Foxcatcher
The True Story of My Brother's Murder, John du Pont's Madness, and the Quest for Olympic Gold
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4.1 • 170 Ratings
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- $10.99
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- $10.99
Publisher Description
The riveting true story of Olympic wrestling gold medal-winning brothers Mark Schultz and Dave Schultz and their fatal relationship with the eccentric John du Pont, heir to the du Pont dynasty
On January 26, 1996, Dave Schultz, Olympic gold medal winner and wrestling golden boy, was shot three times by du Pont family heir John E. du Pont at the famed Foxcatcher Farms estate in Pennsylvania. Following the murder there was a tense standoff when du Pont barricaded himself in his home for two days before he was finally captured.
Foxcatcher is gold medal winner Mark Schultz’s memoir, revealing what made him and his brother champion and what brought them to Foxcatcher Farms. It’s a vivid portrait of the complex relationship he and his brother had with du Pont, a man whose catastrophic break from reality led to tragedy. No one knows the inside story of what went on behind the scenes at Foxcatcher Farms—and inside John du Pont’s head—better than Mark Schultz.
The incredible true story of these championship-winning brothers and the wealthiest convicted murderer of all time will be making headlines this fall, and Mark’s memoir will reveal the true inside story.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
In this disturbing, heartfelt memoir, the life of champion wrestler Schultz plays out against the backdrop of his brother's murder in 1996 at the hands of John du Pont, heir to the du Pont family. An Olympic gold medalist and two-time world champion, Schultz drives himself relentlessly toward success, following the example of his older brother, Dave, who is also a gold medalist and world champion. As the brothers struggle after college, they are drawn to Foxcatcher Farms in Pennsylvania by du Pont's promises of financial support and state-of-the-art training facilities. Once there, they find themselves making excuses for the eccentric behavior of the multi-millionaire who writes their paychecks. While the murder casts shadows throughout the book, Schultz's focus remains very much on his dogged rise to wrestling fame. Schultz is honest about his obsessive, insecure nature and the profound sacrifices necessary to be great in a brutal sport. The book is timed to publish with Sony's release of the movie Foxcatcher, which is based on the event, not on Schultz's memoir. Schultz writes about his constant interactions with Dave their shared apartments, his brother's marriage and children yet his brother's life largely takes place offstage. That said, the relationship between Schultz and his more easy-going, older brother is vividly portrayed as one of sibling rivalry and real love.
Customer Reviews
More informative than movie
This was a great book. I was glad to read about the history of Mark and Dave regarding their childhood and how they each came to be wrestlers. I learned about wrestling but did skip some the parts with heavy match descriptions. I'm a girl. Not too into that, however was found the scoring explanations very interesting. Different from movie but way more real. Being an Olympian belong only to the deserving and worthy. Money can't buy victory.
Fills in movie gaps
I bought this book after seeing the movie - which I felt didn't tell this story in the best way - and sensing parts of the story were missing. It does illuminate the real story but you have to wade through a lot to pick it out. It's also very obviously written by someone who isn't an author and someone with more hindsight now than he had when the events actually occurred so you take that into consideration when reading. If you're a wrestler or a fan of the sport you'll probably enjoy this book much more than I did. Overall my post movie curiosity was satiated and while I'm sure I could have just googled for the info, I wanted to read it in Mark's words.
Excellent read
I read frequently, and this is the best book I have read in a long time. Mark Schultz does an excellent job at re telling old wrestling and life stories, as well as conveying to the reader how great of a person and talented of an athlete his brother Dave was. If you want to hear the real story of "Foxcatcher" and the Schultz brothers, read this book.