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

more like Wrestlemania

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

hope the movie is less boring

What would have made Foxcatcher better?

Shouldn't be described as a murder story or a quest for olympic gold - there is nothing inspirational about this story. First half of the book is spent describing wrestling moves in excruciating detail. All in all comes off kind of whiny, although I get that this guy had some hardship, it's not remotely interesting until you get to John du Pont, who is a jackass, and even not that interesting in this book. there is definitely a story here, just should have been written by a storyteller.

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.

more about the author than his brother

Totally weird story, but some interesting insights into the world of amateur wrestling and the du Pont dude. The book however, seemed to center around the authors challenges, rather than the brother du Pont murdered.

The book title is misleading

I listen to several books a week and this was terrible. This book is not about the murder. It's a very selfish and narcissistic view of Mark's life. It should have been titled "Learn how to wrestle while I wine about my life". UGH!! What happened to Dave is terrible and sad.

I bought the book because I saw the movie. The movie was definitely most interesting. This book feels like Mark's platform for a pity party. "It's everyone else's fault I'm not happy". "Everything is John DuPont's fault" Reality check Mr. Schultz, we would all love to have someone support us while we hone our skills....Really??? I will never get those 8 hours back from listening to this book I hope a spare another listeners time. :(

Hard Listen

This is a story that has interesting things to say, but is not written well. There are slabg words, meandering thoughts, and short non-descriptive sentences that chop everything up.

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.

love it ... must read....

a must read... sad to know that after that sad situation the wrestling community suffer because of and has taken time to come back from it !!

every wrestler should read this....

lots of good mindset and ways to succeed in the sport and in life. Mark made positive light of a terrible event and gave a unwavering truthful account of events that have shaped his life. he even delivers some dry disarming comedy which keeps things interesting!

Interesting!

After listening to this story I had to google Mark and Dave, as well a DuPont. I hope that Mark is still an active member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, that I would like. It was interesting to know what it takes to be the best and how all consuming it becomes.