{"id":157060,"date":"2026-03-30T10:52:29","date_gmt":"2026-03-30T15:52:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.thelocalvoice.net\/oxford\/?p=157060"},"modified":"2026-03-30T10:52:32","modified_gmt":"2026-03-30T15:52:32","slug":"university-selects-the-boys-of-riverside-as-2026-common-read","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.thelocalvoice.net\/oxford\/university-selects-the-boys-of-riverside-as-2026-common-read\/","title":{"rendered":"University Selects ‘The Boys of Riverside’ as 2026 Common Read"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Author Thomas Fuller to speak on resilience, unity at freshman convocation<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Incoming University of Mississippi <\/strong>students will share their first assignment this fall: reading “The Boys of Riverside.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Each year, the Common Reading Experience<\/strong> committee reviews book suggestions from around campus to select the work each incoming student receives before they arrive in the fall. This year’s selection is\u00a0The Boys of Riverside<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0(Doubleday, 2024), the story of how an all-deaf football team united on and off the field to become state champions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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“Thomas Fuller <\/strong>has written a book that will challenge our students to think differently about ability, excellence and what becomes possible when we refuse to accept others’\u00a0expectations of ourselves,” Chancellor Glenn Boyce<\/strong> said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“The Boys of Riverside is a story rooted in football, but its lessons extend far beyond the field, and I expect it will stay with our students long after their first year.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fuller, a correspondent for\u00a0The New York Times<\/strong>,<\/a>\u00a0will give the incoming\u00a0class’s keynote address at freshman convocation in August. The bestselling author was the San Francisco bureau chief for the Times in California<\/strong> when an email about the\u00a0California School for the Deaf<\/a><\/strong>‘s recent success on the field caught his attention.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After 51 losing seasons, the school was experiencing a comeback. Fuller took a leave of absence from the newspaper and spent months in Riverside reporting the story.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The book details not only the story of two undefeated seasons and a state championship, but of the team, their hardships and their leader, coach Keith Adams<\/strong>, who is also deaf and a former athlete.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“Whether you love football or not, you will enjoy this book about ability, toughness, love and achievement,” said Stephen Monroe<\/strong>, chair of the\u00a0Department of Writing and Rhetoric<\/a>\u00a0<\/strong>and co-chair of the Common Read Steering Committee<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Stephen Monroe. Photo by Kevin Bain\/Ole Miss Digital Imaging Services.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The committee selected Fuller’s book from a pool of more than 50 nominations last fall. Every Ole Miss freshman and transfer student will receive a copy of the book over the summer, and many first-year experience and writing courses will use it in class.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“‘The Boys of Riverside’ highlights hard work, dedication and overcoming barriers to success,” said Natasha Jeter<\/strong>, assistant vice chancellor for wellness and student success. “The book offers timely lessons for our first\u2011year students.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Natasha Jeter. Photo by Kevin Bain\/Ole Miss Digital Imaging Services<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

“As the newest members of our community of scholars, I hope they carry these messages with them and use them to propel their own academic and personal success.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The annual common read gives students a unifying experience to start their Ole Miss journey, Monroe said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“The Common Reading Experience is our annual opportunity to slow down and read a book together as a university community,” he said. “This is truly a campuswide effort.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Common Reading Experience Steering Committee has opened submissions for next year’s book on the program’s website<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Previous selections for the Common Reading Experience include: Conor Knighto<\/strong>n’s Leave Only Footprints, Arthur C. Brooks<\/strong> and Oprah Winfrey<\/strong>‘s Build the Life You Want: The Art and Science of Getting Happier, Dave Isay<\/strong>‘s Callings, John Green<\/strong>‘s The Anthropocene Reviewed, and Aimee Nezhukumatathil<\/strong>‘s World of Wonders: In Praise of Fireflies, Whale Sharks, and Other Astonishments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

By Clara Turnage<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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