Undefeated: Jim Thorpe and the Carlisle Indian School Football Team

Description

When superstar athlete Jim Thorpe and football legend Pop Warner met in 1904 at the Carlisle Indian Industrial School in Pennsylvania, they forged one of the winningest teams in American football history. Called "the team that invented football," they took on the best opponents of their day, defeating much more privileged schools such as Harvard and the Army in a series of breathtakingly close calls, genius plays, and bone-crushing hard work. But this is not just an underdog story. It's an unflinching look at the persecution of Native Americans and its intersection with the beginning of one of the most beloved-and exploitative-pastimes in America, expertly told by nonfiction powerhouse Steve Sheinkin.

Steve Sheinkin is the award-winning author of fast-paced, cinematic histories for young readers. His books include The Notorious Benedict Arnold, winner of the Boston Globe Horn Book Award for Nonfiction; Bomb: the Race to Build - and Steal - the World's Most Dangerous Weapon, a Newbery Honor Book and a National Book Award Finalist; The Port Chicago 50, winner of the Boston Globe Horn Book Award for Nonfiction and a National Book Award Finalist; and Most Dangerous: Daniel Ellsberg and the Secret History of the Vietnam War, another National Book Award Finalist. Steve lives with his family in Saratoga Springs, New York. stevesheinkin.com

"Sheinkin has made a career of finding extraordinary stories in American history, researching them exhaustively and recounting them at a nimble pace for readers aged 10 and up . . . Thorpe's greatness may be aspirational, but Sheinkin's brisk and forthright delivery makes it seem entirely possible." --The New York Times Book Review "Along with Thorpe's fascinating personal story, Sheinkin offers a thought-provoking narrative about the evolution of football and the development of boarding schools such as the Carlisle Indian School." --The Washington Post "Sheinkin has created a rich, complex narrative that balances the institutionalized bigotry and racism of the times with the human-interest stories that are often overshadowed by or lost to history . . . A thoroughly engrossing and extensively researched examination of football's first 'all-American.' Highly recommended for U.S. history collections." --School Library Journal, starred review "A model of research and documentation as well as of stylish writing that tells an always absorbing story." --Booklist, starred review "A gifted storyteller who never forgets the story in history. He is unflinchingly honest in pointing out the racism in white American culture at large and in football culture . . . bringing the story directly to modern readers. Superb nonfiction that will entertain as it informs." --Kirkus Reviews, starred review "Brief, action-packed chapters evince Sheinkin's consistently multilayered approach, as he connects various subplots . . . and uses genuine cliffhangers for a propulsive reading experience." --Horn Book, starred review "With contagious excitement, Sheinkin enthralls . . . compels readers to learn, admire and bear witness to the 'world's greatest athlete.'" --Shelf Awareness, starred review "A new work of nonfiction as riveting as any historical novel you are likely to read this year." --Book Page Most Dangerous: "Easily the best study of the Vietnam War available for teen readers." --Kirkus Reviews, starred review The Port Chicago 50: "Sheinkin delivers another meticulously researched WWII story." --Publishers Weekly, starred review Bomb: "This is edge-of-the-seat material." --The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, starred review The Notorious Benedict Arnold: "American history is brought to life in this engaging story of revolution and treason." --School Library Journal, starred review