Path Lit by Lightning, a new biography of Jim Thorpe by David Maraniss, is a remarkable book. It is a thoughtful, complex portrait of Thorpe, his times, and the contradictions of being both a mythologized hero and an oppressed minority.
At its core. Maraniss tells Thorpe’s story carefully throughout his twists and turns of his famous life, narrating the famous moments of his career on both the football field and the track. We see his amazing athletic gifts in all these venues. Maraniss also does a credible job of winnowing of fact from the fiction that has grown up about some of these moments. Those looking for a sports story will not be disappointed here.
However, there is much more to Maraniss’ tale. He also explores the cultural context of Thorpe’s life. Maraniss brings us into the halls of the Carlisle Indian Industrial School and explores the complexities of forced assimilation and the contradictions this policy inevitably created. In this portion of the book Maraniss presents vivid portraits of the college administrators and coaches that shaped Thorpe, his achievements and, ultimately, his tragedy. Throughout this process, Maraniss works carefully to be a fair and honest guide through complex cultural waters. His portrait of Thorpe, Pop Warner and other vital figures is nuanced, well researched and compelling.
Finally, this is a thoughtful portrait of not only Thorpe but also the reality that finally shaped, mythologized, and, ultimately, discarded him. It is well worth the investment of time and energy it takes to explore this portion of American sports history that many have heard of but few have explored. Maraniss’ text is a welcome and important contribution to this broader and more nuanced story.

This was so long and so dense I had a hard time liking it. It seemed like every note the author came.acrpas in research was included. In a book about Thorpe did we need 2+ pages about the Stockholm marathon?

Glad I learned more about Thorpe but didn't need every side trail

I learned a lot in this biography of Jim Thorpe. It is very detailed and I struggled at times to get through a chapter but it was worth it. It was very well researched and the writing shows it. I just wish it wasn't so long.

Thank you for Netgalley for an ARC

Half the size of War And Peace, this book tells the story of the abuse of Native Americans by focusing on one besieged man of the sports world of his time. Fame has toppled many an overpublicized man, but Jim Thorpe had so many obstacles placed in his path and still survived. This is an amazing book that takes quite a while to read and absorb.
I requested and received a free e-book copy from Simon & Schuster via NetGalley. Thank you!

This is an excellent biography of Jim Thorpe who is considered by many to be the greatest and most gifted athlete in our country’s history. It covers in detail the highs and lows of his life while giving a good understanding through background information of why he lived the life that he did. I recommend this book to anyone who wants a better understanding of the man, the myth and the legend that is Jim Thorpe.

I received a free Kindle copy of this book courtesy of Net Galley and the publisher with the understanding that I would post a review on Net Galley, Goodreads, Amazon, Facebook and my nonfiction book review blog.

This story desperately needed to be told, and the author does a fine job of it. It's hard to believe that not much has been published about this amazing man, and his heartbreaking story needs to be in the public consciousness. I applaud the author in his research and bringing the facts to light.

I selected this title solely based on the work of the author, David Maraniss, who also penned When Pride Still Mattered: A Life of Vince Lombardi. The life of Lombardi captured in this book is one of my all time favorite biographies and one I often recommend to my students and Maraniss does not disappoint in A Path Lit by Lightning.

Biographical work can often be dry and simplistic; a recounting of facts and events that are commonly known. While most are familiar with Thorpe's phenomenal athletic talents and successes as a gold medal Olympian, as a professional baseball player with the New York Giants franchise, and his role as the first president of what we now know as the NFL., Maraniss recounts the fascinating tale of Thorpe's life outside of sports and all of the struggles and dark times that he endured. Thorpe had a difficult and often ugly life and Maraniss has portrayed him as a man who faced his personal obstacles and public scandals with courage and a fierce determination, but also as a man who had many demons to wrangle.

Thorpe's Sac and Fox name, Wa-Tho-Huk, is translated as "path lit by great flash of lightning" and this book truly captures the journey.

Free ARC from NETGALLEY

Thorpe parts good but too infrequent

Writers rabbit hole chases on how the American Indians were the bigger theme.

part of the story yes, but NOT THE TITLE

Eh!

I have read several books about Jim Thorpe over the years but this is by far the most detailed and well researched book describing his triumphs and struggles over his lifetime. His story is very complex, very interesting and there is a lot of background history in this book and I was not previously aware of. I really enjoyed this book.

Thank you NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for the ARC of this fascinating read.

Jim Thorpe has been a hero of mine since I read a biography of him aimed at children when I was a kid. Given that that was almost certainly in the mid 70s, I have to assume that it was an incredibly white-washed biography. But that didn't change the fact that I was mesmerized by the idea of this native American coming out of obscurity to become the world's greatest athlete. And it wasn't just the title that comes with winning the decathlon (it didn't at the time). Thorpe was, quite simply, the greatest athlete of his and almost certainly of all modern time. He didn't just win the decathlon and the pentathlon in the 1912 Stockholm Olympics. He also performed respectably (though he didn't medal) in the long jump and the high jump. He was unquestionably the greatest American football player of the early game, both collegiate and professional. He was a respectable professional baseball player who was ill-used by his managers (mostly John McGraw) or he may have ended up being better. He won ballroom dancing competitions and was, reportedly, a better than average basketball player.

So when I saw that I could get an ARC of this book on Netgalley I jumped on it. And man am I glad I did. I was familiar with David Maraniss by name, though I've not yet read his bios of Vince Lombardi or Roberto Clemente. After this book, I absolutely will. Not only does Maraniss give us and excellent and comprehensive bio of Thorpe, he also works to strip away a lot of the myths that come with being "The World's Greatest Athlete." Thorpe's life was half-mythical while he was still alive and those myths grew and perpetuated after his death. Marnaiss also gives us the context necessary to understand Thorpe's life within the time period in which he lived. I've seen some complaints about the book having "too much detail" or going in to tangents about the politics of the day. But you simply cannot understand Thorpe's life or career without the background of times that shaped him. Thorpe was born in 1887 in what was then still the Indian Terrtory. That was the same year that the Dawes Act (The General Allotment Act) was passed, which had an enormous effect on every single Native American in the U.S., including Thorpe. His education was a product of the Indian boarding school system, which was set up to systematically destroy the students very identities as Indians. And while it was that system that allowed Thorpe to show that he could excel at sports, you have to understand it in order to understand the Carlisle School and, by extension the man.

And Thorpe was a man. Greatest Athlete or not, he was flawed as we all are. Maraniss does an excellent job of avoiding making this a hagiography. It's well known that Thorpe's life was frequently effected by alcohol. The author does a good job of showing this...but also of showing that the myth of Thorpe as the "drunken Indian" is largely that, a myth. Thorpe was a binge drinker. Going significant time without ill effect from booze before going on a bender that would cause problems. He shows that Thorpe was struggled in his relationships with his three wives and with his children, but with the necessary context that much of that struggle was as a result of Thorpe being absent for long periods trying to hustle up money. And, ultimately, that was Thorpe's biggest failing. He was simply unable to handle money. He was far too giving, readily giving money to anyone who needed it to the detriment of himself and far too trusting of others who would use his fame and fail to come through with the green in the end.

I really appreciated the context that Maraniss put in to the controversy surrounding the stripping of Thorpe's Olympic medals. He was absolutely fed to the wolves by Pop Warner and the administration at Carlisle, who very clearly knew he had played minor league baseball for money. They absolutely knew it because almost every other college athlete did the same thing. It was simply a fact of life. It was also enlightening to look at what the "ideal of the amateur athlete" was at the time. Because, essentially, you were supposed to be a white male of the leisure class in order to be a "true amateur." The classism exuded by the likes of James E. Sullivan (head of the Amateur Athletic Union) and Avery Brundage (a teammate of Thorpe's who later was head of the U.S. Olympic Committee, President of the IOC and a massive Nazi sympathizer) was palpable and chilling.

Ultimately this is a great biography of one of the greatest athletes of all time. A man who should have because of the circumstances of his birth been on the very fringes of society, but ascended to incredible heights of fame. A man who represented the U.S., when he wasn't even a citizen of the country (nor were teammate and fellow Carlisle student Lewis Tewanima or teammate Duke Kahanamoku). And yet, nothing in the book changed my mind. For all his flaws, Jim Thorpe had just as many, probably more, positive attributes. And he remains a hero. And he will always be, in my opinion, the World's Greatest Athlete of all time.

My thanks to Netgalley and to the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this book.

"Path Lit by Lightning" is an extremely thorough book detailing the life of Jim Thorpe. Jim's life as a world famous athlete and Olympic gold medalist is detailed, along with the struggles he faced during his life. There is so much within this book that is shared: struggles and successes. There are so many aspects about JIm Thorpe that I had no idea about beyond the athlete.

If you are looking for a detailed, well researched, and lengthy biography about Jim Thorpe, more than just the athlete you may think you know, then this is a book for you.

David Maraniss' Path Lit by Lightning: The Life of Jim Thorpe was interesting read. I will be giving it four and a half stars.

I found the information about Jim Thorpe to be really interesting. I think some of our patrons will, too, so I've already preordered a couple of copies for the branch.

“Path Lit by Lightning. The Life of Jim Thorpe” by David Maraniss is a well researched and extremely detailed account of Jim Thorpe. This 600+ page tome covers everything anyone could possibly want to know about Jim Thorpe. The detail is massive, the teams and teammates he played for and with, copies of letters he wrote to his second wife, the background of numerous people that came in and out of his life as well as the never ending times where he was taken advantage of or that he just made poor decisions. He had a lot of friends and a lot of people that wanted to take advantage of his stardom. What should have been a life of celebration and honor was torn down because of jealousy or prejudice or both.
I did find myself scanning a lot of the book. I would read the first couple of lines in a paragraph and if it was something that intrigued me I would read on. However, if it was a short history of a team, a person that came into his life or the box scores from the dozens and dozens of games he played in I would skim through it.
Just when his athletic career was coming to a close the Great Depression hit and it was hard for anyone to get a job. Plus, people’s disposable income was gone so it became harder and harder to attract people to come and see a slightly over the hill Olympic gold medal winner.
It was his families that felt the brunt of his travel across the country so many times. He was rarely home to spend time with his wife and kids for either of his first two marriages. He just could not settle down for any length of time. He had a lot of things working against him but, like most of us he was one of his own worst enemies.
Of course, I had heard of Jim Thorpe, the worlds greatest athlete, the winner of gold medals at the Olympics, how his medals were later taken away from him and how he passed away mostly alone and without getting the glory he deserved. I also knew about Pop Warner as I played in one of the leagues when I was younger (I was terrible as a side note). I also was at the Olympics in Munich 1972 when the Israeli athletics were killed and waiting to hear if the games would continue. Looking back at that Olympics and all the ones that followed it was clear that the leadership of the Olympic Committee was only after power and control. That has proved itself out over the years with scandal after scandal.
I would recommend this book to anyone that really wants to know just about everything there is to know about Jim Thorpe, down to the type of cigar he smoked as he traveled around the world as a player for a baseball team. The book made me excited at his winnings, very sad at his treatment by the “white man” and the collapse of his marriages and his lack of a relationship with his kids.

This was so long and detailed that I couldn't finish it. I was looking for an inspiring story of an amazing athlete, and wasn't expecting all the historical research and politics that were included. I will looker for a lighter read that is more focused on Jim Thorpe.

A very detailed biography of the great Indian athlete. The book covers the rise of Jim Thorpe from impoverished childhood to success in sports at the Carlisle Indian School to fame at the Olympics.
The book is as much a history of the treatment of Indians during the early 20th century as it is about Thorpe. The writer often goes off on tangents about the events of the day. My biggest complaint is the way the book gets bogged down in tedious details.
Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for providing an advance reader copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

So much research and detail on Indian tribes, resettlement, politics, heritage, school,etc that I quit reading. Jim the person never emerged in the first five chapters I read.

I have read a fair amount about Jim Thorpe, but this book is probably one of the best. The author provides a lot of background information into Thorpe's life that had a lot of influence on how he lived and died. This one is a must for Jim Thorpe fans.