Path Lit by Lightning

By David Maraniss,

Book cover of Path Lit by Lightning

Book description

A riveting new biography of America’s greatest all-around athlete by the bestselling author of the classic biography When Pride Still Mattered.

Jim Thorpe rose to world fame as a mythic talent who excelled at every sport. He won gold medals in the decathlon and pentathlon at the 1912 Stockholm Olympics,…

When you buy books, we may earn a commission that helps keep the lights on. Or join the rebellion as a member.

Why read it?

1 author picked Path Lit by Lightning as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

I've been fascinated by athlete Jim Thorpe since my dad first told me about him many, many years ago. I've read other Thorpe biographies, but this one surpasses them all in depth, detail, and the author's ability to connect episodes in Thorpe's life to events and trends in the larger society. I recently published a short story about Thorpe, and though it contains fantasy elements, I couldn't have written it without having read this book.

Share your top 3 reads of 2024!

And get a beautiful page showing off your 3 favorite reads.

1,087

readers submitted
so far, will you?