Description Hide Description- Show Description+
NOW A NETFLIX SERIES — BOOTS
The Pink Marine is the hilarious, heartfelt true story adapted into the hit Netflix series Boots.
When Greg’s straight best friend, Dale, tells him he’s spending the summer at Marine Corps boot camp, Greg hears only “summer” and “camp.” Never mind that he’s underweight, out of shape—and gay, which was illegal in the U.S. military at the time.
Against all odds, Greg enlists. What follows is a coming-of-age story set in the most unlikely place: Parris Island, Boot Camp 1979.
Through thirteen brutal weeks of training, Greg discovers that courage isn’t about muscles or bravado—it’s about belonging, self-respect, and finding your voice in a world that silences difference. Alongside misfits and oddballs who form an unexpected brotherhood, he learns that what breaks you also binds you.
Told with biting wit and disarming honesty, The Pink Marine is a story of laughter, fear, and transformation—a memoir for anyone who’s ever felt like they didn’t fit in, and found strength anyway.
The Pink Marine proves that even in boot camp, you can find family—and yourself.
Author:
"White recalls the grueling yet confidence-building three-month Marine Corps boot camp training he endured as a still-closeted teenager in 1979. "I learned that I had to respect myself if I wanted others to respect me." The author demonstrates that respect and delivers a heartening coming-of-age story... an inspiring memoir that displays a balanced, surprisingly reverent view of the Marine Corps and military service." Kirkus Reviews
"The Pink Marine is a beautifully detailed, passionately written and very necessary book - it's the fascinating and surprising story of a gay man in the military, told with respect, wit and insight." Paul Rudnick, Playwright, Screenwriter, Essayist, Novelist