Home Feed
Home
Search
Search
Add Review, Blurb, Quote
Add
Activity
Activity
Profile
Profile
The Boys of Riverside
The Boys of Riverside: A Deaf Football Team and a Quest for Glory | Thomas Fuller
3 posts | 2 read | 2 to read
The incredible story of an all-deaf high school football team’s triumphant climb from underdog to undefeated, their inspirational brotherhood, a fascinating portrait of deafness in America, and the indefatigable head coach who spearheaded the team, by New York Times reporter and San Francisco Bureau Chief, Thomas Fuller. "The Boys of Riverside is another example of how anyone can achieve their dreams, making what appears impossible, possible.” —Marlee Matlin, Academy Award winner In November 2021, an obscure email from the California Department of Education landed in New York Times reporter, Thomas Fuller’s, inbox. The football team at the California School for the Deaf in Riverside, a state-run school with only 168 high school students, was having an undefeated season. After years of covering wildfires, war, pandemic, and mass shootings, Fuller was captivated by the story about this deaf football team. It was uplifting. During the pandemic’s gloom, it was a happy story. It was a sports story but not an ordinary one, built on the chemistry between a group of underestimated boys and their superhero advocate coach, Keith Adams, a deaf former athlete himself. The team, and Adams, tackled the many stereotypes and seemed to be succeeding. Fuller packed his bags and drove seven hours to the Riverside campus just in time to see them trounce their opponent in the second game of the playoffs. The Boys of Riverside looks back at the historic 2021 and 2022 seasons in which the California School for the Deaf chased history, following the personal journeys of Keith Adams (their dynamic deaf head coach), a student who spent the majority of the season sleeping in his father’s car parked in the Target lot, a fiercely committed player who literally played through a broken leg in order not to miss a crucial game, and myriad heart-wrenching and uplifting stories of the players who had found common purpose. Through their eyes, Fuller reveals a portrait of high school athletics, and deafness in America.
Amazon Indiebound Barnes and Noble WorldCat Goodreads LibraryThing
Pick icon
100%
review
MallenNC
post image
Pickpick

This book got on my radar bc it was Amazon‘s book of the year. I think the story is award worthy but it wasn‘t as engaging as I‘d hoped. I wanted more about the players and less football play by play. It‘s still worth reading!

This was my #BookSpin for April

ImperfectCJ My spouse's cousin and her husband work at this school, and per them, the publicity seems to be a mixed bag. The interest in the team is awesome, but I get the impression that the cousin and husband would prefer if that translated to more awareness of the other challenges the school faces (which are similar to those faced by many schools---funding, staff/faculty burnout, under-involved parents---but dialed up given the student population). 2d
MallenNC @ImperfectCJ I‘m not surprised to hear that, unfortunately. Publicity can be a mixed bag even in the best of circumstances (I work in PR), and athletics often gets more funding while other needs are ignored. 2d
25 likes2 comments
blurb
mrp27
post image



It‘s been a minute since I‘ve participated in #weekendreads but hoping to get back into it. Generally I‘m not a big non-fiction reader but both my weekend reads are. Still following the Babitz rabbit hole and a local interest title.

TheBookHippie I like this Babitz! 2d
mrp27 @TheBookHippie I recently finished Eve‘s Hollywood and I liked it. So far I‘m enjoying his one too. 2d
TheBookHippie @mrp27 I like both too. I do love all of her writing, some more than others. These two are in the top. 2d
22 likes3 comments
review
Hooked_on_books
post image
Pickpick

This book follows a football team from a deaf high school in California as they reach for the state championship. It looks at the stories of some of the players and coaches along the way. Amazon picked this as their 2024 book of the year and while I would not give it that status, it‘s definitely worth reading.

49 likes2 stack adds