1901. A half-Irish boy is beaten in Ireland for his English blood, then again in New York City, where Irish and English, blacks and whites also hate based on historical wrongs. Drawn in at first, he breaks an ordeal of bullying and violence, helped by a black employer, a new friend, and a fiery thoroughbred horse. “Unsparing in its depiction of prejudice…heartwarming in its portrayal of friendship and moral awakening” (Howard Zinn).