Author Andrew Maraniss Blends Sports with Social Justice

Award-winning author Andrew Maraniss visited University School of Milwaukee on Wednesday, Jan. 24. Maraniss is a narrative nonfiction author for teens and adults, focusing on the intersection of sports and social justice. His first book, “Strong Inside,” is the untold story of Perry Wallace, who in 1966 enrolled at Vanderbilt University and became the first African American basketball player in the Southeastern Conference. He also released a special edition of the book for young readers, which was named one of the Top Biographies for Youth and Top Sports Books for Youth by the American Library Association, and was named a Notable Social Studies Trade Book by the National Council for the Social Studies.

Maraniss spoke at an assembly for Lower School and Middle School students, where he talked about the inspiration for “Strong Inside” and his writing process. He also spoke about subsequent books he wrote about athletes who broke barriers, including the first U.S. women’s Olympic basketball team; Glenn Burke, the first openly gay Major League Baseball player; and the first U.S. Olympic basketball team, which competed at the 1936 summer games in Nazi Germany. “I love that I have the opportunity to use sports as a platform to talk about other important social issues,” said Maraniss.

In addition to the assembly, Maraniss observed Tower Project “Tower Talkback” presentations by Upper School students, visited the school’s libraries, met with Upper School book club members, and visited an 8th grade U.S. history class. 

Many thanks to Margy Stratton ’84 and the USM Parents’ Association, who organized and supported this author visit.