Jim Thorpe, Original All-American

by Joseph Bruchac

Jim Thorpe was one of the greatest athletes who ever lived. He played professional football, Major League Baseball, and won Olympic gold medals in track and field. He'll forever be remembered by the sports community and by his Native American community, who consider him a hero on par with Crazy Horse.
Born on the Sac and Fox Reservation in 1887. Jim was sent as a young boy to various Indian boarding schools-strict, cold places that didn't allow their students to hold on to their Native American traditions. Jim ran away from school many times, until he found his calling at Pennsylvania's Carlisle School. There, coach Pop Warner (who is as famous today as Thorpe himself) recognized Jim's athletic excellence and welcomed him onto the football and track teams. Glory followed, as did surprising disgrace. But through everything, Jim was a person to admire-an engaging, spirited, and impressive young man.

Genres: Sports, Biography, Nonfiction, History, Native American, Indigenous, Native Americans

288 pages, Hardcover

First published July 6, 2006

About the author

Joseph Bruchac lives with his wife, Carol, in the Adirondack mountain foothills town of Greenfield Center, New York, in the same house where his maternal grandparents raised him. Much of his writing draws on that land and his Abenaki ancestry. Although his American Indian heritage is only one part of an ethnic background that includes Slovak and English blood, those Native roots are the ones by which he has been most nourished. He, his younger sister Margaret, and his two grown sons, James and Jesse, continue to work extensively in projects involving the preservation of Abenaki culture, language and traditional Native skills, including performing traditional and contemporary Abenaki music with the Dawnland Singers.

He holds a B.A. from Cornell University, an M.A. in Literature and Creative Writing from Syracuse and a Ph.D. in Comparative Literature from the Union Institute of Ohio. His work as a educator includes eight years of directing a college program for Skidmore College inside a maximum security prison. With his wife, Carol, he is the founder and Co-Director of the Greenfield Review Literary Center and The Greenfield Review Press. He has edited a number of highly praised anthologies of contemporary poetry and fiction, including Songs from this Earth on Turtle's Back, Breaking Silence (winner of an American Book Award) and Returning the Gift. His poems, articles and stories have appeared in over 500 publications, from American Poetry Review, Cricket and Aboriginal Voices to National Geographic, Parabola and Smithsonian Magazine. He has authored more than 70 books for adults and children, including The First Strawberries, Keepers of the Earth (co-authored with Michael Caduto), Tell Me a Tale, When the Chenoo Howls (co-authored with his son, James), his autobiography Bowman's Store and such novels as Dawn Land, The Waters Between, Arrow Over the Door and The Heart of a Chief. Forthcoming titles include Squanto's Journey (Harcourt), a picture book, Sacajawea (Harcourt), an historical novel, Crazy Horse's Vision (Lee & Low), a picture book, and Pushing Up The Sky (Dial), a collection of plays for children. His honors include a Rockefeller Humanities fellowship, a National Endowment for the Arts Writing Fellowship for Poetry, the Cherokee Nation Prose Award, the Knickerbocker Award, the Hope S. Dean Award for Notable Achievement in Children's Literature and both the 1998 Writer of the Year Award and the 1998 Storyteller of the Year Award from the Wordcraft Circle of Native Writers and Storytellers. In 1999, he received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Native Writers Circle of the Americas.

As a professional teller of the traditional tales of the Adirondacks and the Native peoples of the Northeastern Woodlands, Joe Bruchac has performed widely in Europe and throughout the United States from Florida to Hawaii and has been featured at such events as the British Storytelling Festival and the National Storytelling Festival in Jonesboro, Tennessee. He has been a storyteller-in-residence for Native American organizations and schools throughout the continent, including the Institute of Alaska Native Arts and the Onondaga Nation School. He discusses Native culture and his books and does storytelling programs at dozens of elementary and secondary schools each year as a visiting author.

Reviews

[Ercilia Delancer · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was disappointed that the author spent so much time describing the minutia of every major football game, since I'm not a sports enthusiast, and then skipped the later years of Thorpe's life choosing instead to offer the reader a quick summary of the most salient events until his death.

[Ripken · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was amazing! He likes my three favorite sports lacrosse, baseball, and football.

I love how he just can't argue with Pop Warner. I also loved at the end when he becomes Santa for the party. I learned that instead of 4 downs in football they had 3 downs back then.

This book is great for people who love lacrosse, football, baseball, and track. By the way the 5 stars mean 5,000,000,000,000,000 stars.

[Christian · Rating 3 out of 5]

My book that I read was called Jim Thorpe by: Joseph Bruchal. I chose this book because it was about sports. So the people who like sports should go rad this book. I gave this book 3 stars because it was based on a true story and it had good imagery in it. Jim was a guy you always liked football Jim would watch the football team practice all the time. Then he was really interested in football so he would put a little football team together and scrimmage.
This story has good imagery because when he tried out for the football team they made this drill for Jim and Jim had to run through all the guys. And they would say something like Jim crushed that guy like a can. Jim started off by punting. And they said that he could punt the ball so high that you would not be able to see it.
I also think that people who like to read things that are based on a true story are better. And I think the people who like that should read this book because it is all based on a true story. About how Jim became a football player and people looked up to him. Those are my reasons that i would say for this book.

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

Since visiting Jim Thorpe, PA and learning that he wasn’t even from that town I was interested in learning more about who he was and his historical significance to PA. It was an a fascinating quick read.

[Blake Carpenter · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a very good for football fans I really liked it it is about Jim Thorpe he is an Indian athlete and was very good and football and track. Jim started out going to an Indian because his parents sent him he ran away from the school many times the last time his father took him out and put him in a farther school so he couldn't run away. But he still ran off back home after that his father took him back again. Jim stayed this time because he was introduced to football Jim met the best football player at the school they became good friends and when Jim got onto the football team he took his position. Jim couldn't be on the football team earlier because he wasn't tall enough but he had a major growth spurt. Jim was now taller than most the people on the team. Jim was the running back he was very fast and plow through people his best runs were to the outside because he could bust it to the outside then plow through the linebackers for big gains. Jim was playing so good he was invited to Carlisle the best Indian school in the U.S. Jim didn't know what schools he would face turns out he had to face ivy league teams which were Harvard and many other good teams. Jim still played because he knew he was good but he would have to train harder and play harder than ever. Jim did even better than he did at all the others schools that he had played for. Now Jim's first season was over he tried out for track he did good in track and went to the olympics. he won many gold medals and a big trophy. Before the olympics Jim had played minor league baseball for money so olympics people took jims medals and trophy away because they said that he could not be a "professional" and be in the olympics. Jim was confused because he didn't know that he was a "pro" and didn't know that was the rules. The newspapers all over the world said "Jim Thorpe is the greatest athlete in the world you can take his trophies away but everybody will still know about the greatest Athlete in the world and you can't take that away."

[Bookish · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was a great biography. One of my favorite things about this book is the fact that it is written to sound like Jim Thorpe is telling this story. This makes the telling of what's only the beginning of his story even more interesting. I was invested in what was happening in the story as a result, more than I would've been if it was just written from the point of view of an invisible narrator. Jim's point of view is also very well-written because not only did it make the story more interesting, but it genuinely sounds like Jim wrote the book. I actually had to remind myself sometimes that this book was by a different author. I also found the development of the historical background of the United States from 1887-1913 to be good. The historical background felt very genuine and accurate all throughout the book, and I liked that since it's part of what forms Jim's story. There was one thing I didn't really like, though. I found myself bored at the parts where Jim was describing every one of his football games. I'm not a sports person, so that plays into it, but, still, in general, the descriptions of the games were just going on and on, and this happened multiple times in the book, and it felt like too much description of the games. Despite this setback, I enjoyed this intriguing biography of Jim Thorpe.

[Thom · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful book written in a first person biography form. In the author's note, Joseph Bruchac says this was written for young adults, and the story style would definitely resonate. I especially enjoyed reading about the early days of football on the gridiron, the first pentathlon in the modern olympic games, and Jim's Indian-school coach, Pop Warner. The audio version is unabridged and read by the author. Highly recommended!

[Dat · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jim Thorpe Original All-American was written by Joseph Bruchac and published by Walden Pond Press in 2006. I really enjoyed reading about Jim Thorpe's athletic career and how he proved that Native Americans were just as good as white people. I would recommend this book to people who enjoy reading biographies, realistic fiction, or historical fiction.
This novel describes Jim Thorpe's school days at Sac and Fox Indian Agency School, then at Haskell Indian Junior College and finally at Carlisle Indian Industrial school. At Carlisle, he played on the football and track team. He participated in the 1912 Olympics in Sweden and won 2 gold medals and w other prizes one from the king of Sweden, and one from the king of Russia. He started at Carlisle in 1904 and left in 1913 to later on and play in the MLB and NFL.
Joseph Bruchac writes about his Native American heritage. Some books written by Bruchac are: Keepers of the Earth, Hidden Roots, and Dawn Land. One thing I liked about this book was that Jim Thorpe would describe every team they faced. For instance, in the 1911 season, before the second game of the season, Jim says, " Muhlenberg was a small Lutheran school and they had brought a small squad-only sixteen players. When they got out of the horse-drawn hack that had brought them from the rail station, they looked like condemned. I enjoyed these parts of the book because it gives me an idea of what teams looked like.
I would give this book four out of five stars because I liked how this book described real moments of Jim Thorpe's career. I would want to read more about Native American traditions after reading this book.

[Micah Gerber · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jim Thorpe was one of the greatest athletes ever to live. He excelled in every sport he tried, including football, baseball, and track. To start his journey, Jim Thorpe had to run away from all of the strict boarding schools that he had previously attended. Eventually, Thorpe found a school named Carlisle in Pennsylvania. They had all of those sports, but at first, Thorpe did not go out for any of them. One day, as Thorpe was passing some track boys who had failed to complete a 5-foot high jump, he asked to try it. Jim completed the task like it was nothing, and after that, the boys told Pop Warner (their track coach) that Jim should be on the track team. After all of that, Jim joined track and had a great season but he wanted to play football. Finally, coach Pop Warner let him play. Whenever he went into the game, he would dominate the opponents easily. He quickly became one of the best athletes in the sport of football. Later in the book, he goes to the Olympics for track and earns a few medals there that would eventually be stolen back from him.

This book shows how Jim Thorpe lived his life and made me learn a lot about him. I had no knowledge about him before I read this book. There was a lot of information about football in the early 1900s that I learned about. Throughout Jim’s childhood, he loses numerous family members, including his mom at a young age. He also is bullied in his childhood because of his race. Thorpe relates to so many kids in today's world.

I recommend this read to readers who like sports and learning about historical figures. Though this book can be a bit boring at times and a slow read, my knowledge has grown about the life of Jim Thorpe.

[James Toller · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think that this book was an amazing book to read from start to finish. I saw the book in the library and decided to read it because I knew a little bit about Jim Thorpe but not a lot at the time. For example, I did not know that he was a Native American Indian and that the majority of his childhood he spent between his parents ranch in Oklahoma, and Indian schools located across the U.S, such as Haskell University.

Before I started reading the book I was expecting it to talk a little bit more about him helping found the NFL. In reality, the majority of the book is descriptions of his childhood, between his family and being sent off to multiple Indian schools. The largest chunk of the book is about his time at Carlisle Indian School, where he met a lot of his future friends and gained most of the fame that he would use in his later years.

I rated this book 5 stars because it was a very enjoyable book to read and very informative about one of the most influential figures in the history of the NFL.

[Mike Barat · Rating 3 out of 5]

As good as this book is the book never really tells you about what really needs to be said about Jim Thorpe. Jim Thorpe needed someone to take him under his wing, and explain to him about how different life would be off the reservation where he lived in Oklahoma. For example teaching him about paying bills, bank accounts, shopping for food, speaking to the press, how to tell if someone is a con man/women. Which is why I'm giving this book three stars, instead of four. I blame Pop warner for this, due to the fact Pop Warners had a close relationship with Jim Thorpe. Instead Pop Warner was only interested in taking advantage of Jim Thorpe, the same as many others. A great Athlete and a man that no one really cared about, expect to use him for their own benefit. I have no doubt either that racism was a major reason for Jim Thorpe's poor treatment by so many people.

[Bridget · Rating 4 out of 5]

I picked this up after reading a review on Undefeated: Jim Thorpe and the Carlisle Indian School Football Team that discussed how Sheinkin glossed over the darker parts of Carlisle. I can't say that this book delved much deeper into those issues, but it was a very different book. It's written as though Thorpe is telling his story directly to the reader, which worked really well, and there's humor as well as more detail about the different athletes lives before Carlisle. I may go looking for a non-YA biography next, just to see if I can find one that has more detail about the schools themselves.

[☯Emily Ginder · Rating 3 out of 5]

I usually like books by Joseph Bruchac, but this one was only so-so. It does give some details about the Carlisle Boarding school and its discriminatory policies, but focuses more on Thorpe's athletic career, especially in the second half of the book. It certainly began to get a little boring, especially when all the different football players were named EACH year and then we had to read about their exploits. After a while the names all blended together.

The book is a biography written in first person, using Thorpe's own writings and newspaper articles, etc. That made the book seem more real. I wonder if Thorpe had been a white man if his medals would have been returned. Somehow, I doubt it. I also lost respect for Pop Warner at the end of the book.

[Abe Cain · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book rocked! I play multiple sports myself at a high level and really enjoyed the representation of them in this book. Joseph Baruch does such a great job introducing us the Jim Thrope and the reader has such a clear understanding of what Jim believes in that when he changes we know why he decided to and what reasons influenced him the most. I knew nothing about this human before I read this book but after I feel closer to not only him but the Natives who were once kids that attended these schools. History through the eyes of someone who changed the system for their benefit makes for such an interesting read. 9/10

[John VanGilder · Rating 5 out of 5]

It was a very good book and I would recommend this book for people that enjoy learning the lives of other. This book goes on about Jim Thorpe’s incredible life and how his family went through a lot and he went through even more. I definitely recommend this book for anyone around 12+ years old because there are some complex things. This book is a 5-5 because it was incredibly interesting and if you enjoy running and sports you’ll enjoy this.

[Lindsey · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this to help my kid with a writing assignment, but ended up really enjoying it. It's a fascinating look at the Indian schools run by the government, as well as the early days of college football (just as scandalous as today). Additionally, you can't help but be blown away by the freak athleticism of Thorpe. BONUS: I can now drop the name "Pop Warner" and "Jim Thorpe" during Christmas dinner with my sports obsessed family.

[Jean M · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think 3 stars is weak, but it was not clear to me when I purchased the book that it would only cover Jim Thorpe's amateur career. I thought it provided more biographical information.

Yet, it was a nice find. It was writen for younger readers and us enjoyable to read. It provides a great first person account of residential schools in the US as well as the start of sports as a business.

Enjoyable and very easy to read. Very relative to much of the injustice we continue to see today.

[Nathan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Author Bruchac compiled this narrative from primary sources and read it as if he were Thorpe.
The book covers Thorpe's journey through his days as an all-around athlete, par excellence.
I found this book easier to listen to than David Maraniss's deep dive into Thorpe's life, but each have value in getting to know and better understanding the amazing life, athleticism, and trials of the great Jim Thorpe.

[Kea4 · Rating 2 out of 5]

I liked the addition of the photos. It was about someone I did not know much about. The part about the Olympics was great. The book sounds very upbeat.
But a little more about his life at the end would have been good. Such as how old was he when he passed away. How many kids did he have? EC.
The downside is that is a lot of stuff when it comes to football games. A little too much for me

https://theworldisabookandiamitsreade...

[Anna W. · Rating 3 out of 5]

I learned a lot about Jim Thorpe, but there was a very heavy emphasis on almost exclusively his athletic career, both at Carlisle and in between. I want to know more about afterwards too — his marriages, later work, etc. Who was he? What did he enjoy outside of athletics? Answers I don’t know.

Definitely a good book for an athlete wanting more sports info—lots about football DNF how the game has changed for sure.

[Tony Nelo · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think this book was written for fourth graders, so it was perfect for me.

However, it was a really insightful read. I thought we were living in unprecedented times with the NIL destroying college sports, but the author shows how paying players still had issues back in the early 1900’s. Really showed the different issues Thorpe had to overcome; personal tragedy, racism, government interference, changing rules, etc.

“Thanks, King.” Greatest athlete ever.

[Anaya · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was extremely informational. Since I was doing a project about Jim Thorpe, this book really helped me get evidence about his daily life and how he lived his life as the first Native American to win an Olympic gold medal. There were many pictures as well which helped me see more about his life and how sports and family were things that really meant a lot to him.

[Joeclapp · Rating 5 out of 5]

The 5 star rating reflects the content rather than the writing style or composition Itself. Anyways, I enjoyed it. The spirit of the game seemed pure back then: a far cry from the money hungry No Fun League that runs football in America today. I hope to see the a return to the game that once was, beginning with the padding and helmets.

[Leilani · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an inspirational book. I enjoyed reading it. I wish we heard more about Thorpe's professional life but it was nice to hear about his family, culture, childhood, and amateur sports career.

I was messed up how his Olympic medals were taken away. He definitely seemed like the most athletic man of his generation, so no one deserved them more than Thorpe.

[Vince McCollum · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read this book with my students. I enjoyed reading about his early life and his transition to the boarding schools he attended. Truly an amazing athlete, his story was truly inspiring. It's so sad he met the end he did.

[Harrison Redepenning · Rating 2 out of 5]

Fine read. Jim Thorpe is an interesting man but the novel was written in a very “child-like” approach. As if he was this perfect “All-American” guy that could do no wrong. I found him kinda bland and probs wouldn’t read it again

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

The audio book was o.k. the narrator seemed a little off. I learned a lot about Jim Thorpe and Pop Warner. Lost respect for Pop Warner. It was written like it was Jim Thorpe speaking, so it made him should very full of himself. That really took away from the story!

[Chandra B · Rating 3 out of 5]

Super quick biography targeting young readers, so it obviously didn’t dive too deeply into the extreme racism that shaped his career. Still interesting to read about some of his experiences at the Carlisle school and historical sports anecdotes.

[Greg Young · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this book. I enjoyed it of being written in first person. It captures the early life challenges and successes for Jim. It isn’t afraid to point out the issues of his era in America (treatment of the Native population, hypocrisy in amateur athletics).

[Jan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great good about Jim Thorpe's early life.