Take a photo of a barcode or cover
4.13 AVERAGE
4.13 AVERAGE
adventurous
emotional
informative
inspiring
sad
medium-paced
Clear and excellent writing from a favorite author about a favorite sports hero. Sheinkin brings a conscience to this story as he explores the historical and social background of the times while telling the life story of Jim Thorpe. Sheinkin explores the purpose and effects of the Indian schools and the way the Carlisle school football team and Pop Warner transformed the game into what we see today.
For someone like me who loves football and also loves history, this books is particularly amazing. One of the best underdog stories I've ever read!
High interest; easy reading level. Well written, informational & inspiring.
I know nothing about and care even less about football, but I read this because it's Steve Sheinkin, and I loved it.
I've always admired Jim Thorpe and his amazing athletic talents. This was an engaging read about the mistreatment of Native Americans, the early days of college football, Pop Warner's involvement in college football with his selfish tendencies, and Jim Thorpe's early life, with contributions to football and other athletics. I read this with my boys and we found the Carlisle players inspiring with their self control, not reacting to the often unfair and negative treatments on and off the field. We also were impressed with Thorpe's accomplishments and grit, even amid a difficult life.
Another fascinating read from Sheinkin. I'd known a little about Thorpe, but very little about the Carlisle team and how it revolutionized football in the 1910s. Recommended, especially for football fans.
I do not care about football at all and I could not stop reading this book. It isn't just about this history of football, but also of the Native Americans who not only saved the game from being banned across the country with innovative ways of playing but made the game what it is today. It is also a history of the boarding schools Natives were forced to, and a look into the life of the greatest athlete who ever played the game: Jim Thorpe.
Another winner from Steve Sheinkin. The author of Bomb: The race to build and steal the world's most dangerous weapon, The Port Chicago 50 : Disaster, mutiny, and the fight for civil rights, Lincoln's grave robbers, and Most dangerous : Daniel Ellsberg and the secret history of the Vietnam War is back as he delves into the history and oppression of Native Americans in the late 19th and early 20th century. It's equally the story of the earliest days of college football. The reader is introduced to the Carlisle Indian School and how it fits squarely into national and athletic history.
The reader will also meet the most well-known figures in Carlisle history - a coach known to millions of football-playing youngsters around the country and a man considered by sports writers to be the best athlete and the greatest American football player of the first half of the 20th century. These men, Glenn "Pop" Warner and Jim Thorpe, are legendary, and together they created an early collegiate football powerhouse at a school that exists only as a footnote in history.
Sheinkin, as usual, provides an engaging narrative and regales the reader with a multifaceted story. But what the author does best is to bring history into the present. Sure, facts about the early days of football and Thorpe's and Warner's accomplishments are fascinating and comprise a great story on their own, but Sheinkin resurrects the stories of Native Americans and the racism they faced - in many cases, the attempted erasure of Native American culture - and makes the reader consider how much - if at all - things have changed.
I don't know the person or event that will be Sheinkin's next focus, but I guarantee you that I'll be quick to read it, purchase it, and promote it among my students.
The reader will also meet the most well-known figures in Carlisle history - a coach known to millions of football-playing youngsters around the country and a man considered by sports writers to be the best athlete and the greatest American football player of the first half of the 20th century. These men, Glenn "Pop" Warner and Jim Thorpe, are legendary, and together they created an early collegiate football powerhouse at a school that exists only as a footnote in history.
Sheinkin, as usual, provides an engaging narrative and regales the reader with a multifaceted story. But what the author does best is to bring history into the present. Sure, facts about the early days of football and Thorpe's and Warner's accomplishments are fascinating and comprise a great story on their own, but Sheinkin resurrects the stories of Native Americans and the racism they faced - in many cases, the attempted erasure of Native American culture - and makes the reader consider how much - if at all - things have changed.
I don't know the person or event that will be Sheinkin's next focus, but I guarantee you that I'll be quick to read it, purchase it, and promote it among my students.
This is a great read esp for middle school / high school boys or those who are rally into football!