Undefeated: Jim Thorpe and the Carlisle Indian School Football Team

Undefeated: Jim Thorpe and the Carlisle Indian School Football Team
Steve Sheinkin
Roaring Book Press, 2017 280 pages
Grades 6-Up
Nonfiction/Biography

Award-winning author of several works of nonfiction for young people, Sheinkin presents a highly readable account of the life of Jim Thorpe, as well as an overview of the Indian boarding schools from a century ago and the early history of football. Thorpe is not the only star of this biography, as Sheinkin also highlights the life of his ground-breaking coach, Pop Warner. The reader experiences the world of the early previous century, when every Native American was nicknamed "chief", racism ran rampant, and football was an untamed, helmet-optional sport. Thorpe escaped from a world of limited opportunities and discrimination to attend an Indian "reconditioning" boarding school of questionable motives and practices. The school had one thing going for it: an excellent coach who was set to make his name in this new sport called football at a school where he was offered free autonomy to coach as experimentally as he pleased. Thorpe proved himself to be an amazing multi-versatile athlete, finally rising to a big Olympic decathlon win, where he was considered to be the top athlete in the entire world. Unfortunately, Thorpe's life took a turn for the worse, yet he managed to always keep his winning smile and can-do spirit and remained involved with athletics his entire life.

Sheinkin paints a sympathetic picture of Thorpe and shows his shortcomings to be a result of atrocious discrimination against Native Americans at the time and misuse and corruption at the hands of the famous coach, Pop Warner. Certainly it was no easy task to be Native American one-hundred years ago. Readers will be exposed to the practice of reconditioning Native Americans and see what life was like for them after the Indian wars. The Carlisle football team brought much needed pride and hope to an entire generation of native peoples and Jim Thorpe was not only an Indian hero, but an American hero. Readers will also learn about the early days of football, which in itself would make a great book. The book is written so well that even non-football fans, such as myself, will be riveted. An easy sell to reluctant readers, especially boys, this book certainly deserves a place in most libraries and is a perfect choice for the dreaded biography book reports. Sheinkin did meticulous research and extensive source notes, works cited, and index is offered at the end of the volume. Fascinating photos from the time period put the account in historical perspective. Of particular interest are the before and after photos of the Carlisle students. An enjoyable and educational account of Thorpe and early football that almost reads like fiction and will be enjoyed by both fans of the sport and the casual reader.