... goes beyond the myth and into the guts of Thorpe’s life, using extensive research, historical nuance and bittersweet honesty to tell the story of a gifted and complicated man.

... exhaustively researched.

... showcases Mr. Maraniss’s abilities as an indefatigable researcher and a deft prose stylist. But at times the march through Thorpe’s days is simply exhausting, whether because of the author’s self-described 'obsession' with his subject or his unwillingness to leave out even minor details that he has so carefully unearthed. While Thorpe’s life is fascinating, poignant and instructive, the book drags in many places, and thus some readers might find it hard to reach the finish line, which comes only at the end of a whopping 25 (!) page epilogue.

As David Maraniss artfully demonstrates in the biography Path Lit by Lightning: The Life of Jim Thorpe, Thorpe was both puffed and pilloried.

Maraniss not only succeeds in revealing the man behind the fable, but also exposes the shameful treatment that Native Americans endured, as the government sought to take their land and erase their culture.

... a masterful, in-depth portrait of a monumental figure.

If you are a reader of certain kinds of non-fiction books, Path Lit by Lightning may disappoint you from the get-go.

... meticulously researched.

Maraniss’s book is the most comprehensive Thorpe biography to date (being nearly 200 well-cited pages longer than Kate Buford’s 2010 biography Native American Son). Beyond bringing Thorpe to life, Maraniss also delves heavily into issues of race and culture..

... sensitive and compelling.

Maraniss trains his keen eye on the remarkable career of Jim Thorpe.