A High Five for Glenn Burke

Do you relate to any aspect of Silas’s story? Have you ever worried about fitting in, or had to make the choice to share or hide something personal about yourself? Write a personal essay reflecting on your own experiences.

A High Five for Glenn Burke provides a fairly comprehensive biography of Glenn Burke. Do your own research on some aspect of his life, like the baseball teams he played for, the AIDS crisis, the history of LGBTQ+ visibility in sports, or alternative explanations for the invention of the high five. Write an essay explaining what you learned.

Silas mentions the practice of adults writing letters to their younger selves. Write your own letter, either to yourself when you were younger, or to yourself at an older age. Think carefully about what you would like that other version of yourself to hear.

Coach Webb tells the Renegades to stop using “gay” as a pejorative. Does the novel show this as a poor decision? What could Coach Webb have done differently to make the team a safer place for Silas to be himself?

Although Zoey loves Silas and wants to support him, she is still taken aback when he comes out to her. Write a diary entry from Zoey’s perspective examining her feelings on her evolving friendship with Silas.

The book ends before Silas comes out to anyone but Zoey and Coach Webb, though he says he is planning to tell his mother. Write a bonus chapter of the book examining where Silas’s journey might take him next. Try to imitate the writing style and voice of the book.

Write a letter to Silas or to any other character in A High Five for Glenn Burke offering them whatever advice you think they need to hear. Consider what problems each character is struggling with as you write.

Compare and contrast A High Five for Glenn Burke with another coming-of- age story with similar themes. Some options might include Too Bright to See by Kyle Lukoff or Fast Pitch by Nic Stone.