assumed the war would be over). Being that they didn’t have any other choice given their circumstances, they accepted and joined. Upon joining and going through all the preliminary stages of enrollment, Libby finds out that he’ll lose his American citizenship by joining the Canadian Army, but proceeds to join it anyway. During his time in the Canadian Army he isn’t fully content with his experience working in his motor unit. Soon after, Libby volunteered to join the Royal Flying Corps (RFC). Upon joining the RFC, Libby held the position of observer, a position that required him to assist the pilot during the course of flight and battle. Being recognized for his astonishing work as an observer, Libby was awarded the Military Cross for his actions. He was later promoted in rank and in position, becoming a pilot in 1917. Due to his experiences , Libby was transferred from the RFC, to join the American Air Service. It was here when Libby discovered that he suffered from spondylitis which left him unfit to participate in the American Army. The author’s main idea for this book was to give his readers a view into his life’s journey and how he became a World War I veteran. He describes his early life when he lived in Colorado and broke horses for a living. From Libby moving to Arizona and went Canada in search of work. He describes in vivid detail his experiences working for the Canadian Army, as well as his time serving as an observer and pilot for the RFC. He describes all the pilots in his Squadron, who were close to him. Libby also describes to the readers aspect, of fighting in the air, his personal battles, the negative experiences he faced, and how he became one of the more renowned RFC pilots. Throughout the book Libby is giving his personal accounts about what occurred during is time at war. So because of that, he want to give his readers a mental image as long as a storyline to follow by which describes Libby’s World War I experience. Personally, the only bias/opinion that I believe the author may have had was about his time spent with the Canadian Army. We all know he joined the army in Canada because he was short on money and the opportunity presented itself, but when compared to his time in the RFC, he speaks extremely dully about the Canadian Army except for when he describes certain people. For example, he was a part of the Motor Unit in the Canadian Army, but when he describes his job duties, responsibilities, and certain tasks, Libby talks about it briefly and is extremely dull. He doesn’t give that portion of the book the emotion it deserves. When compared to his time in the Royal Flying Corps, were he vividly expresses how he feels when he’s flying, his passion for the plains, and proudly speaks about his awards and achievements. The author clearly wrote this book about himself, because at the beginning he begins by expressing to

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