The Boys of Riverside
A Deaf Football Team and a Quest for Glory
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4.6 • 39 Ratings
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- $14.99
Publisher Description
NAMED A BEST BOOK BY BOOK RIOT, AND MORE! • 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 Page One Correspondent, 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
"Remarkable"—Wall Street Journal • "Narrative nonfiction at its finest, filled with drama, detail and action."—Los Angeles Times • "Inspiring." —Parade.com
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 war, wildfires, pandemic, and mass shootings, Fuller was captivated by the story of this group of high school boys. It was uplifting. During the gloom of the pandemic, 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.
The Boys of Riverside looks back at the historic 2021 and 2022 seasons in which the California School for the Deaf chased history. It follows the personal journeys of their dynamic deaf head coach, and a student who spent the majority of the season sleeping in his father’s car in the Target parking lot. It tells the story of a fiercely committed player who literally played through a broken leg in order not to miss a crucial game, as well as myriad other heart-wrenching and uplifting narratives of players who found common purpose. Through their eyes, Fuller reveals a portrait of high school athletics, inspiring camaraderie, and deafness in America.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
New York Times reporter Fuller debuts with a stirring account of how the football team from the California School for the Deaf, Riverside rocketed to a state championship in 2022. The start of the 2021 season looked inauspicious for the Riverside Cubs, who were out of shape from the pandemic and fresh off eight consecutive losing seasons. The Cubs surprised even themselves by winning their first game in a 68–0 blowout against a hearing school. The victory was no fluke; the Cubs went undefeated before losing the championship game 74–22 against Los Angeles's Faith Baptist Contenders. The loss steeled the Cubs' determination, and they racked up another undefeated run during their 2022 season, culminating in a rousing 80–26 championship victory against Faith Baptist that Fuller recounts in breathless detail. The heart of the uplifting story lies in Fuller's moving portraits of the student athletes. For instance, he describes how a running back attended school while living out of his father's car and how a wide receiver almost quit the game after playing on a Pop Warner team where he was berated by his coach for not following instructions he couldn't hear. As far as underdog stories go, this one is a surefire crowd-pleaser.
Customer Reviews
Excellent book
As a person who can hear, i learned a lot about the world that a deaf person lives in. And how a group of deaf football players, their coaches, and families bond together for what’s described in the book as a “community”. I love sports but this book took me out of my comfort zone and it was not only a good read but very educational.