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This is essential reading for children and adults alike because it will help them understand the perspective of others.

I listened to the audiobook version of this on a flight from England to Rome this morning to help pass the time. And I wasn’t expecting it to be as good as it was. I thought it would be a nice simple novel about horses that would help me feel relaxed as I tried to forget about my dislike of heights and airports. Instead, it’s a heartbreaking tale with a very powerful animal rights message.

The novel is told in such a clever way. It’s told from the perspective of a horse, Black Beauty. He experiences all manner of treatment from humans: kindness, neglect, ignorance and objectification. Some of his worse experiences are when he is a cart horse. And as I walked round Rome and saw the sad looking horses strapped to carts to drag tourists around the city, it made me think about this even more. Why do we still do this in the 21st century? Why are we still using horses as beasts of burden?

Of course, this is more prevalent in other parts of the world and in other cities. And it was even more prevalent during the era in which this book was written. And it is so easy to forget about the silent victims of society and history. This novel asks us to look a bit closer; it ask us to consider what our way of life costs other animals. And I really do encourage everyone to read it because it has a very powerful and very important message to share.

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