The Real All Americans Audiobook By Sally Jenkins cover art

The Real All Americans

The Team That Changed a Game, a People, a Nation

 Preview
LIMITED TIME OFFER

3 months free
Try for $0.00
Offer ends July 31, 2025 at 11:59PM PT.
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
Premium Plus auto-renews for $14.95/mo after 3 months. Cancel anytime.

The Real All Americans

By: Sally Jenkins
Narrated by: Don Leslie
Try for $0.00

$0.00/mo. after 3 months. Offer ends July 31, 2025 at 11:59PM PT. Cancel anytime.

Buy for $20.25

Buy for $20.25

Confirm purchase
Pay using card ending in
Switch payment method
By confirming your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use, License, and Amazon's Privacy Notice. Taxes where applicable.
Cancel
If you'd guess that Yale or Harvard ruled the college gridiron in 1911 and 1912, you'd be wrong. The most popular team belonged to an institution called the Carlisle Indian Industrial School. Its story begins with Lt. Col. Richard Henry Pratt, a fierce abolitionist who believed that Native Americans deserved a place in American society. In 1879, Pratt made a treacherous journey to the Dakota Territory to recruit Carlisle's first students.

Years later, three students approached Pratt with the notion of forming a football team. Pratt liked the idea, and in less than 20 years the Carlisle football team was defeating their Ivy League opponents and in the process changing the way the game was played.

The Real All Americans is about the end of a culture and the birth of a game that has thrilled Americans for generations. It is an inspiring reminder of the extraordinary things that can be achieved when we set aside our differences and embrace a common purpose.

©2007 Sally Jenkins (P)2007 Books on Tape Americas Football Indigenous Peoples Sports History United States Native American Sports Student Game Old West Wild West American Football Native American Spirituality

Critic reviews

"The most fascinating piece of sports history ever written!" (Lance Armstrong)
"This is historical sports-writing at its finest. Populated with all-stars like Jim Thorpe and Dwight Eisenhower but also with many captivating lesser-knowns, The Real All Americans brings a single historic game to life on the page, and in doing so captures a brutal clash of cultures still raw from the frontier. Sally Jenkins' stirring narrative belongs on a shelf with Seabiscuit and The Greatest Game Ever Played". (Hampton Sides)
Fascinating Historical Tale • Vivid Character Details • Enthralling Storytelling • Intertwined Stories
Highly rated for:
All stars
Most relevant  
Truly a great work - this book teaches about US history close up through the real lives of those who changed the world not only with regards to football , but also in ways we will never be able to measure.

Amazingly awesome!!!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
This weaves two wonderful stories together. There is the poignant tale of the dissolution of Native American Indian culture at the end of the nineteenth century. And there is the remarkable story of how the modern game of American Football developed during this same period of history. I had no idea how closely these stories were intertwined. Filled with remarkable strong characters and vivid detail and read beautifully you are transported back to a fascinating time in American history where you can almost smell the sweat, mud, and blood from the battlefield and football field.

Surprises upon surprises!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
well told story about the thorny issue of native americans in a white man's world around the turn of the 20th century. its full of familiat names from football history and their stories.

great story of more than just football!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Shared this with so many friends. If you love history and football you will love this book. I always enjoy Don Leslie as narrator.

Interesting

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
We might think we know football, until we read this book. The character, creativity, and struggles of the earliest players come through in an exhilarating tale of perseverance and heartbreak and unbelievable games. Strong performance by the narrator, although I did increase the playback speed to 1.3.

Incredible story about sports and America

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
if you love football, or American history, or are interested in native issues or want to broaden your understanding of the historical tension with American Indians, or all of it together, this book will satisfy while entertain.

brain candy

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
A true story never has the neat story arcs and satisfactory endings of fiction, but Sally Jenkins has pulled together a great tale of Native American decline and their small salvation and legacy in contributing to the game of football.

A must for football fans

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
I loved the story, it was good to see the historical aspect of Carlisle and hear some positive aspects of the facility.

Enthralling Story!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Great storytelling of a forgotten piece of history. So many conflicts, so much striving for resolution. A truly great listen.

HBO should make a series out of this

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
I learned a few things, but it was not one of the better ones I've listened to. It’s advertised as a sports book, but it is really a book about the history of the Carlisle School for Indians. There was some interesting stuff there, but not particularly well done. I like my sports history books to be at least 50/50 on general history and the sport. This one was about 80% history and 20% football. There was some interesting football history. During part of the period that the book covers a touchdown was worth 4 points and a field goal was worth 5 points. The ball was different then and most of the FGs were attempted via drop kick. But, it’s still odd to imagine a FG being worth more than a TD! It also covers the period in which the forward pass became legal. In the early stages if you threw an incomplete pass you were penalized 15 yards! Jim Thorpe was on the featured team for Carlisle and there was a good section on his life. His life alone would be a good subject for a future book for me to read/listen to. He was a interesting fellow. Some interesting facts, but overall the book was a disappointment.

Could have been better

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
See more reviews