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I read the Man in the Middle by John Amaechi recently and thought it was a very good book.  Here’s the book description…

“Man in the Middle chronicles John Amaechi’s extraordinary journey from awkward, overweight English lad to jet-setting NBA star. Along the way, he endured endless obstacles to his hoop dreams—being abandoned by his father, being cut from his first college team, recovering from a life-threatening injury, playing for abusive coaches, and losing his mother – while also protecting a vital secret that could have ended his career: John Amaechi was gay.

Now in this poignant and intimate memoir, Amaechi takes us into the hypermasculine world of professional sports and into the very center of his soul. As tender as it is brutally frank, Man in the Middle follows him from the rough streets of Manchester to Penn State (where he first achieved basketball stardom and began to recognize his sexuality) to the cities (Orlando, Houston, Salt Lake City) and countries (Greece, France) in which he played. A moving story of adversity and diversity, Man in the Middle is a testament to the power of one man’s convictions and to the universal desire to make the world a better place.”

I admit that I’m a little biased about the book because I’m a Penn State alumnus. During my senior year in college, I watched Amaechi play at Rec Hall. So, I’ve always been a John Amaechi fan, since he is one of the very few Penn Staters to make it to the NBA.    

Nonetheless, the book is a good read, regardless of your alma mater or sexuality. Ultimately, it’s just an inspirational story about a clumsy, overweight English boy overcoming adversity to achieve his goal of playing in the NBA. I think all of us can relate to conquering obstacles to achieve a goal.

One of my favorite excerpts from Man in the Middle is…

“The NBA locker room was the most flamboyant place I’ve ever been. The guys flaunted their perfect bodies. They bragged of their sexual exploits. They primped in front of the mirror, applying cologne and hair gel by the bucketful. They tried on each other’s $10,000 suits and shoes, admired each other’s diamond-studded rings and necklaces. It was an intense kind of camaraderie that felt completely natural to them but was a little too close for my comfort. As I surveyed the room, I couldn’t help chuckling to myself: And I’m the gay one.”