"Teaching Narcissus to Swim" will surprise you with its clear,
innocent voice and its artistic beauty. There's nothing Greek about
this book except the title reference. On the contrary, it is
quintessentially American. Half Indian, half cowboy, protagonist
Buck McKuen is a naive runaway boy the morning he arrives in
rough-and-tumble Ruidoso, New Mexico. He has witnessed his father's
untimely death, clashed with his brother and left his family's
ranch in the Osage Hills of Oklahoma to make his own way in a world
of unexpected complexity. By summer's end he has experienced love,
loss and all the thrills which accompany one of the world's most
dangerous occupations-that of a jockey. Blessed with talent and
high spirit, Buck finds himself in a world of temptation, prejudice
and danger. Surrounded by men twice his age who care little if he
survives or dies in a stampede of hooves and vices, Buck struggles
to define himself as he experiences unrequited love, shame, comedy,
tragedy and exhilarating glory. His lone ally in this fast-paced
journey is Billy Powers, the charismatic, flamboyant narcissist
whose friendship is both a blessing and a curse. Buck's enemies
include the vicious Wayne Carano, a skilled and ruthless jockey and
Jack Harnes, a wealthy, bigoted Texan and the father of Buck's
first real girlfriend. These characters, along with others in the
book, are portrayed with unflinching honesty by a masterful
storyteller.
"Teaching Narcissus to Swim" brings together scoundrels, heroes and
horses in a background of intrigue and suspense. Initial reactions
to the book range from wild acclaim from champion jockeys and
sports commentators to complaints that it constitutes an unfair
expose of a time honored sport. Veteran of a lifetime in horse
racing, both as a participant and an executive, author Scott Wells
puts you in the jockey's saddle as no one else can. He also
portrays, as if with firsthand knowledge, the lust, the greed and
the recklessness which form an essential flaw of the male character
so visible in many of today's professional athletes. Like all good
literature, "Teaching Narcissus to Swim" causes the reader to
glimpse into the mirror of his or her own character. In this
breakthrough novel, Wells portrays an archetypal American hero and
his flawed mentor. Like Huck Finn and Billy the Kid on the loose
together, they romp and ride through one unforgettable summer in
the Land of Enchantment. This is a timeless work, performed with
clarity and courage. Readers will savor it from the first page to
the last.
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