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

by Thomas Fuller

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.

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.

Genres: Nonfiction, Sports, Audiobook, Disability, History, Book Club, Football

256 pages, Hardcover

First published August 6, 2024

Reviews

[Brandice · Rating 3 out of 5]

In The Boys of Riverside, journalist Thomas Fuller follows the high school football team at the California School for the Deaf in Riverside through its highs and lows on and off the field for two seasons as the team works to be successful while also facing challenges beyond football.

I learned a little more about deaf culture from this book and the teamwork, determination, and camaraderie displayed by CSDR is inspiring. While I enjoyed the personal stories (which I wish there were more of) more than the play-by-play recaps of specific games, I still found The Boys of Riverside to be an uplifting story — 3.5 stars

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is an amazing story about the football team at a Deaf school in California that clawed their way to the state championship against all odds. I really wish there had been more about and from the players and those in their lives rather than an almost play-by-play account of endless games. This extraordinary story fell flat from a lack of personal stories. I wanted to hear the thoughts of the young men who have been assumed to be voiceless by a hearing society.

[Angela · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a member of the Deaf community, I was thrilled to receive a copy of "The Boys of Riverside" by Thomas Fuller to review for NetGalley. The book does a great job of telling the backstory of the coaches and members of the team as well as their underdog climb to the top. So much information about Deaf history and culture was included seamlessly as well. We follow the team as they realize that they can win and they redouble their efforts to get to the championship and succeed. The advantage of deafness, known as Deaf Gain, is shown throughout--there is no pity here for the "loss" of their hearing. Instead, the focus is on the gains they have because of their commonality of deafness. The Cubs are stronger together and want to prove they can do anything a hearing team can. For example. the boys do their snaps differently and throw off other teams who are used to hearing the count, they use their eyes and do not need their ears for the game. Even the quiet in the crowd at home games is difficult for the hearing teams who are used to music, cheering and clapping.
The difficulty of being a Deaf football player on a hearing team is explored in this book as well since several of the boys had previously played on hearing teams. When plays are called and you cannot hear them (and having an interpreter on the field is not really an option) it is extra challenging to be on a hearing team. It is a whole different ballgame when everyone (including your coaches) signs.
Football fans and those who enjoy learning about another culture will enjoy this book. Five stars from me.

[Kasa Cotugno · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reminiscent of The Boys in the Boat in that it is a well written account of a team, what inspires the members and how their lives are enriched by the accomplishments, the camaraderie, the inspiration to excel in a difficult sport. That the Cubs are comprised of players who are deaf, from different backgrounds and with distinct personalities, forms the glue that initially binds them and becomes an asset rather than a detriment adding to their ability to focus and communicate without words. Highly recommended.

[Lexi Messenger · Rating 3 out of 5]

Rating: 3.5 stars ⭐️

This one started off with so much potential. I really appreciated the focus on Deaf culture—it was insightful and handled with care—and I found the historical context behind 8-man football teams fascinating (something I genuinely didn’t know much about!). Unfortunately, the book didn’t quite maintain its momentum. I kept waiting for a deeper connection to the characters, but they never fully came to life for me. I wanted more emotional pull, more depth. I’m not usually a nonfiction girl, but I gave it a shot—and while I learned something new, I just wish the storytelling had gone a little further.

[Anna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Yes this book is about sports but that is not the main point of the book. The author uses football as a context to discuss Deafness, Deaf culture, and perspectives on disability. This book was fast paced, used minimal sports lingo, and provided a (seemingly) good introduction to Deaf culture. I would encourage everyone to read this book.

I want to acknowledge that I am hearing and the author is as well and there are parts of the Deaf experience we may be missing.

[Jill Crosby · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nice recap of the California School for the Deaf, Riverside’s march to the 8-man California high school championship game of 2022. Sometimes the narrative veers oddly off track and there’s a chapter dedicated to the life history of the coach (this happens several times), but you mostly get the gist of what challenges the CSDR Cubs faces in making it to their undefeated season.
Sadly, the book wasn’t as comprehensive and deep-diving as the gold standard of high school sports writing “Friday Night Lights” by H.G. Bissinger, but there’s enough narrative besides sports reporting to give the book some depth.

[Beatriz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Book 29 of 2024 - ✅! Thank you to NetGalley, Doubleday Books | Doubleday and Thomas Fuller ARC of The Boys of Riverside: A Deaf Football Team and a Quest for Glory by Thomas Fuller
in exchange for my honest review.

For as long as I can remember, I’ve always been interested in the beautiful language that is ASL and Deaf culture. The moment I saw the cover of The Boys of Riverside, it was a no-brainer to request it. I live in LA, and when I moved here, I took a few ASL classes at the Greater Los Angeles Agency on Deafness (they were great, HIGHLY recommend) so I’d heard of CSDR. While I wasn’t familiar with this particular story, Fuller does a wonderful job of bringing readers into the world and seamlessly weaving personal stories about the all-Deaf football team during 2021/2022, as well highlighting Deaf history. Each player and alumnus he spent time with had so much to contribute to the overall season and CSDR’s team story.

A quick, engaging & triumphant read - this is definitely my top non-fiction read of the year - 5/5 ⭐️, no notes. 🏈 🧏‍♀️ 🏟️ #TheBoysofRiverside #NetGalley

[Piyali · Rating 4 out of 5]

While I glossed over some parts of the football play calling, I was very interested in the lives of the young footballers and their coaches as deaf athletes playing football with their hearing counterparts. The history of deaf culture and how it is a bustling, thriving community was especially good to read. I had read and loved and changed my perspective after reading True Biz by Sara Novic. This book was a non fiction version of some of the history (like the Milan conference where they banned signing for deaf people resulting in tremendous language deficiency in deaf children) of Deaf people.

[Zehava (Joyce) · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars. This book came on my radar last week because it was the #1 book of Amazon’s 2024 books of the year. I’m sort of left scratching my head because this book is a pretty predictable story of a deaf high school football team. This is more like a story you’d read in a magazine article then an entire book, and while I did enjoy the parts of the book that addressed the history of deaf culture, it did seem like filler. Good audiobook read by the author.

[Patti Guyer · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was generally a good book bringing to light the hardships faced often by deaf community. The overall story is heartwarming and a triumph to the underdogs in their quest to become champions. The book read a bit like a documentary to me with lots of statistics. The back and forth between the story and statistics made the book a bit hard to follow on audio.

[Joyce · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great story but for me is a 3.5 rounded up because football is not my thing. If it is yours then this could be a 5. Heartwarming and inspiring.

[Angie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Loved all the deaf history, but (don’t hate me) I found the football kind of boring.

[Peter Mitri · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very inspirational and informative story about how impactful and capable the Deaf community is 🤟🏻 fun fact: the first huddle in any sport was because of Deaf football players not wanting the opposing team to see them signing!

[Jamie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Incredibly powerful and uplifting story about the power of human connection and the resiliency of the human spirit. Journalist Thomas Fuller follows the team throughout the ‘21 and ‘22 seasons & the driving narrative is perfectly interspersed with game highlights, training & practice, backstories of the players and coaches, but also strongly features the history of deaf understanding & deaf education in the US and unique challenges and advantages for the deaf community. Also, I learned so much about 8 man football, a twist on the game I love that I was completely unaware of prior to picking up this book.
I absolutely inhaled this via audio in the matter of a few days and have already been recommending this to other readers in my life.
Easy 5 stars! And my first of the 2025 reading year.

[Kristin · Rating 5 out of 5]

This sports nonfiction book shows all the heart and courage of a deaf football team. The author does an excellent job of showing the deaf culture in this cohesive team as they march toward greatness! A great read that, if you are a hearing reader, will teach you and enthrall you! I enjoy football but am not an expert, so if you like football at all, you will find this an entertaining read.

[Devin Pool · Rating 3 out of 5]

A great insight on deaf culture and history. The football play by play just got a little boring, started to feel like a Disney movie.

[Rick · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was drawn to this book for a few of reasons. First, I’m a football fan. Second, I’m a football fan who loves the story of an underdog triumphing. Lastly, in my earlier years, coaching youth basketball, I was friends with a wonderful guy who coached basketball at the RI School for the Deaf … Coach John. I had two daughters who played CYO basketball & one played for Coach John as he volunteered to coach CYO in addition to his paid coaching job. My oldest daughter played for him & also had the opportunity to play with his deaf players in summer league. I coached my younger daughter’s team & we had the opportunity to scrimmage against Coach John’s deaf girls high school team. I remember being amazed at how a group of deaf girls could play a team sport without the use of speech. The ability to communicate with each other and their coaches was to me, both remarkable and the epitome of teamwork. I was inspired by my exposure to these young women and their coaches & was able to learn a lot about the deaf community and about coaching, as well as the sport of basketball from my friend Coach John.

That said, this is a great story about a small deaf school football team that ultimately wins the California State championship against what some might have considered insurmountable odds. It reinforces exactly what it means to be a team & what it takes to achieve what others think you cannot. If you’re familiar with what is referred to as ‘Deaf Culture’ you may pick up a few things you didn’t know, as I did. If you’re not familiar with ‘Deaf Culture’ you’ll learn a lot about it. You don’t need to be a football fan to enjoy the book. You just need to be a fan of people and enjoy an uplifting story.

[Amy Kannel · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think this easily *could* have been a five star book for me; it checks so many boxes. I love football; I love a feel-good sports/underdog story; I love learning about other cultures; I love books that are a mix of different topics (football, deaf culture/history, biography of various characters). But something about this just didn't quite get there. I can't put my finger on why it was less satisfying than it could have been.

I still enjoyed it and would recommend...but probably only if you enjoy football...there are a LOT of play by play football details.

[Samantha Duda · Rating 3 out of 5]

An uplifting story about an all deaf football team and coaching team. I really enjoyed the story and learning about players and coaches backgrounds. I’m a sports person, but even for me there was a lot of football details. Like a lot. But as it should be to fully understand what these kids and coaches went through. If you do understand and like football, the author describes game play perfectly so that it’s easy to visualize what is happening. If you don’t understand football, then I wouldn’t even recommend attempting to read this one.

[Molly · Rating 4 out of 5]

I very much enjoyed this book!!! I would say maybe 4.5 stars even! This is a true story about a deaf high school football team in CA and follows them for a few seasons as they prove their worth against many other teams- most of them hearing! It had ALOT of football talk in it, which I found to actually be mostly very interesting- to see how being deaf brought certain advantages to this team/ how their game play was organized and more! There was also back story on some of the coaches and the deaf community in general that were also fascinating. One of those books that I kept telling people interesting facts from as I read it and I will definitely remember/think about as time goes on.

[Erica (Cheekymama2) · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fascinating book that followed the Riverside, a California All Deaf school, football team. Not only did I learn about what it is like to play football deaf but I learned so much other information about the deaf community and football. I listened to the audio book. The book had the story of the team but also chapters about being deaf in general. At times this back and forth was a little hard to follow but that might be different had I had a book. Regardless, it was a good book!

[Gretchen · Rating 4 out of 5]

“They had cast aside the doubt that had haunted them after the previous year’s championship. They had united around what society told them was a deficit and made it a gain.”

3.5 stars rounded up to ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ because I think this is an important story that needs to be told. The writing however was pretty dry. It read like a text book with some newspaper articles sprinkled throughout. The personal stories of the players were the most compelling parts and I wish the author had spent more time on them.

[Anisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting book and learned a lot about the deaf community. The history the author weaves in and the player’s life stories were more interesting to me than the play by play of different games. It was inspiring to see a team defy odds and prove to the world that the problem isn’t being deaf. The problem is that our world is set up to function well for hearing people only which severely limits so many talented people.

[Katie Prouty · Rating 5 out of 5]

“what does sunshine sound like?”
🥹

beautiful story of over coming adversity and resilience. camaraderie and friendship. lots of football talk… “on first down at the 11 yard line.” go sports! these dudes are tough. playing with broken bones and fevers. an inspiration. “deaf people can do anything”

[Kate · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thanks to my sister for recommending this gem of a book, which has so much heart. I came for the football, I stayed for lessons on teamwork, perseverance and the deaf community/ deaf education.

[Marc Fiorentino · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent written book that explores the amazing world of deaf culture and the incredible determination of true life heroes.

[Denise Philipp Rutledge · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoy watching football but don’t usually read sports memoirs. I picked this book up as I was interested in the connection to the Deaf community. I enjoyed the individual tales of the athletes, coaches and their families that alternated with the main story of the team’s road to victory. Reading the football plays slowed down the book for me (but I knew this about myself before selecting it).

[Sandi · Rating 5 out of 5]

So inspiring!!!! ❤️

[Mary Nolan-Fesmire · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 I liked the information about education in the deaf community. I'm not a big football fan, so I found that part a bit boring, but it appeared to be well written. Read for RFAL.