MY DEBUT NOVEL
Available Now!
Order Your copy
Order Your Audiobook
amazon-badge-2
My Debut Novel
My Debut Novel

HOW FAR WOULD YOU GO TO
RECLAIM YOUR FAMILY’S DREAM?

Just when she thought things couldn’t get any worse, fourteen-year-old Reese discovers they can — in the worst possible way. Her family’s dream of winning the Black Elk race is shattered when their beloved horse, Trusted Treasure, falls at the last jump. Reese witnesses the family’s finances, hopes, and happiness go up in smoke. While still reeling from that loss, the family suffers a second tragedy, resulting in the sale of Trusted Treasure that irreparably damages Reese’s relationship with her father. Heartbroken, Reese searches everywhere to find Trusted Treasure in the hopes she can bring him home and heal the rift with her father.

Then, during an unexpected turn of events, Reese meets Wes, a Lakota Indian, whose way of training horses is unlike anything she’s ever seen. If anyone can win the Black Elk, it’s Wes, but he’s struggling with his troubled past, and, having a teenage girl hanging around his barn isn’t exactly what he’d planned. Reese must prove her worth, against all odds, if she wants to heal her family, help Wes, and show them all that some dreams are worth fighting for. 

This book will have you laughing and crying – sometimes on the same page – all the while rooting for Reese, the most unlikely of heroes. Cashman has woven a spell-binding tale of an underdog – her heartaches, and triumphs that you will find in The Truth About Horses, impossible to put down. 

book-logo
A Synopsis

Fourteen-year-old REESE TUCKER and her parents live a humble but happy life in Birdwood, South Dakota, raising and training horses at the BIG GREEN BARN. Every year, the Tuckers dream of running a horse in the Black Elk, a race that, if won, could turn their fortunes around. They’ve finally found a horse that can win: their beloved TRUSTED TREASURE. Mom can always spot the rare horse that has the X-factor. The family’s hopes have never been higher.

But two connected tragedies set Reese’s world spinning. Trusted Treasure has a debilitating fall at the Black Elk finish line just as he seemed about to win, and a family drive intended to help them forget their troubles for a while—a drive during which they have a near-mystical encounter with a herd of wild horses led by a mysterious black stallion—ends in a highway accident that instantly kills Mom.

Read More

Praise for

Stacked_BookLogo_v2
With all of the unpredictable thrill of a horseback ride, The Truth About Horses took me deep into the mind of a teenage girl searching for her post-traumatic truth. It is a beautiful, moving story that I'm glad to know and certain to remember.
Harry Connick Jr.Emmy Award–winning Actor and Grammy Award–winning Musician
What an irresistibly readable novel Christy Cashman has written! Her young heroine, Reese, is an astonishing creation, warmly sympathetic, impulsive, unpredictable, brash, loyal and loving, endearing, exasperating, most of all memorable—a triumphant portrait of tumultuous adolescence in our time. The Truth About Horses plunges us into a beautifully evoked rural world in which horses are both magnificent beasts requiring human love and devotion, and iconic creatures out of mythology.
Joyce Carol OatesAmerican novelist, short story writer, and essayist
Christy Cashman has written a beautiful, thrilling tale about a teenage girl’s journey from fear to courage, from anger to forgiveness, from broken-heartedness to openness. The Truth about Horses is so much about the mysterious forces, within us and around us, that are always there to guide us, and the way in which people enter our lives exactly when we need them—if only we’ll let them.
Jane SeymourActress, Author, and Co-founder of the Open Hearts Foundation
In her first novel, The Truth About Horses, Christy Cashman proves herself to be a worthy successor to Harper Lee. Cashman’s protagonist, Reese, instantly captures the reader in the same way that Scout does in To Kill a Mockingbird—and takes the reader with her into her world for a magical examination of the human heart.
Arthur T. Vanderbilt IIAuthor of Fortune’s Children: The Fall of the House of Vanderbilt
This is a heartwarming novel about facing down the perils of adversity. It's also an examination of how and why we become stronger at the broken places. Christy Cashman has written a book for everyone, young and old, who wants to know about the elemental gallop of the heart.
Colum McCannAuthor of Apeirogon and Let the Great World Spin
From the first gripping pages, this beautifully-written, vividly-imagined novel had me hooked. As the chapters galloped by, I felt closer and closer to 14-year-old Reese and the horses she loved. She now feels like a friend, one to whom I am immensely grateful for her flaws, her insights, and her courage. Anyone who remembers being a teen, or loving horses, or has lost a loved one, will find deep meaning in this book.
Sy MontgomeryNew York Times best-selling author of How to Be a Good Creature and The Soul of an Octopus
The Truth About Horses had me hooked on page one. I set aside everything else and just kept reading, sleep be damned. It is a timeless story about growing up in a world that is less than perfect and trying to figure out who you are through all of those challenges—something each of us faces at some point. Reese’s strength, wit, wisdom, and vulnerability offer up a multi-faceted character and a person I would like to know. The novel is a tour de force.
Judith LasterFestival Director of The Woods Hole Film Festival
The truth about The Truth About Horses is that it is impossible to put down. With simple ingredients of hay and humor, family and fury, Christy Cashman has spun an unstoppable feast. She shows us how hooves and hearts beat the same truth to light and reminds us that laughter and tears need not be served as separate courses.
Sally TaylorSinger, songwriter, and founder of Consensus
Don’t waste another moment reading these simple lines of praise. Go straight to the horse's mouth. By the way, it’s a winner.
Carly SimonRock and Roll Hall of Fame Musician, Singer, Songwriter, and Memoirist
The truth about The Truth about Horses is that it is impossible to put down. With simple ingredients of hay and humor, family and fury, Christy Cashman has spun an unstoppable feast. She shows us how hooves and hearts beat the same truth to light and reminds us that laughter and tears need not be served as separate courses.
Sally TaylorSinger, Songwriter, and Founder of Consenses
There are few people who won’t be swept away by this beautiful, gritty, and gripping story about the renewal of life and relationships. Reese takes the reader on a journey of raw emotions, from pain to joy, in this wonder of steadfast perseverance. Being a Midwesterner myself, I could almost smell the sacred and magical farmland in her pages. The Truth about Horses is a must-read.
Shannon PastuszakMedia Executive, Publisher, and Founder of the Newbury Cup
The Truth about Horses is a beautifully written and engaging story. Christy Cashman easily sets the tone with her terrific descriptions of the land, the horses, and her teenaged protagonist, Reese. This is a tale of loss, grieving, believing in dreams, and being true to yourself. Reese’s voice is spot-on, and you will find yourself alternately worried, frustrated, and awed by her. I quickly became invested in the story and anxious to read on!
Judith Belushi PisanoProducer, Ukulele Enthusiast, Author of Samurai Widow, and Co-author of Belushi: A Biography
The Truth about Horses is a fast-moving, emotionally compelling story about friendship, courage, and healing. Christy Cashman knows a lot about girls and horses, and also about loneliness and grief, and she writes with admirable honesty and insight.
Tom PerrottaBestselling Author of Election and Tracy Flick Can’t Win
This is so much more than a book about horses, and anyone who thinks so otherwise is missing out. It is about loss, mental health, families, a love for animals, relationships, finding your place in this world, following your dreams, trials, and triumphs, forgiveness . . . and so much more!
Christine Wardexecutive director of the nonprofit Raising a Reader Massachusetts
The Truth about Horses is in many ways also the truth about things we hold dear in life. And if that includes captivating writing, Christy Cashman supremely succeeds.
Patrick Kabandamusician, international affairs expert, and author of The Creative Wealth of Nations: Can the Arts Advance Nations?
What a ride! The Truth about Horses is the terrific story of a young girl dealing with the trauma of grief while finding herself and a place for her own dreams in the unpredictable world of horses. A really enjoyable roller-coaster journey that never lags—there is always a surprise waiting for Reese and the reader.
Alan Devineactor in Netflix series Vikings: Valhalla and BBC series The Tudors
Christy Cashman has written a powerful story about loss and grief. Wonderfully evocative and with the author’s passion for horses shining through every page, this is a rich and deeply felt novel. Eschewing easy answers, The Truth about Horses is strong on how even the small choices we make, sometimes rashly, can so easily hurt those most important to us, and how struggling on through each day can bring enough hope to light the path toward redemption and new beginnings.
Kieran Crowleyaward-winning children’s author of The Misfits Club and The Mighty Dynamo
When an author has done a good job, we feel connected to the emotions of her characters in the pages. Great authors help us connect more deeply to ourselves. The Truth About Horses is for you if you live with the grief of losing a direct family member, if you or anyone you know has lived with mental illness, or if you’ve ever felt out of place, alone, or abandoned. Christy Cashman has reached deep into the human experience with her first novel. This book calls to something within all of us. You will see.
Dave Forbes CCO of T-Omega Wind, Inc.
The plot is gripping and moves right along, and I found the characters, human and horse, equally compelling.
Martha SweezyPh.D., therapist, Harvard Medical School assistant professor, and co-author of Internal Family Systems Therapy
Christy Cashman’s The Truth about Horses tells a riveting story about a teenager dealing heroically with a terrible loss. In over three decades of working with young adults, I have never read anything that better embodies the voice of someone that age. One minute our hero is painfully self-destructive, but then she has us laughing out loud and in awe of her strength and her wit. Like me, you may want to race through to see how it all turns out, but don't do it! Every sentence counts.
The Rev. John H. Finley IVco-founder and head of Epiphany School
Previous
Next
Available Now!
Order Your copy
Order Your Audiobook
amazon-badge-2

VIP “TRUTH” TOTE

Buy 5 books at once and receive a VIP “TRUTH” TOTE BAG with a hat, candle, and leather bookmark.  Please provide your email for further instructions!

 
 

Children's Books

Meet Petri, the beloved purple monkey who lives with his friends in Kilkea Castle, Ireland. In this second book of the popular series, Petri is busy rushing around trying to get everything done. Along the way, Petri learns a very important lesson about being busy and he also discovers something that his friends knew all along – that while having a list is great, the real gift is being present and enjoying time together.

Children's Books

The Not-So-Average Monkey of Kilkea Castle

Meet Petri, the beloved purple monkey who lives with his friends in Kilkea Castle, Ireland. In this first book of the popular series, Petri decides that as he lives in a castle he must be a King, and Kings order their subjects around. Unfortunately for Petri, his friends aren’t so impressed with their new “royal” friend. As a result, Petri finds himself sad and alone until he realizes that royal titles and trappings don’t matter. What really matters is being kind to his friends.

Petri's Next Things

Meet Petri, the beloved purple monkey who lives with his friends in Kilkea Castle, Ireland. In this second book of the popular series, Petri is busy rushing around trying to get everything done. Along the way, Petri learns a very important lesson about being busy and he also discovers something that his friends knew all along – that while having a list is great, the real gift is being present and enjoying time together.

This book series is inspired by the true story of the brave little monkey who saved the day at Kilkea Castle, in Kildare, Ireland.

christy-logo
Christy is an American author, actress, and producer. Her first novel, The Truth About Horses, is available NOW!
Social Media
Facebook-f Instagram Linkedin

Copyright © 2023 Christy Cashman. All Rights Reserved.

Facebook-f Instagram Linkedin