New York Times bestselling author Andrew Maraniss has penned a thoughtful biography of Glenn Burke, the first out Major League Baseball player, 1977 World Series center fielder, and the inventor of the high five. In doing so, he weaves the details of Burke’s life into a picture of the wider social and political currents of the era, including Stonewall and the early LGBTQ rights movement, Anita Bryant’s anti-gay campaign, and the AIDS epidemic. While written for middle graders, it is not “dumbed down”—Maraniss looks candidly at Burke’s later years struggling with addiction, poverty, and AIDS, and how the forces around him, from MLB to the media, influenced and interpreted his life as a Black, gay man.
Burke’s story as a queer trailblazer has only recently become widely known. Maraniss offers a look at both his life and his times that should captivate young people interested in sports, LGBTQ history, Black history, or any combination thereof.
Content warning: Mention of domestic abuse by Burke’s father (whom his mother left just before he was born).
