My review of the book Bulls Before Breakfast by Peter N. Milligan

Two years ago I posted a review, by Tim Pinks at sanfermin.com, of the book Bulls Before Breakfast by Peter N. Milligan. 

(see post here) https://blogplazadetoros.blogspot.com/2020/02/bulls-before-breakfast.html

Shortly after that I got my own copy of the book in the mail and started reading it, I couldn't wait to read another good book about the world of the bulls. 

Overall it is a great book, one that every American thinking about going to Pamplona to run with the bulls needs to read. There is indispensable information in the book about what to do and what not to do in Pamplona. For example what things will get you thrown out of the running course by the local police even before the run begins. And what things to do to give yourself the best chance for a safe run. 

And there is a lot of comedy in the book too. One laugh out loud moment I had, while reading the book in the Las Vegas airport which made some other people look at me oddly, was a story about what happened to Mr. Milligan's new, clean, tailored, white pants the moment he first put them on and stepped outside the hotel and onto the sidewalk. Very funny.

And this description of the course really took me there;

(from pages 130-131)

When the bulls arrive, in their mum-chanced cloud, your senses five notice before the message reaches your brain, like fingers touching a hot stove.

It is then the Street of Dreams. From the wooden and stone paddock at the top of Santo Domingo, uphill to that little dangerous hump at the peak; through the wide plaza, the lazy, listing left around calle Mercaderes, to the sunrise, to the sawdust of the acid-scarred stones or whatever new corner trick of the year, and the hard right onto the long and morning man-making stretch of calle Estafeta; past the door hiders and window hangers, past Carmelo's store, onto the pavers, taking my favorite left in the world onto Telefonica, past where Daniel died, past where Ari was gored, and squeezing through the Callejon and past where my ankle snapped; every morning the bulls and runners disembogue onto the bloody sand in my favorite city, and into the greatest arena in the world. Deo volente, I've asked that my family scatter my ashes in the Pamplona bullring sand in the end, but don't deny me a single summer in those streets until that faraway time. Dumping me in a pile in front of my beloved Pamplona streets with the giant hoses, would be an acceptable alternative.  

The encierro course is around 825 meters long (that is over nine football fields or over one half-mile), and every bit of a hike even without the bulls. There are steep climbs, sharp turns, lazy listing turns, stone walls, doorways, inconceivably hard wooden barriers, wet cobblestones, manholes, slippery drains, curbs, metal gates, boarded storefronts, hirondelles (the swallows that fly over Pamplona), TV towers and cameras, clock towers, drainpipes, dangerously crushed plastic Coca-Cola bottles, and all manner of dross, flotsam, debris, sawdust, flags, bunting, pavers, sand, urine, blood, screams, cheers, flashing cameras, the morning and dawning sun, and a sea of humanity. And it all disappears when the beasts bear down on you. Poof: It all disappears.

Now for the bad. I do have to bring up two issues though with the book, one relatively minor and one very major.

The minor issue was when he gave information about the bullfight for those who don't know anything about la corrida.

Now, he does mention in the book that he is still learning about the bullfight, but this was a rookie mistake. He should know better. 

(from page 235)

We encourage our English-speaking friends to act respectfully during the corrida, and sit quietly for la hora de la verdad (the moment of truth), which is the act of the matador using his sword to pierce the bull's heart. It's their event, and we are mere interlopers.

Ummm... one of the first things you learn about the bullfight is that the matador is not trying to pierce the bulls heart, but rather he is going for the aorta. (Los rejoneadores I believe are going for the heart since they are sitting on horseback and are up above the bull's body when they insert their sword. The matadors on foot though don't have that luxury and I'm sure that is who the author was talking about.)

So that little section made me scratch my head and wonder if the author had anyone proof read his work before it was sent off to the publisher.

The next bit though is more major, one that actually made me put the book down and stop reading it for a couple of weeks. I don't know how he made this mistake, unless he did absolutely no research and just repeated something that he heard from others in Pamplona. Which if true would be appalling. 

And that is his write up on the death of the American Matthew Tassio on July 13th, 1995. 

On pages 87-89 he lists all the deaths that have occurred during the running of the bulls. 

July 13 1995 - Matthew Peter Tassio, 22, from Illinois, died from a goring in front of the Plaza Consistorial. He was running in flip-flops.  

And then on pages 104-105.

On July 13, 1995, American Matthew Peter Tassio stood up after falling and was gored to death. Matthew came to Pamplona on a lark, wholly lacking knowledge of even the basic rules for running, and wearing only flip-flops, with his sweater tied around his waist. He was unprepared. 

This is grossly inaccurate!

Yes, Matthew went to Pamplona on a lark with friends during a European summer trip. And yes, he probably was unprepared, but he was not wearing flip-flops. It is almost like the author was making fun of him. And he obviously has not seen any of the photos of the the goring because it is clear he was wearing shoes, no flip-flops. 

It is sad looking at those photos but what is even more sad is that the author obviously hasn't seen them because you can clearly see he is wearing running shoes or maybe basketball shoes. But definitely not flip-flops. 

So after I took some time to recover from that bad taste in my mouth I continued to read the book till it was finished. 

Again, overall it is a great book, one that is very fun to read. And if you have any plans to go to Pamplona definitely get a copy and read it for yourself.