Glenn Burke, Game Changer, Phil Bildner
Glenn Burke, Game Changer, Phil Bildner
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Glenn Burke, Game Changer
The Man Who Invented the High Five

Author: Phil Bildner

Narrator: Torian Brackett

Unabridged: 11 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 07/30/2024


Synopsis

Glenn Burke, Game Changer features sound design and special effects to enhance your listening enjoyment. Listen out for the sounds of Major League Baseball and cheers from the crowds.

An inspiring audiobook biography about Glenn Burke, the first Major League Baseball player to come out as gay, and the story of how he created the world’s most recognizable handshake, the high five.

Playing for the Los Angeles Dodgers, Glenn Burke could do it all—hit, throw, run, field. He was the heart of the clubhouse who energized his teammates with his enthusiasm and love for the game. It was that energy that led Glenn to invent the high five one October day back in 1977—a spontaneous gesture after a home run that has since evolved into our universal celebratory greeting.

But despite creating this joyful symbol, Glenn Burke, a gay Black man, wasn’t always given support and shown acceptance in return.

From acclaimed author Phil Bildner, this moving audiobook biography recognizes the challenges Burke faced while celebrating how his bravery and his now-famous handshake helped pave the way for others to live openly and free.

A Macmillan Audio production from Farrar, Straus and Giroux.

About Phil Bildner

Phil Bildner is a former New York City public school teacher who lives in Newburgh, New York with his husband, dog, and cats. He is the author of many picture books and novels, including the acclaimed coming-of-age story A High Five for Glenn Burke as well as the middle grade Rip & Red series.

About Daniel J. O'Brien

Daniel J. O’Brien is a Trinidadian-born author and illustrator currently residing in New York. He holds a BFA in Illustration from the School of Visual Arts. Daniel has written, illustrated, designed, and self-published two children’s books, The Carnival Prince and I Am the Midnight Robber, and is also the illustrator of The Talking Mango Tree, The Masquerade Dance, and Juneteenth.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Megan

Listening to the audio version of a picture book is always an interesting experience - and this one is excellently produced. The background music and sound effects provide a cohesive listening experience rather than overwhelming the narration, and the narrator does a great job with the pacing and to......more

This picture book biography is a fabulous introduction to Glenn Burke, the game-changing "Five Tool Talent" baseball player. He could run fast, smack powerful hits, catch line drives, and throw from centerfield to the catcher. He was also the first to play baseball as an openly gay man. THIS story i......more

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for a review copy of this book. Glenn Burke is one of the lesser known icons of queer history, especially when it comes to queer history in sports. I’m so glad more and more people are starting to discuss him and the legacy he left from being an openly gay bas......more

I received a copy of this audiobook from netGalley for a honest review. I never knew the history of the high five. I just thought it was something that people have been doing for centuries but I've learned that it all started with Glenn Burke. The audiobook really made that first slap of a high five......more


Quotes

Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection

“Following up his middle-grade novel A High Five for Glenn Burke, Bildner pens a picture-book biography about a remarkable gay Black baseball player . . . O’Brien’s illustrations, opaque and with highly defined detail, are both imposing and intimate, and they move readers through Burke’s trials and triumphs. Bildner’s honest and weighty text is balanced by spreads full of motion, whether figures round bases or connect with high-fives. A bittersweet legacy now accessible to younger readers and sports fans.” —Kirkus Reviews

“Portraying the athlete as someone who ‘could change the game,’ Bildner conveys Burke’s high energy . . . O’Brien’s distinctive use of composition and saturated palette lend cinematic appeal to this affecting story.” —Publishers Weekly