Foxcatcher: The True Story of My Brother's Murder, John du Pont's Madness, and the Quest for Olympic Gold

The book gives real insight into how the idle rich can become delusional and have their minds corrupted. Their minds become corrupted because they can buy their Glory instead of working for it, and the masses are made to grovel at their feet hoping to be the benefactor of whatever crumbs fall off their table! They are much like a puppet masters, who get sick joy, from pulling on the strings of people around them, like they are toy marionettes. Who only exist to keep for the amusement & gratification they're selfish egos.It also gives insight into amount of personal sacrifice that goes into becoming an Olympic wrestler. The type of work ethic wrestlers have represents the best traditions and values of American culture. Setting a grand example that we should all strive to follow and emulate!It's beautiful to read about Mark's Shultz's personal triumphs in the face of great adversity.

Mark is so brutally honest about his life and what he experienced along the way it is a bit startling. For a person that seemed obsessed with winning and being recognized as one of the toughest guys on the planet he makes no attempt to disguise his many vulnerabilities and weaknesses. Mark wrote this story to leave behind for his family and kids which eventually almost miraculously became a book and major motion picture. He didn't attempt to write a story with the idea of entertaining anyone. What you are reading are his true feelings, this true thoughts and his attempt to make sense of the dysfunctional world he was trust into. If you are more interested in a sugar coated, politically correct piece or art this is not the book for you. I could not put this book down as I felt like I was looking inside the mind of a person who was both incredibly simple yet equally complex that was driven beyond what most people will ever understand. Mark Schultz is an American hero that uncomfortably reminds us that our hero's are not always what we think. The reason I didn't give this book five stars is because it isn't written for everybody, if you are not into the brutal truth, if you don't understand the ferociousness of one on one competition and the fear of failing its not the book for you.

January 26, 1996: I was 26 years old, had wrestled all my life and Dave Schultz was my wrestling "hero." Dave was bigger than life as I had studied tapes of his technique and international matches for a number of years. I knew of all his amazing accolades as well as his off the mat ambassadorship qualities. I even met him briefly at a high school wrestling match not long before he was tragically murdered. Dave was every bit the friendly person I had always envisioned when I gathered the courage to say Hi and speak to him briefly. I knew much less about his younger brother Mark Schultz, only his amazing accolades and tremendous "natural" ability, or so I thought "natural" until I read Foxcatcher and learned how hard this man worked to earn everything he had ever achieved on the mat.I was driving home very late on that cold, dark night of January 26, 1996 when the news from earlier that day came across my radio of the tragedy that occurred in Newtown Square, PA on Foxcatcher Farms. In an instant, my wrestling hero, who was bigger than life and the friendliest competitor off the mat I had ever met, was tragically murdered by millionaire eccentric John DuPont. I cried so much that night, the close knit wrestling community had also lost a hero. My obvious questions of Why, How, and For What Reason have never been properly answered....until Mark Schultz's book, Foxcatcher. For me, this book is very personal and a must read for all athletes and non-athletes.Summary: Described through the eyes and first hand experiences of Mark Schultz, Foxcatcher extensively covers the experiences of growing up very poor in Palo Alto, CA, to competing in various sports, to being lost in the shadow of an older brother, to the frailties, fears, and anxiety of competing in the sport of wrestling, to the awe-inspiring accomplishments of both Schultz brothers, and of course, the spiral downward plunge of John DuPont who used his massive wealth for manipulation, control, personal recognition, and ultimately deceit and murder.Foxcatcher's 300+ pages covers all the human emotions one would expect of a captivating novel from hilarity to laughter to confusion to anger to despair to disdain to anxiety to hope to sadness to heartbreak....I found myself at some points outwardly laughing then soon after feeling angry then drying my eyes from crying with sadness. Character development is very good but if I am to make a constructive criticism, I'd have liked to have had a few more pages describing more detail of Valentin Jordanov personal background as well as John DuPont's mother and her influence during the year's Dave and Mark stayed on the farm grounds.The flow of the book is very smooth and the transitions from Chapter to Chapter are done effectively. The tragic incident is described in bone chilling detail and brought me to tears (again) having to re-live that fateful day.Final Verdict:An absolute MUST read for anybody wanting to learn the deep rooted truths about what made the Schultz brothers who they are in the sport of wrestling and John DuPont's selfish reasons for donating enormous sums of money to the Olympic athletic programs, his downward mental spiral, his progressive bizarre behavior, his extensive jealousies, his blood lust for personal recognition, and finally his murderous actions that forever betrayed the wrestling community and destroyed numerous families...painful scars still felt today.It is also the incredible story of Mark Schultz as both a person and a World Class wrestler, his incredibly difficult quest to achieve World Class honors, his undying love and admiration for his big brother (Dave), and his heartbreaking but inspirational climb out of the ruins of Foxcatcher following the tragedy.January 26, 1996: I was just 26 years when I lost my sports hero, Dave Schultz. For the first time since that tragic day, I have discovered a new sports hero, Mark Schultz, who showed me the true meaning of the word perseverance in the wake of horrendous tragedy. (I am reading this book a second time, it is that powerful. I also plan to see the movie Foxcatcher as well as Nancy Schultz's planned documentary in 2015.)

After seeing the movie Foxcatcher, the Netflix documentary Team Foxcatcher, and the 30 for 30 documentary, Prince of Pennsylvania, I felt drawn to purchase and read Mark Schultz's book, Foxcatcher. I realized that if I wanted to hear the whole, unadulterated story, unfiltered and straight out of the tap, reading the book authored by Mark Schultz himself, was the only way to get it. I was drawn to his story for several reasons. I wanted to learn his whole story so that I could get a better understanding of how people, events and opportunities shaped him on and off the mat. He did an excellent job chronicling his life so that his readers could get to know him as a whole person, from childhood through adulthood.I was also extremely interested (this was perhaps my biggest draw) in the psychology of Mark Schultz as it related to wrestling ....what skills/behaviors he practiced and how he contextualized his thoughts so that he could create within himself a mental climate that allowed him to continually go into battle (wrestling at that level for so long), and not only succeed, but to dominate.... thoroughly. I wanted to find out if that same tenacity wove through other areas of his life and shaped how he dealt with difficult things off the mat. I wanted to know what Mark Schultz knows, what he learned via his blood, sweat and tears. I am an athlete myself, as well as a human being getting through life like everyone else. I figured that Mark might have penned some strategies in his book for dealing with adversity, staying focused, and success in sport and in life. I was not disappointed!This book is ultimately about Mark, which is what I was hoping for when I ordered it. It was a brave, warrior effort on his part to bring this book to life. I'm so glad he shared his story with us.I highly recommend!

Item arrived on time and in good condition

The unlikely but nevertheless real story of two brothers who are going to practice on the inherited grounds of a wealthy son of a rich family...

A really interesting and intriguing book

Might have made a good film but was a boring read. Maybe I should have been a man.