March book club summary
Here’s a very delayed summary from March book club.
(Also, previously posted an email/blog with links related to the book that you can read again here. )
If you would like a transcript of the March book club, let Laura know: social@hlaatc.org
About the book:
- “The Boys of Riverside: A Deaf Football Team and a Quest For Glory” By Thomas Fuller (2024). Nonfiction
About the author:
- Fuller is currently a Page One Correspondent for The New York Times. You can visit his page on The New York Times
About the subject matter:
- California School for the Deaf- Riverside (Website)
- The New York Times articles that started Thomas Fuller on the path to write this book: (You can read a limited number of articles for free without a New York Times subscription)
- Fuller’s first article on the team in November 16, 2021: “Underdogs No More…”
- Fuller’s second article on the team, November 17, 2018
- Fuller’s third article on the team, November 23, 2021
About the football seasons discussed in the book:
Topics discussed:
- Deaf Footballers’ “brotherhood”: the relationships formed between the players and coaches were unique for both. Fuller spoke of the differences he observed between being a spectator at other football games versus the CSDR games (how the wordless communication between the players and coaches was unique and also built a strong foundation; a brotherhood.
- Deaf Culture and Athletic Interactions:
- Coach Keith Adams fostered strong relationships with his players and coaches based on his own experience as a deaf football player on a hearing team
- Gallaudet University: home of the football huddle
- Movie Adaptation Discussion:
- Deaf Culture Resources:
- Fuller explains that he used a journalistic approach in writing the book and cited sources within the text rather than providing a formal bibliography.
- We talked about this a bit and discussed several topics and resources that Fuller wrote about, including (but not limited to): “Deaf Gain“, language development/deprivation, the influence of Alexander Graham Bell (on Deaf Education, etc.), the 1880 ban on sign language in education after the Milan Conference/Congress.
- Cochlear Implants and Deaf Education:
- The increasing number of deaf students receiving cochlear implants, which are now common in Europe and the US was discussed. Some retired deaf educators in attendance cautioned against assuming that deaf individuals with cochlear implants are hearing and emphasized the importance of sign language for communication and the potential negative impacts of relying solely on implants. As was illustrated in the book, language deprivation among deaf children due to the emphasis on hearing over sign language is an important point to remember.
- A Los Angelos Times Book review of “The Boys of Riverside”
- Professional Reviews of the book on the website Book Marks
- Reader generated reviews from GoodReads (average rating 4.07)
As shared before, April book and book club is:
Tuesday, APRIL 22, 5:00 pm Western/ 7:00 pm Central/ 8:00 pm Eastern Time.
“Silent Night” (Fiction) by Nell Pattison, BARD: DB 112022 [ZOOM-Register Here] Book Synopsis: What happened while they were sleeping? A school for the deaf takes an overnight trip to the snowy woods. Five teenagers go to sleep, but only four wake up. Leon is missing, and a teacher’s body is found in the forest…. Sign language interpreter Paige Northwood is brought in to help with interrogations.” Published 2024. Book 2 of a series we started in March 2024 (Book 1 is The Silent House, previously read by this book club in March 2024).