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Reviewed by Bil Howard for Readers' Favorite
Jock Travers has an enormous challenge ahead of him as he dreams of becoming a top jockey in a tough world. Stephen Halstead tells how Jock overcomes the many difficulties in his life in Everywhere Spirit. Having grown up in a home where the abuse that was dished out came from the scourge of alcohol, Jock is struggling to follow in one set of his father’s footsteps, but not in the other. Having been a top jockey in his time, alcohol wasted Jock’s father away to nothing. Jock discovers from an early age that he is connected to an Apache teen within his spirit and through his dreams. As he struggles through trying to overcome alcohol abuse himself, a suspension by the racing commission and a shady connection with the mob, Jock’s Apache connection and his search continue to move him forward before all of the promise of a successful career falls apart. As solid as a YA coming of age novel as it is a historical fiction.
Stephen Halstead knows horses and knows racing. It only takes a few chapters of Everywhere Spirit to understand that you are conversing with someone who has a great deal of knowledge of racing history. Alongside this expansive knowledge, Halstead has done an excellent job of drawing the reader into a deep, emotional connection with the struggling teen as he searches for answers and fights to create a career with all of the odds against him. Through his dreams as an Apache warrior and the profound teachings of their people, Jock is given the power to adapt and change in order to rescue himself from destruction. Entertaining, engaging and inspiring, Everywhere Spirit will take a tight grip on the bit in your mouth and keep you focused until the very end. Excellent read!