Foxcatcher

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

By: Mark Schultz, David Thomas

Narrated by: Stephen Mendel

Length: 7 hrs and 31 mins

Publisher's summary

The riveting true story - soon to be the subject of a high-profile film - 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.

©2014 Mark Schultz and David Thomas (P)2014 Penguin Audio

What the movie left out

Great true story about one of the greatest American wrestlers. Truly enjoyed Marks honesty even at his own expense.

Good, but lacking

This is a good listen. Growing up in the amateur wrestling world (high school, junior high, and juniors) I remember the Schultz's, they were more or less icons to the kids ranking right up there with Dan Gable and Cael Sanderson. The imagery created with this book reminded me of the good times and bad times in those hot, sweaty, and dear-god smelly wrestling rooms. I remember hearing news of the tragedy and now being much older wanted to learn more about it and what caused it. This book gives you the nuts and bolts, and the drive that Mark had to prove himself. But ultimately I found that it focused more on himself rather than the events that led to the book. And --Mild Spoiler Alert-- once it's revealed he joined the BYU coaching staff and converted to the LDS faith, I felt it got a little too preachy (but that's coming from someone who also grew up in the LDS community and is now a self-proclaimed "Jack Mormon").

Listen without Preconceptions

First, I was interested in this box after seeing the trailers for the movie so I went in with a script in my mind of what would happen. I would recommend this book as a book about athletic ambition, what wrestling is like, and the story of a person who knew John DuPont. This is not a book that is a biography of John DuPont or any explanation of DuPont's life and motivations. So I would recommend it as a book for what it is - a story of an Olympic wrestler, his life, his brother's life, and a sad crime.

Great book

Sad story but great book. Mark tell of his and Dave’s wrestling career in a very honest and thorough manner. Great job Mark. Sorry for your brother. If you like wrestling, sports or learning about great people - you’ll love this book.

Another American Tragedy

An eye opening report on the abuse and manipulation the wealthy can and do use to tear others down.

Disappointed

Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?

I would recommend this book to a wrestling fanatic, but otherwise, I wouldn't recommend the book. I found the book to be, well, boring. It lacked emotion or any sort of personal growth, because the author was too busy explaining how he won matches and who he was training with at any given time. The juicy stuff, like his brother's murder and DuPont's craziness was a blip.

What do you think your next listen will be?

I am listening to "Our Magnificent Bastard Tongue" by McWhorter

Have you listened to any of Stephen Mendel’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

No

Do you think Foxcatcher needs a follow-up book? Why or why not?

No, please God, no.

Any additional comments?

I purchased the book because I heard the movie did well (though I have not yet seen it) and the book cover "...a story about my brother's murder, DuPont's madness..." Hollywood must have taken a lot of artistic license, because this book does not live up to the book cover.

Amazing

I listened to this book from start to finish without stopping. This book was simply fantastic. I was very interested in this story because I went to BYU wrestling camp as a teen, and The author, Mark Schultz, ran the camp. Mark was a really nice and down to earth guy and was very interested in the story. Thank you Mark Schultz for sharing your story. I wish you all the best

Great reader, good content but drags until DuPont

Good content but boring until DuPont. The movie could've been more accurate - watch the documentaries.

Terrific

This was a fantastic personal account from one of the greatest heroes of wrestling

more like Wrestlemania

totally, not what i expected...only about an hour spent on the murder and the rest on wrestling terms.