It’s an understatement to say that Misty of Chincoteague has captured the imaginations of thousands of children–for many of us, reading Misty has lead to lifelong friendships, a deeper love of horses, and quite a few mosquito bites from hanging out on Chincoteague and Assateague.
For author Susan Friedland, revisiting the Misty story has led to a remarkable research journey.
Marguerite, Misty and Me is Friedland’s 2023 memoir that chronicles the author’s research and adventures as she sets out to uncover the life of Marguerite Henry, the author of Misty of Chincoteague.
Friedland was living the big city life in California, but after personal turmoil brought her back to her hometown of Wayne, Illinois, she gained the opportunity to reconnect with her horse-loving, Misty-reading childhood. The book alternates among personal experiences as a horsewoman, Henry’s biography, the real Misty's life, and Friedland's experience conducting research.
At the heart of the book lies a simple question with a complex answer: “What makes Misty of Chincoteague–and Marguerite Henry’s work as a whole–so darn magical?”
To answer this, Friedland focuses on Henry’s life, writing process, and of Misty herself, discovering wondrous anecdotes that kept me reaching for my pen to write exclamation points in the margins. For example, she chats with a man whose first-ever job was to care for Misty… and it turns out that the pinto mare was a brat to ride!
Another dimension is that Friedland looks at Henry’s life and work through the eyes of a writer and an educator. As a writer myself, I found the chapter on Henry’s writing process and vigorous research practice to be both inspiring and instructive, offering insight into how Henry wrote with such heart. As Friedland reports, “Her notes read more like poetry than research.”
Friedland’s experiences as a teacher clearly frame her research and writing, and it’s apparent that she is skilled in getting her audience–whether they are students or readers–to connect to the past.
Towards the end of the book, Friedland travels to Chincoteague to experience Pony Penning for the first time. She describes learning about modern pony management practices–things have changed a lot since Misty!–and she also successfully captures the unique social atmosphere of Pony Penning. She notes that “I have never vacationed anywhere with people so eager to talk to strangers and form friendships.”
Friedland dips her toes into the Chincoteague pony subculture and chats with Misty fans, pony obsessives, buyback donors, and more, reporting on their fanaticism with an anthropological zeal. As one of her contacts in the Chincoteague pony community says, “It’s a cult.”
Marguerite, Misty and Me can be scattered at times, with sections organized out of chronology and mid-chapter topic shifts leading to confusion. Additionally, since Misty’s illustrations are so important to the charm of the book, I found the lack of information on illustrator Wesley Dennis disappointing–perhaps this could be a spinoff!
The author assumes that you, too, were a fond reader of Misty, and the two of you are gushing about your shared passion. A newcomer to Henry’s work may have difficulty getting into the book, but those of us who grew up on Henry’s books will have no trouble diving into Henry’s story.
At the beginning of the book, Friedland laments that though she was a horse-crazy kid growing up in Henry’s hometown, she never wrote her a fan letter. The book ends with the all-grown-up Friedland penning an open letter to Henry, who died in 1997 at the age of 95.
“You made sure all your fans felt like Misty belonged to them, just as we belonged to her and each other,” she writes.
I would argue that, in fact, the entire book is a letter of thanks and appreciation. By writing about her own personal experiences alongside Henry’s life, writing practice, and love of horses and her young fans, Friedland has created a kind of correspondence between herself and Henry, one that we readers are lucky enough to eavesdrop upon.
With its entertaining insights and deep dives into Henry’s life, Marguerite, Misty and Me deserves a place on the bookshelf of anyone who loves Misty of Chincoteague or the wild ponies Henry made famous.
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If you would like to read Marguerite, Misty and Me, I encourage you to support your local independent bookstore or order through Chincoteague’s own Sundial Books. They’ll ship you a copy if you don’t live nearby!
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