This biography of the world’s first out gay professional strongman, Rob Kearney, is a pure delight. “Rob was a strong kid,” it begins, showing us a diaper-clad baby Rob hoisting a gallon of milk and a toy fire truck. We follow him through childhood as he feels “mighty,” “sturdy,” and “powerful” playing various sports, especially his favorite, weightlifting. He soon discovers the Strongman competition, in which competitors lift objects like logs and stones. For the competitions, he wears what the other competitors do: dark-colored, plain leggings and a t-shirt.
The first hint the book gives us that Rob isn’t like all of the other strongmen, though, is when it says he could lift 400 pounds, “more than a refrigerator … more than 800 stuffed rainbow unicorns.” Rainbow unicorns? Outside of training, the book tells us, Rob changed into clothes that were “more … him.” We see an image of him wearing floral leggings and a shirt with a unicorn on it, and sense there’s more to him than we might have guessed.
We follow this intriguing character to his first competition, where he comes in last. He feels gloomy—but brightens up when he later meets Joey, another weightlifter, and falls in love. Joey encourages Rob to wear the bright clothes that he loved, even at competitions, and wears them himself in solidarity.
Fast forward to the North American championships, when Rob competes not only in bright clothing, but with a rainbow-colored, shave-sided haircut. Rob wondered if he was strong enough to win—and when people whispered about how he looked, he wanted to hide. But he “focused on doing his best” and with Joey cheering him on, won the competition, earning the title of “strongest person in North America.” From then on, he stopped worrying about what other people thought of him. He just reminded himself “That he looked like a champion.” The final spread shows Rob and Joey hand in hand in front of a rainbow-colored background.
I like so much about this book. It’s a biography of a queer person who hasn’t had a picture-book biography before—and someone who busts myths about what a gay man looks and acts like. (Technically it’s an autobiography, since Kearney himself co-wrote it with Eric Rosswood, but it’s written in the third person.) Bold text is used to good effect to emphasize certain qualities and concepts. The messages of being oneself and persisting in the face of self-doubt are clear but never preachy. Also, Rob’s falling in love with a man is presented as no big deal (it’s his bright style that people question), and we see the power of his and Joey’s loving relationship as Joey cheers Rob to victory. Nidhi Chanani’s illustrations are as bright and bold as Rob himself.
Back matter includes a letter from Kearney to readers, reiterating “what made me different is also what made me strong,” and talking about his LGBTQ advocacy and how he is “changing how people perceive what it means to be gay.” There’s also a list of books and websites for further reading, and more about the individual events within a strongman competition. The end paper shows people of various genders, ages, and skin tones lifting weights.
A strong addition to any bookshelf.
