Path Lit By Lightning – A biography of Jim Thorpe

 

By David Maraniss

A review of a review by Steven Halpern

This morning I read a review of David Maraniss’ new book that is a biography of Jim Thorpe. This was in the Book Review section of the New York Times. The book’s title comes from Jim Thorpe’s Native American name in the Sac and Fox language translated to, “Path Lit By Lightning.” I read Maraniss’ biography of Roberto Clemente and his book on the 1960 Olympic games in Rome, Italy. I found those books to be well worth reading. 

Then, Maraniss probably wasted his time writing biographies of Presidents William Jefferson Clinton and Barrack Obama. While I didn’t read those books, I’m sure that Maraniss failed to mention the essence of who Clinton and Obama are. Like President Donald Trump, they all defend a system where there are four individuals who have hundreds of billions of dollars, while 42 million people do not have enough food to eat. Had Maraniss portrayed the lives of Clinton and Obama in that perspective, he would never have found a publisher.

Apparently, the theme of his book on Thorpe is to take the reader on a journey down the road of the horrendous tragedy of Jim Thorpe. Then to argue that in spite of these obstacles, Thorpe might be the greatest athlete of all time. The obstacles Thorpe faced were a part of the long history of genocide against Native Americans. 

In my opinion, when we think about the life of Jim Thorpe, it is useful to look at his life in an historical perspective. Thorpe won several medals in the 1912 Olympic games. Maraniss argued that the justification for stripping Thorpe of those medals was always a sham. 

We might also think about the fact that in those same years Jack Johnson became the Heavyweight Boxing Champion of the World. The United States government organized a campaign to strip Johnson of his title because of a law, The Mann Act, that was rarely enforced. Johnson had a relationship with a prostitute who crossed state lines. At that time, politicians routinely engaged in sex with prostitutes, but for the government officials, that was irrelevant. Johnson effectively surrendered title and served one year in prison because of this clear frame-up.

Then, in 1968 Tommy Smith and John Carlos raised black-gloved fists while they were being awarded medals in the Mexico City Olympic Games. The Olympic games officials demanded that Smith and Carlos give up their medals. I listened to Carlos respond to that demand. He said that if the Olympic officials want his medal, they can come to Harlem and try to get it. They never did. 

Then there was Mohammed Ali who refused to serve in the military in the war against Vietnam. Ali argued that the Vietnamese “never called me n---er.” Ali would go on to become one of the most popular athletes of all time. 

Then there was the effective banning of Colin Kaepernick from professional football. This was because Kaepernick knelt during the playing of the national anthem. This was to protest the numerous murders of Black people in this country by the police. From what I can tell, it is still uncertain whether Kaepernick will be playing in the 2022-2023 season. 

My point in this post is to contrast the greatness of Jim Thorpe as an athlete, to the horror story that he experienced in much of his life. Then, I think it is also important to see how the struggles against discrimination have advanced over the years. 

However, we shouldn’t forget that today the professional basketball player Brittney Griner is living in a prison in Russia. The United States government is playing games trying to get the best deal it can in exchange for bringing Griner home. 

I have more information about the life of Jim Thorpe in my review of Kate Buford’s biography that can be seen at this link: Kate Buford - Jim Thorpe