Path Lit by Lightning

"Path Lit by Lightning showcases Mr. Maraniss's abilities as an indefatigable researcher and a deft prose stylist. . . . [Reveals] Thorpe as a man in full, whose life was characterized by both soaring triumph and grievous loss."--Andrew R. Graybill "The Wall Street Journal"
"A sensitive and compelling life of the great, ill-treated athlete Jim Thorpe. . . . Racism was a powerful element in Thorpe's life, and Maraniss explores this topic with insight and nuance, just as he did in his biography of Roberto Clemente. . . . A tale that, though well known in outline, Maraniss enriches with his considerable skills as a writer and researcher."

-- "Kirkus Reviews (starred review)"

"Path Lit by Lightning is a captivating book by a master storyteller. David Maraniss provides new insights into Jim Thorpe, a man who was not only 'the world's greatest athlete, ' but a cultural icon complicated by the dynamics of race and celebrity."--Patty Loew, (Bad River Ojibwe), professor, Medill School of Journalism, Northwestern University, and Inaugural Director, Center for Native American and Indigenous Research
"Path Lit By Lightning is a flat-out masterpiece. The story of Jim Thorpe, one of America's greatest and most misunderstood heroes, is told in riveting detail by David Maraniss, one of our greatest biographers. The result is a portrait as powerful, dazzling, and nuanced as Thorpe himself."--Jonathan Eig, author Luckiest Man, Opening Day and Ali: A Life
"David Maraniss brilliantly rescues Jim Thorpe from myth and prejudice, restoring something more consequential than the Olympic medals stolen from him by small men--his humanity. This is another masterpiece from the master of biography."--Jane Leavy, author of The Big Fella and Koufax
"In different hands I might be dubious, but David Maraniss revives the titanic Jim Thorpe for a new generation with a surgeon's care, the diligence of a great researcher, and the poignance and humanity that is the signature of his writing. Path Lit By Lightning is a masterful look at this country's first super-athlete, unflinching from what conquest did to his people, from the rousing and bittersweet journey of fame and identity, nor from an American century often far less heroic than the book's protagonist. It's simply brilliant."--Howard Bryant, author of The Last Hero: A Life of Henry Aaron