Good Afternoon

Sending this along to see if any of you or your patrons might be interested
in attending.
Thanks for considering.

The Trustees of the Louis T. Graves Memorial Public Library are pleased to
announce their Annual Author Event to be held at the Kennebunk River Club
from 5:00 – 7:00 pm on Thursday, September 29, 2022.  This year’s
fundraising event will feature award-winning author and journalist, David
Maraniss. The evening will begin with a wine reception, followed by a
discussion between David Maraniss and Peter Slen, Senior Executive Producer
at C-SPAN. A book signing will follow the reception and discussion. Tickets
are $60/each and are non-refundable.  Eventbrite Link:  MARANISS
<https://www.eventbrite.com/e/annual-author-event-with-david-maraniss-tickets-391214702707?utm-campaign=social&utm-content=attendeeshare&utm-medium=discovery&utm-term=listing&utm-source=cp&aff=escb>

David Maraniss is a New York Times bestselling author and associate editor
at The Washington Post. 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. He currently lives in Washington
D.C. and Madison, Wisconsin.

For more information about David Maraniss, visit his website
<http://davidmaraniss.com>.

Here is what people are saying about David’s latest book, A Path Lit by
Lightning:

“In different hands I might be dubious, but David Maraniss revives the
titanic Jim Thorpe for a new generation with a surgeon’s care, the
diligence of a great researcher, and the poignance and humanity that is the
signature of his writing. Path Lit By Lightning is a masterful look at this
country’s first super-athlete, unflinching from what conquest did to his
people, from the rousing and bittersweet journey of fame and identity, nor
from an American century often far less heroic than the book’s protagonist.
It’s simply brilliant.”

– Howard Bryant, author of The Last Hero: A Life of Henry Aaron

“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. . . . Maraniss’ biography does justice to the
struggles and triumphs of a truly great man.”

– Mary Ann Gwinn, Los Angeles Times

"A sensitive and compelling life of the great, ill-treated athlete Jim
Thorpe. . . . Racism was a powerful element in Thorpe’s life, and Maraniss
explores this topic with insight and nuance, just as he did in his
biography of Roberto Clemente. . . . A tale that, though well known in
outline, Maraniss enriches with his considerable skills as a writer and
researcher."

– Kirkus Reviews (starred review)



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.


Thanks so much.
Mary-Lou Boucouvalas
Library Director
Louis T. Graves Memorial Public Library
18 Maine Street, P.O. Box 391
Kennebunkport, ME 04046
(207) 967-2778. www.graveslibrary.org