He has written several other favorites like Bomb, The Port Chicago 50 and Most Dangerous. Steve Sheinkin is a great nonfiction writer for young adult readers. This is just something that I think about a lot, and this book in particular gave me the chance to try to articulate everything I've been mulling. Obviously, this is an area where I need to do better as a reader: looking for #ownvoices books when I read books by white authors. Sheinkin's made it on my to read list before it was out. And that doesn't make Sheinkin's book any less great, but I didn't know about Bruchac's book until I went looking. But I just found out that another author I really like, Joseph Bruchac, wrote a book about Thorpe in 2006: Jim Thorpe, Original All-American. I found this book gripping and informative, and there's no question that he did a wonderful job. This great piece by Cynthia Leitich Smith is something I return to over and over when I read books by white authors about underrepresented groups.

It should have gotten more attention in the text. Since the book is so heavily about sports and a Native American team, I think this isn't a small detail. I wanted a more definitive stance about why current team names are problematic, and perhaps some allusion to movements to have these names changed like #Change the Mascot. While Sheinkin makes the point that the Carlisle Indians were a team made up of Native American players, unlike today's teams with racist mascots, I felt like that wasn't really good enough. That said, I have a couple issues with the book.įirst, while the issue of naming a sports team after a group of people is touched on, I was hoping for a stronger stance about how harmful and inappropriate some current sports team names are. It's a compelling read with great photos and memorable people. Whether or not you're a football fan, this book does a wonderful job blending a biography of Thorpe, a history of the game, and the story of the United States' forced attempts to 'assimilate' Native American youth.

I love Sheinkin's writing in general, but Jim Thorpe's story is fascinating.

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