A High Five for Glenn Burke

Silas is the protagonist and first-person narrator of A High Five for Glenn Burke. He is an excellent baseball player, and he spends a lot of time thinking about his baseball hero, Glenn Burke. Silas relates to Burke because they are both “five-tool talents” who enjoy goofing off and imitating coaches and players, and because they are both gay. Burke, who played for the Los Angeles Dodgers in the 1970s, was never given the opportunity to excel in his career as a baseball player because of his sexuality. Knowing this deeply affects Silas and makes him worry about what will happen to him if he comes out. He worries that his baseball team will not accept him for who he is, and this informs much of his inner struggle about coming out.

For much of the book, Silas is characterized by his fear that someone will discover that he is gay. He spends a lot of time and energy trying to keep his identity a secret and worrying about who might figure it out. He tells his best friend, Zoey, and eventually, his baseball coach, Webb, but is often haunted by this decision. He regrets telling Webb as soon as he gets the words out because he worries that Webb will judge him, or even tell the other players on his team.