The Boys of Riverside - by Thomas Fuller (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

"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 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.

Review Quotes

"Remarkable... [Fuller] offers a new take on the classic "Friday Night Lights" story... Through the journeys of the deaf players, their coaches and their families, Mr. Fuller expands our idea of what it means to communicate. Deafness may seem like a disadvantage on the football field, but the players turn it into an asset."
--Wall Street Journal

"Fuller follows two winning seasons for the Cubs, recounted in narrative nonfiction at its finest, filled with drama, detail and action... Fuller keeps the chapters short and dramatic, the pacing quick, the sentences tight. He does not hint at the outcome but lets the story unfold."
--Los Angeles Times

"An irresistible tale of triumph over adversity... [Fuller] charts the Cubs' remarkable journey from perennial losers to championship winners for the first time in the school's 68-year history."
--New York Post

"Football is only part of the story Fuller tells. Really, Boys of Riverside is a book about deaf community and culture, as well as about language and communication... Reading The Boys of Riverside, you might find yourself cheering not just for the Cubs, but for the whole community surrounding California School for the Deaf, Riverside."
--Orange County Register

"This is a story that deserved to be told. Not only for how a school of 168 Deaf students and their football team overcame the odds and pulled off a historic football season, but how the stories of their personal journeys inspire and resonate with everyone. The Boys of Riverside is another example of how anyone can achieve their dreams, making what appears impossible, possible."
--Marlee Matlin, Academy Award winner

"An extraordinary story, told with intimate and remarkable detail. Thomas Fuller's riveting narrative uses football to put readers inside a silent, unfamiliar world and instantly makes you want to cheer for the strangers you encounter along the way. Gritty and inspiring, The Boys of Riverside is so much more than a sports book. I didn't want it to end."
--Jeff Benedict, New York Times bestselling author of The Dynasty and Lebron

"Everyone loves a good underdog story: disadvantaged kids prevailing against the odds. What makes Thomas Fuller's book a standout is that through the diligence of his reporting he comes to see the members of Riverside's football team as being much more than underdogs, and ultimately to portray deafness as something much richer than an impediment."
--Leah Hager Cohen, author of Train Go Sorry and To & Fro

"In these dark and uncertain times, Thomas Fuller's The Boys of Riverside is a necessary reminder that strength comes via unity, and what people often deem to be disadvantages can serve as unflinching bonds that lead to tremendous achievement. This is a wonderful story and a dazzling book."
--Jeff Pearlman, New York Times bestselling author of The Last Folk Hero

"In The Boys of Riverside, Thomas Fuller has given us a moving portrait of an oasis of positivity in a divided America. But he does not oversimplify or romanticize; the feel-good aspects of this story are earned by the grit, honesty and complexity with which Fuller renders characters and issues. He also has much to teach us about Deaf Culture and its history, which is richer and more complex than I had ever imagined."
--Andy Martino, SNY Analyst and author of The Yankee Way

"Thomas Fuller's story about one hell of a football team at the California School for the Deaf will make you rethink a lot of what you think you know about life and sports and football and hearing -- and really all of our senses -- and the importance of playing games. In the case of this special team and this special story, you will also learn plenty about how to win."
--Matthew Futterman, author of Players and Running to the Edge

"An inspiring sports story... It also illuminates the growing understanding and acceptance of those who are different from others in one way or another. And given [the Cubs'] winning season, being different is sometimes a super power."
--Parade.com

"An inspirational story and a dazzling book that will have you cheering for the Cubs from beginning to end... The Boys of Riverside is a deep dive into a silent and unfamiliar world. Thomas Fuller vividly discusses characters and issues with honesty and grace. But more than anything, it's about the thrill of winning and the importance of teamwork."
--Bookreporter

"Inspired and moving... stirring... Fuller movingly recounts the Riverside Cubs' rousing tale of courage, hope and triumph on and off the football field... Fuller follows the Cubs through a full season and change, providing game-by-game synopses that never read as dry or sterile. His knack for vivid, fast-paced storytelling animates The Boys of Riverside and puts readers at every game. He illustrates the Cubs' triumphs to prove to the world that deafness is 'no impediment to sporting glory.'"
--BookPage

"A captivating, life-affirming mosaic... In The Boys of Riverside, Thomas Fuller shares an uplifting, deeply inspiring true story about how--through hard work, determination, and skill--underdogs can beat the odds and triumph... This triumphant, hopeful story ultimately reveals the many virtues--personally and via teamwork--that combined to achieve the quintessential American Dream."
--Shelf Awareness

"An uplifting book about triumphing over adversity... What makes Fuller's book such a page-turner--and very much a story for a wide audience beyond sports enthusiasts--is its deep involvement with the Cubs as people. From the first chapter, the author makes it clear that his story is not just about a winning team, but about human resilience and the players who exemplified it."
--Kirkus Reviews

"This thoroughly reported story is officially about a high-school football team whose members are Deaf. But in the skillful hands of Fuller, the San Francisco bureau chief for the New York Times, it's also about the evolution of attitudes toward and treatment of people with hearing challenges... As Fuller tucks in many fascinating tidbits about deafness and community past and present, he offers cautious optimism about the future."
--Booklist

"A stirring account of how the football team from the California School for the Deaf, Riverside rocketed to a state championship in 2022... The heart of the uplifting story lies in Fuller's moving portraits of the student athletes... As far as underdog stories go, this one is a surefire crowd-pleaser."
--Publishers Weekly

About the Author