The Midtown Scholar Bookstore is honored to welcome biographer David Maraniss for an in-person conversation and signing on his new book, Path Lit By Lightning: The Life of Jim Thorpe. Maraniss will be in conversation with Connie Doebele.

This event is free and open to the public, with registration. This is an in-person event with a live-stream option via Zoom. Doors will open at 6:15pm, and the event will begin at 7:00pm. Virtual attendees will receive the event access link 24 hours and 1 hour before the event begins.

Vaccination Requirements:

You must show proof that you are fully vaccinated against COVID-19 for entrance to this event. We will accept either a physical vaccination card, digital card, or a photo of the card on your phone. Per the CDC, people are considered fully vaccinated 2 weeks after their second dose in a 2-dose series, or 2 weeks after a single-dose vaccine.

Event Policies:

• Seating is general admission; first come, first served

• Masks are required

• Book browsing will not be permitted after 8pm

About the Book:

Jim Thorpe rose to world fame as a mythic talent who excelled at every sport. He won gold medals in the decathlon and pentathlon at the 1912 Stockholm Olympics, was an All-American football player at the Carlisle Indian School, the star of the first class of the Pro Football Hall of Fame, and played major league baseball for John McGraw’s New York Giants. Even in a golden age of sports celebrities, he was one of a kind.

But despite his colossal skills, Thorpe’s life was a struggle against the odds. As a member of the Sac and Fox Nation, he encountered duplicitous authorities who turned away from him when their reputations were at risk. At Carlisle, he dealt with the racist assimilationist philosophy “Kill the Indian, Save the Man.” His gold medals were unfairly rescinded because he had played minor league baseball. His later life was troubled by alcohol, broken marriages, and financial distress. He roamed from state to state and took bit parts in Hollywood, but even the film of his own life failed to improve his fortunes. But for all his travails, Thorpe did not succumb. The man survived, complications and all, and so did the myth.

Path Lit by Lightning is a great American story from a master biographer.

About the Speakers:

David Maraniss is an associate editor at The Washington Post and a distinguished visiting professor at Vanderbilt University. He has won two Pulitzer Prizes for journalism and was a finalist three other times. Among his bestselling books are biographies of Bill Clinton, Barack Obama, Roberto Clemente, and Vince Lombardi, and a trilogy about the 1960s—Rome 1960; Once in a Great City (winner of the RFK Book Prize); and They Marched into Sunlight (winner of the J. Anthony Lucas Prize and Pulitzer Finalist in History).

Connie Doebele spent 25 years at C-SPAN television as a senior executive producer. She has produced the network's signature book program "Booknotes." In addition, she was the originating producer for C-SPAN's Book TV. Over the years, she also produced the network's morning show "Washington Journal" in addition to its international coverage and its programming about the Supreme Court. In 2011, she produced a documentary about the Library of Congress. Connie also spent many years in front of the camera moderating C-SPAN's call-in programs and book interviews. She moved to Harrisburg last fall after four years at Purdue University as Managing Director of the Center for C-SPAN Scholarship & Engagement.