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They Shoot Horses, Don't They?
They Shoot Horses, Don't They?: A Novel | Horace McCoy
13 posts | 15 read | 23 to read
In McCoys stunning portrait of poverty and powerlessness during the Great Depression, two struggling young actors risk everything to participate in a dance contest as their last-ditch effort at survival in Hollywood When a dance marathon craze sweeps the country, Hollywood film extras Robert and Gloria join dozens of other desperate young men and women to compete in a multi-day, dance-till-you-drop spectacle. Most dancers are hoping to get noticed by major movie studios. But as live audiences cheer and jeer, bodies drop, fists are thrown, and the trendy contest quickly becomes a cutthroat nightmare for its participants. They Shoot Horses, Dont They? stands next to The Grapes of Wrath as one of the most convincingand heartbreakingfictional portraits of America during the Great Depression. It was also made into a classic film starring Jane Fonda and directed by Sydney Pollack. This ebook features an extended biography of Horace McCoy.
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Oryx
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Pickpick

This was so good. Very noir, very bleak. I'd been aware of the title but had no idea what it was about. I then went down a 1930s depression-era dance marathon rabbit hole 🤯

Suet624 Have you seen the movie? 2d
BarbaraBB I loved this one! 2d
LeahBergen Stacked! I‘ve been meaning to read this for years. 2d
See All 8 Comments
Oryx @Suet624 no. Should I watch? 2d
Suet624 Well it‘s depressing, for sure, but it is considered a classic. A young Jane Fonda is in it. 2d
Oryx @Suet624 I just watched the trailer. I'll hopefully find it somewhere to watch. 2d
julesG Internet archive? 2d
Cathythoughts Sounds good 👍🏻 stacking. 2d
50 likes3 stack adds8 comments
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SpaceCowboyBooks
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Also read this today, an odd one

Susanita I remember seeing the movie when I was a kid and I didn‘t get it. 1y
36 likes1 stack add1 comment
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BC_Dittemore
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Pickpick

One of the best early crime novels I‘ve read. While the end is pretty much given away at the beginning, the way McCoy structures the story, mixing Robert‘s testimony seamlessly with how he got to that point, keeps the reader invested. The excerpts between chapters (almost like subtitles) of the judge‘s sentencing is a stroke of genius. And McCoy‘s precise and skillful writing is a cut above other hard boiled authors of the time.

BarbaraBB Loved this! 2y
BC_Dittemore @BarbaraBB it‘s really impressive. Pulp fiction isn‘t regarded for its stellar writing, but McCoy doesn‘t miss a beat here 2y
5 likes2 comments
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Lcsmcat
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Thank you @Daisey ! How sweet of you. And your timing is impeccable- it arrived on my birthday! 😊 I can‘t wait to read it!!

merelybookish Happy birthday! 🎈🎉💐 3y
Daisey Yay! Happy Birthday! 🥳 📚 I hope you enjoy it. I found this one really interesting. 3y
LeahBergen Happy Birthday!! 📚❤️📚❤️ 3y
BiblioLitten Happy Birthday 🎊💐💕 3y
42 likes1 stack add4 comments
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suffisaunce
Pickpick

Novelette with the read time and grip of actual film noir--characters beyond moral resolution, yet this cannot be argued of the work itself. The dance marathon-as-human rat race metaphor works because McCoy's realism is quasi-lived. This was a really ugly historical phenomenon. And while racialized elements may shock non '30s buffs along with violence, this is one whose ultimate surprising depth lovers of literature will be able to appreciate.

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gradcat
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#timbittunes

(Day 26 - #DanceMetotheEndofLove)

I think it‘s self-explanatory...

mcctrish I remember watching this movie on tv and being a bit young to totally understand it but it still having an impact on me . I kept thinking about it afterwards, the way books do and realizing there was a whole other level of movie out there 6y
Cinfhen Perfect🏆💃🕺🏻 6y
TheKidUpstairs Love it! 6y
gradcat @mcctrish It really was an excellent movie, but I was the same as you—too young to understand. If you watch it again sometime, I think you‘ll see why it left an image on your young brain even if you didn‘t fully understand it. It‘s so powerful & quite sad. 6y
gradcat @Cinfhen @TheKidUpstairs Thank you both! 🙏 Maybe I‘m getting the hang of this. The best thing is all of the music, some of which evokes such wonderful memories (& nostalgia). 6y
66 likes5 comments
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sprainedbrain
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Pickpick

This little book from our #1001Discoveries group surprised me. It‘s not a happy story, but it‘s somehow very cheerful, even with the abrupt, unhappy ending you know is coming all along. Excellent writing about a 1930s dance marathon and the ‘kids‘ that are slogging through it. A short, fascinating read.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

#1001books

starlight97 And do they shoot the horses? 😱😨 6y
sprainedbrain @starlight97 The only horse involved is in a short memory the main character has... but yes. ☹️ 6y
hilded Read it last year, fascinating read indeed 👍 6y
arubabookwoman Great movie with Jane Fonda too. 6y
107 likes7 stack adds5 comments
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BarbaraBB
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'Here they are again folks! These wonderful, wonderful kids! Still struggling! Still hoping! As the clock of fate ticks away, the dance of destiny continues! The marathon goes on, and on, and on! How long can they last!'

This great novel combines a dance marathon with existentialism.

#OneDance #HeatofJuly

hilded Great book! 6y
Cinfhen That cover 🙄😂 6y
BarbaraBB @Cinfhen Google 😂 6y
See All 9 Comments
MicheleinPhilly I was like, “Wow, that‘s some hair dude.” Then realized it was just crappy shading. 6y
Songsofhome @MicheleinPhilly I was thinking exactly the same! 6y
emilyhaldi Wow can‘t believe I‘ve never heard of this one but I‘m into it!! #stacked 6y
BarbaraBB @emilyhaldi it‘s short and good. Quite a special read! 6y
ladym30 I liked the movie. 6y
65 likes1 stack add9 comments
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Riveted_Reader_Melissa
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Pickpick

A quick read and easy read, set during a Marathon Dance contest, filled with young people looking for the free food, the grand prize, and maybe being discovered by some Hollywood bigwig... and all of it saturated with that pervasive feeling of impending doom you get from other great short stories like The Lottery.

#Reading1001
#1001Discoveries

57 likes1 stack add
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Daisey
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Pickpick

Not at all a cheery story, but I enjoyed this short novel. For once, the cover blurb might actually describe it best as “a lurid tale of dancing and desperation.” I stopped in the middle to look up factual information about dance marathons during the Depression which made the story hit even harder.

#Reading1001 Randomized List
#1001books #1001Discoveries

BarbaraBB Such a surprise, this one. Really enjoyed it. 7y
Daisey @BarbaraBB Agreed, I liked it much more than I expected, and it taught me about something I really knew nothing about. (edited) 7y
59 likes1 stack add2 comments
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Creadnorthey
Pickpick

Who would have thought a dance marathon could be so violent and sexy? Completely unexpected at many points but a crisp read in the noir genre- with a stone cold hearted ending.

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BarbaraBB
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Pickpick

A quick read on a Sunday morning. A great read. Existentialism in the context of a dance marathon, who would have thought of that? So much is told in 120 pages, it leaves me sad, but also glad I discovered this one through the list. Don't let yourself be fooled by the title: it's not about horses!
#1001books

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JenlovesJT47
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You guys might get sick of me by the end of the day. #booksintomovies are some of my favorite things to read since I'm also such a huge movie fan. This particular shelf on my goodreads has 90+ at the moment! These are my latest acquisitions from the used bookstore. #septphotochallenge #bookandmovienerd #bookintomovie 🤓