Take a photo of a barcode or cover
informative
reflective
sad
medium-paced
I appreciate the information in this book but it was a bit TOO MUCH. It was A LOT of information and it wasn’t all about Jim Thorpe. A lot of it was about Native folklore, history, and other prominent Indigenous people.
It was cool to see my town, Carlisle, represented here, though the Carlisle Indian School is a dark chapter in our history. Saw some complaints about the book being too long, also, but I felt it was the right size to capture Jim Thorpe’s hot-and-cold life with the undercurrent of Indigenous treatment in the early 20th Century. Maraniss likely could have updated his language in parts to say “Indigenous” and be gender-neutral at times, but that wasn’t a huge deal. Good storytelling!
Incredibly informative.
David Maraniss adds a slew of context to every moment recorded of Jim Thorpe's life.
As it is important to understand that Thorpe's existence was ALWAYS affected by the actions of those with much more power around him. Whether it was the communities, sports, corporations, and government.
As such Jim Thorpe's life IS Indigenous American history, which sadly is an ugly affair in a country that did it's hardest to erase his identity and culture.
Incredible book and perfect context for how attitudes then still appear now.
David Maraniss adds a slew of context to every moment recorded of Jim Thorpe's life.
As it is important to understand that Thorpe's existence was ALWAYS affected by the actions of those with much more power around him. Whether it was the communities, sports, corporations, and government.
As such Jim Thorpe's life IS Indigenous American history, which sadly is an ugly affair in a country that did it's hardest to erase his identity and culture.
Incredible book and perfect context for how attitudes then still appear now.
This book would have been cut by a third with better editing. The story is interesting, the writing was clunky.
hopeful
informative
inspiring
sad
medium-paced
This book did an exceptional job of going over Thorpe, while also tying in larger themes of society and his life. Thorpe was a great vehicle to talk about "Lo the Poor Indian", as you can see while their was opportunities due to the perceived Native American mysticism, he was ultimately held back due to the limitations placed on him legally and culturally. The idea of him always starting quick, but ultimately never staying for long was interesting. The gripping case of Brundage and the medals makes you have hope that he will get the medals and accolades he deserves, only for it to be taken away, was beautifully written. I felt like this was 3-dimensional as biography could be about a legend with equal part talking about the wonder and the faults in a man that was tested and tested his times.
challenging
emotional
informative
sad
slow-paced