Product Description

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #495897 in Books
• Published on: 2004-03-23
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 272 pages

From Publishers Weekly
Bean, who was an outfielder for teams including the Detroit Tigers and San Diego Padres from 1987 to 1995, was the antithesis of the stereotypical jock: he was valedictorian of his high school; he went to a Catholic university; talk of sexual exploits made him uncomfortable; and he became involved with a woman who "fit the image he created" about the proper partner for a "baseball star." Though he was happy with Anna, "it dawned on me that I didn't share my teammates' intense attraction to the opposite sex. There was always something missing, and I felt a restlessness I couldn't quite define or shake. At the same time, I couldn't fathom the alternative." Bean went on to play in the major leagues, although, after modest initial successes, he drifted in and out of the minors. Along the way, he married Anna, in spite of his concerns about his sexual identity: "I hoped that by making my marriage a priority, I could get beyond the 'gay thing.'" He didn't. He and Anna divorced, and Bean set up house with his first companion until the man died of AIDS. Bean didn't attend the funeral because he didn't want to miss a game or explain his relationship. Not long after, Bean was called back to the major leagues. It was only then, as he prepared to retire from baseball, that he told his parents that he was gay. With relatively few coming-out tales from the baseball world, this book's novelty will attract some readers. It is intelligently written and Bean's concerns about his sexuality are well conveyed. On the other hand, Bean, who is now happily living and working with his partner in Miami Beach, hasn't played for nearly eight years; the sex lives of other more prominent players have been widely discussed in the press; and Bean's revelations are not nearly as controversial as they might have been some years ago. While the book does offer an interesting portrait of the less glamorous side of baseball, particularly the humiliation of being sent to the minor leagues, its appeal may be somewhat limited.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist
During 10 years with the Tigers, Dodgers, and Padres, Bean was a good player but no star. He would have faded into obscurity except for his casual disclosure three years after retirement that he is gay. Especially because the ill-starred Glenn Burke died in 1995, the revelation made Bean the out baseball player. How he, the only child of an abandoned working-class mom, arrived at that status is the story he tells with oral immediacy and winning personality in this memoir. Sports claimed him long before homosexuality did, and his love of baseball gives the book its powerful charm. He realized his homosexuality in adulthood and came to see baseball's milieu as oppressive only after his first lover died and he felt obliged not to talk about his loss. If he now advocates dispelling homophobia in baseball and athletics generally, he doesn't rail against old teammates and managers. His testimony is as much a tribute to baseball as it is an argument for accepting gays, and better for that. Ray Olson
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Review
"A fresh and insightful book.... Bean...excels at capturing the rhythms of the game. -- The San Francisco Chronicle

"The courage Bean shows in telling his story is incredible." -- The Los Angeles Times

"[Billy Bean’s] passionate memoir...will draw empathy even from those who are uncomfortable with homosexuality." -- Sports Illustrated

Customer Reviews

Eye Opening
As somebody that knows almost nothing about sports and baseball I went into this book with low expectations but I have nothing but positive things to say about this book. Billy Bean writes with an authority that usually only the most polished writers have. His story is gripping and his sense of self is astonishing especially considering how insecure he seemed to have been in his early life. He even manages to make the sports talk easy to navigate for somebody that has no knowledge of that world. He speaks with clarity and honesty about his struggles of trying to find his true sexuality in the straight dominated world of sports and is rather brave in candid talk of life on a major league baseball team. He allows the truth to be known without bashing other people and never takes a mean spirited low blow at anyone. These stories seem true to life and don't feel exaggerated as other auto-biographies tend to feel at times. I feel that Billy Bean is a very relatable person and that anyone could learn a lesson in humility from his very humble way of talking about himself. This man has a lot of passion and clearly knows how to channel it into a passionate book. I recommend this book to anyone; Billy Bean is a hero and should be applauded for his courage to come out in such an honest, true to self way. This man is a true American hero.

Billy Bean
Great story by a guy that wasted a lot of years not being himself to balance his high profile job. he went through lots of the same tribulation I did.

Fascinating glimpse into the closeted world of major league baseball
This is a heartfelt story that has not been told before -- a glimpse inside the world of major league baseball from the perspective of a perceptive and sensitive gay man. Billy writes with real passion about the sport he loves, the incredible pressure to excel, and the high personal price a gay man pays for remaining in the closet. He has a lot to say about the culture of professional sports, how players relate to each other both on and off the field, and what it takes to excel in a very demanding job. And for those who are not baseball fans, a useful glossary of baseball terms and slang is included at the back of the book.