The Boys of Riverside is an inspiring “against the odds” story of determination, courage, competition, and Deaf culture.

The Boys of Riverside: A Deaf Football Team and a Quest for Glory by Thomas Fuller

Genre/Categories/Setting: Nonfiction, Journalistic NF, Narrative NF, Sports (high school football), Competition, Deaf Culture, ASL, Southern California

***This post contains Amazon Affiliate Links

My Summary:

From underdog to undefeated…

The football team at California School for the Deaf at Riverside, California was having an undefeated season when they attracted the attention of a New York Times reporter and San Francisco Bureau Chief, Thomas Fuller. This was the positive and uplifting story he needed after recent difficult assignments. Fuller follows this underestimated team to the state championship while exploring Deaf culture, the history of ASL (American Sign Language) and Deaf education, and the team’s football history. He shares individual stories of the players and coaches. Can this inspirational team win the state championship in this remarkable season?

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See my FREE Book Club Kit for The Boys of Riverside here.

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My Thoughts:

Personal Connections

Books are better when there are personal connections! My connections to this story include

• I have studied American Sign Language (ASL)
• I lived near California School for the Deaf, Riverside
• I interacted with the Deaf community through connections made in ASL classes and formed friendships
• I volunteered at the School for the Deaf one sememster
• Riverside Community College is across the freeway from the School for the Deaf and while I worked towards a certificate in Graphic Design, there were often hearing impaired students and interpreters in my classes. I always reached out to these students and tried to be friendly.
• I have (or did have) conversational ability in ASL (getting rustier as the years go by because we’ve moved away from the area and I’ve lost contact and opportunities for practice)
• I’m familiar with Deaf culture

Because of my experience, I knew most of what the author shared about Deaf culture. If you have limited knowledge of Deaf culture, you will find this part of the story fascinating.

Multi-layered

The author shares the history of ASL and education for the Deaf, the controversy surrounding Cochlear implants, the unique culture of the Deaf community, the personal stories of players and coaches, and takes us into the heat of competition. All of these aspects are expertly woven together into one cohesive story. I will note that the football action appears in the book’s latter half. The Boys of Riverside is a blend of journalistic nonfiction and narrative nonfiction. The author is not part of the Deaf community, but he listens well, is compassionate, and has a deep understanding.

A Winning Team

“Belonging and Brotherhood…”
What makes a winning team? This football team has a few distinct disadvantages and some real advantages. The author identifies these advantages and disadvantages in a straightforward way and objectively shares the facts. His conclusion about this winning team’s real advantage is fascinating. It is often said that deafness separates you from people, but deafness among deaf people brings them together….”deaf brotherhood.” What impact does brotherhood have on a team?

A Physical Disability?

The author draws attention to a thought-provoking and important debate: Is deafness a physical disability or a language barrier? It appears that persons with hearing loss are perceived with a disability when engaged with the hearing world. When these individuals are with others in the Deaf community, they do not experience difficulty with communication and do not consider hearing loss a disability.

Hearing loss could be viewed as an advantage on the football field, since hearing-impaired players have heightened visual ability… sometimes referred to as “people of the eye.” The author provides in-depth discussion and more details.

Here’s an interesting scientific fact:

“People who are deaf from birth…have what is called enhanced perception of biological movement. In Layman’s terms, this means they are better at picking up on the movement of people around them…A deaf gain.”

Controversies

In addition to following the team and their football achievements, the author includes a great deal about deaf history: education, language development, controversial cochlear implants, family life, prejudices, etc. Probably the saddest aspect of deaf history is the attempt to remove their access to language. Attempts to remove language from any child is cruel and detrimental to development. The term “deaf and dumb” is also uninformed, unfortunate, and cruel.

Content Consideration: difficult family situations, football injuries

Recommending The Boys of Riverside:

I highly recommend The Boys of Riverside for fans of well-written journalistic/narrative nonfiction, diverse reads, “against the odds” stories, and inspirational teamwork. You will admire the team’s dedication, loyalty, relentless effort, and determination. Even if you’re not a football fan, there’s a lot to appreciate about this story! It’s appropriate for younger readers and only 253 pages!

Amazon’s Best Book of 2024.

Related: This story reminds me in some ways of The Boys in the Boat and Beartown.

My Rating: 5 Stars

More Information Here

Meet the Author of The Boys of Riverside, Thomas Fuller

Thomas Fuller is a Page One Correspondent for The New York Times based in Northern California. He has reported from more than 40 countries for The Times and International Herald Tribune. He spent his early years in Tuckahoe, New York, and lives with his wife, also a journalist, and two children in the East Bay of San Francisco. He is a long-suffering fan of the New York Jets.

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QOTD:

Do you love journalistic/narrative nonfiction?

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