Andrew Maraniss

Reason read: I received this book as part of the AudioSync Summer Program for teens in June 2022. It is the story of a baseball player who was black, gay and through the biography of this man the author gives a history account of the Gay Rights Movement including such things as disco was gay music before John Travolta, Anita Bryant and her down fall, the Stonewall Uprising, and AIDS epidemic, the rise of homelessness and demise of the Tenderloin. This book would be of interest to anyone who would be doing research as the author has done a completed review and at the end there is a bibliography, baseball statistics, a gay rights time line, selection of Black American LGBTQ people to know and study, and an index round out the work. I didn't really care for Glen Burke. Yes it was a sad story of failures and adversity and certainly is a work that meets the criteria of progressive.… (más)

She was a Visionary

Andrew Maraniss writes about the forgotten history of women’s basketball, focusing on what lead up to the first Woman’s Olympics in 1976. This book is a brief history of the creation of basketball, and how women have been a part of this sport from the beginning. Andrew Maraniss brings together stories of women who fought for the inclusion of women in sports, and how basketball helped women prove they could play sports. All leading to the Olympics recognizing women’s basketball as a competitive sport. Filled with wonderful black-and-white pictures of the events in the book.

Andrew Maraniss jumps around through eras, sometimes in confusing leaps, highlighting some of the important milestones that finally allowed women to freely compete in basketball. This is not just a book about the history of women’s basketball, but a history of feminism. A history of women from 1891 to 1976, which is a lot to cover in one book. From winning the vote, to the birth of feminism, to funding sports, to foreign politics. All intermixed with the introductions of some of the key players of the ’76 US women’s basketball team. Though briefly touched on, the difficult political climates during these times show the real struggle that women overcame to play the sport they loved.

In this book there are heavy introductions to feminism, gender disparity, racism, global poverty, gender identity, and mentions of homophobia. Often interjecting such footnotes after each chapter as a reminder that despite impressive wins, they are not inclusive to every social issue of the time. Again, these are points in history and current social issues that should be explored further outside the brief summaries in this book.

The final lead up to forming of the US women’s Olympic team is a grueling test of endurance and commitment from all the basketball players who were chosen. There is no doubt that each of them worked their hardest to participate and win. Overall, there are a lot of heavy issues that the reader must interpret for themselves, and hopefully explore further.… (más)