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3.9 AVERAGE
3.9 AVERAGE
informative
slow-paced
In the way, Billie Jean King tells the story of women in athletics and the fight for LGBTQ rights through the lens of tennis, David Maraniss walks us through the US history of forced Indian removals and assimilation through the lens of football, baseball, the Olympics and Jim Thorpe's life.
Jim Thorpe was a once in a lifetime athlete. He was an Olympian in Track and Field, a professional baseball player, and a professional football player. Reading this biography makes me wonder if we should be so specialized. Maraniss also had perfect timing for this very detailed book as it was announced July 2022 - 110 years later - that Thorpe was being reinstated as the sole winner of the pentathlon and the decathlon from the 1912 Stockholm games. It only took 110 years with people constantly pushing to make it happen. There are many stories on Thorpe and it can be questionable about what is truth and what is fictional legend. However, it seems that many that have greatness contain a flaw that prevents them from their full potential and Thorpe did not allude this. Thorpe's weakness seems to be alcohol and maybe women. Not only is this a biography on Thorpe, but this goes into racism and politics of the time to give the reader an understanding of that Thorpe had to navigate.
How did this book find me? I had been seeing it quite a bit on line and just seemed to be directed to read it. Also the news of his reinstatement as the sole winner of the 1912 Olympic decathlon and pentathlon has recently made the news. I also got to meet Billy Mills, another Native American that won the 10,ooo meter run in the 1964 Tokyo Olympics. Mills is a very kind man and has been quoted many times talking about Thorpe.
How did this book find me? I had been seeing it quite a bit on line and just seemed to be directed to read it. Also the news of his reinstatement as the sole winner of the 1912 Olympic decathlon and pentathlon has recently made the news. I also got to meet Billy Mills, another Native American that won the 10,ooo meter run in the 1964 Tokyo Olympics. Mills is a very kind man and has been quoted many times talking about Thorpe.
emotional
informative
sad
slow-paced
informative
slow-paced
informative
reflective
sad
slow-paced
hopeful
informative
inspiring
sad
Jim Thorpe, a Native American, excelled at nearly every sport he took on, becoming one of the most gifted athletes of all time. His legendary status tipped over into mythology, partly abetted by Thorpe himself, and partly created by the media of his day, which also dealt in racist stereotypes about the prowess of Indigenous peoples.
Separating the truth of Thorpe’s life from the many fictions is a task for only the most skilled of biographers. David Maraniss, associate editor at The Washington Post, winner of the 1993 Pulitzer Prize for national reporting, and author of 12 previous books, including “[b:When Pride Still Mattered: A Life Of Vince Lombardi|215297|When Pride Still Mattered A Life Of Vince Lombardi|David Maraniss|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1436897124l/215297._SY75_.jpg|208430],” a biography of famed football coach Vince Lombardi, takes on that challenge. He aims to set the record straight in “Path Lit by Lightning: The Life of Jim Thorpe.”
Click here to read the rest of my review in the Christian Science Monitor!
Separating the truth of Thorpe’s life from the many fictions is a task for only the most skilled of biographers. David Maraniss, associate editor at The Washington Post, winner of the 1993 Pulitzer Prize for national reporting, and author of 12 previous books, including “[b:When Pride Still Mattered: A Life Of Vince Lombardi|215297|When Pride Still Mattered A Life Of Vince Lombardi|David Maraniss|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1436897124l/215297._SY75_.jpg|208430],” a biography of famed football coach Vince Lombardi, takes on that challenge. He aims to set the record straight in “Path Lit by Lightning: The Life of Jim Thorpe.”
Click here to read the rest of my review in the Christian Science Monitor!
informative
slow-paced
informative
reflective
sad
medium-paced