Deafness as a Superpower: Lessons from The Boys of Riverside
Publish Date: Sept. 15, 2025
Each year, the One Book/One College program invites students, faculty, staff, and administrators to gather around a shared text that sparks dialogue, creativity, and community. The goal is simple yet powerful: to unite the campus through the exploration of equity, inclusion, and the human experience.
This year, the chosen book is The Boys of Riverside by Thomas Fuller, a New York Times reporter who stumbled upon an unexpected story in the midst of the pandemic. In November 2021, while much of the news was heavy with crises, Fuller received a short email from the California Department of Education. It mentioned a high school football team in Riverside—made up entirely of deaf students—who were undefeated for the first time in their 50-year history. Intrigued, Fuller drove seven hours south to witness the phenomenon.
What he discovered was more than football. The team at the California School for the Deaf in Riverside was rewriting the narrative of disability, turning deafness into a competitive advantage. Led by their dynamic deaf head coach, Keith Adams, and supported by a fiercely dedicated staff, the players used American Sign Language not just to communicate but to win games, surprising rivals and inspiring communities. Fuller’s book captures both the team’s historic 2021 and 2022 seasons and the deeply personal stories of young athletes overcoming adversity—from homelessness to injury—while finding strength in identity, brotherhood, and resilience.
On September 15, Crafton Hills College welcomed Fuller along with CSDR’s defensive coordinator, Kaveh Angoorani, for a special Q&A and book signing. Students, faculty, and community members attended, eager to hear the voices behind the story. Fuller described the moment he first met the team: walking into a room of coaches and players who looked at him curiously, wondering why this reporter was so excited. He shared how he came to see deafness not as a limitation, but as a superpower—an asset that transformed the game.
Angoorani traced his own journey, from growing up in Tehran and learning football from an American neighbor, to attending the American School for the Deaf in Connecticut, and later coaching at Riverside alongside Adams. He spoke candidly about the obstacles he faced as a deaf professional, including discrimination, but also about the resilience and advocacy that shaped his path. His mother, seated in the audience, was recognized for the pivotal role she played in his journey to America and education.
Together, Fuller and Angoorani painted a vivid portrait of the team’s unique advantages—such as lightning-fast sideline communication through ASL—as well as the challenges they faced, from inadequate facilities to the isolation of the pandemic. The audience laughed at stories of coded play calls and the invention of the football huddle (by a deaf team, no less), and grew reflective as the speakers shared how identity, language, and unity fueled success where decades of struggle once stood.
The event was more than a book talk; it was a testament to the power of stories that inspire and connect. Just as The Boys of Riverside celebrates resilience, teamwork, and the reimagining of difference, One Book/One College at Crafton Hills celebrates the transformative potential of reading together. In classrooms and conversations across campus, the book will continue to spark dialogue, challenge assumptions, and strengthen community.
For Crafton Hills, this year’s common read is not just about football—it is about rethinking what it means to lead, to belong, and to win together.
