Jim Thorpe: There's No Such Thing As 'Can't

Children's Literature - Naomi Butler

This book explores the life of "world class" athlete Jim Thorpe, including his childhood and American Indian background, his amateur and professional athletic career, and the legacy he left behind. Although he faced bitter racism during his life, Thorpe continued to excel. He won gold medals playing professional baseball and football during his life. He also won a gold medal for the decathlon in the 1912 Olympics. Each chapter-heading page features outstanding color and photographs are interspersed. In addition, each biographical chapter is contains additional facts and information. There are other sections—Jim Thorpe's Team Sports Statistics, a Chronology, Chapter Notes, a Glossary, Further Reading, Internet Addresses, and an Index. The author of this "Spirit of a Nation" book has truly written an exciting story about Jim Thorpe. All in all it is a very attractive book. Reviewer: Naomi Butler

School Library Journal

Gr 5–8—These biographies of men who overcame racial barriers to become recognized leaders each opens with a dramatic incident from his life, followed by an overview of his entire life that includes personal details but emphasizes achievements. Schuman is generally admiring, but also includes discussions of weaknesses, including Douglass's reputation for arrogance and Thorpe's struggles with alcohol. Douglass is the better of the two, relating the man's struggles to gain an education, escape from slavery, establish himself as a free man, and become one of the country's foremost advocates of abolition and full civil rights for African Americans. However, it will not replace Alice Fleming's Frederick Douglass (Rosen, 2005) or Peter Burchard's book of the same name (S & S, 2003). Thorpe describes the Native American baseball player's birth in the Indian Territory of Oklahoma, his education at the repressive Indian schools, and his groundbreaking career as one of the most well-rounded and talented athletes of the 20th century. Unfortunately, the author includes too much play-by-play detail about individual games, making some of the chapters dry, but the book is still better suited for reports than Joseph Bruchac's fictionalized Jim Thorpe (Dial, 2006). Both titles are illustrated with a variety of period photos and art prints.—Mary Mueller, Rolla Junior High School, MO