I'll never forget glancing at the TV and seeing Curtis Pride in a Red Sox uniform. By the time he was with the team my interest had long waned; the team and the sport just weren't what they were when I was a young kid. It had all literally become background noise.

Yet, when the announcer said, "Now up for the Sox, Curtis Pride," I couldn't help but look. I knew his story, or at least that part of it that was available at the time. He was deaf. That fascinated me. I had played baseball and found it hard enough with all of my senses working properly. How did he do it? I'll always remember the striking impression of how intently he locked in on the pitcher as the pitch came in. Did all batters look that way and I just never noticed it, or was he focusing more than the others I'd watched for the past few decades?

Pride tells his story through this book with grace and honest perspective. From the time he was young, he knew what lay ahead for him. Life was not going to be easy, but then, he knew no other way. More than that, he had tremendous support from his parents and siblings. Both parents stood as shining examples of the loving network we all need as we grow. They supported him, defended him, listened to his calls for help and opened doors for him. He rightly thanks them with their own chapters in the latter pages on the book.

His story is delivered through this lens, of gratitude and thankfulness. Teammates, managers, coaches, friends and more are thanked for key contributions along the way as young Curtis explores sports, chooses his passion and fights his way to the major leagues. Despite the tremendous on-field success - and the success that follows as a manager of and mentor to hearing impaired athletes - we are left to wonder if there could have been more. He had the numbers to play regularly and not be a journeyman, and yet he was shuffled from team to team, up and down from the majors to the minors and back again. Had he played today, would the metrics have won out over the questions of whether a deaf player can play at the highest level?

Ultimately, I was embarrassed by the Red Sox in this book (or at least the version of them that existed at the time). I don't think he got a fair chance in Boston and wish he had stayed longer.

Nevertheless, he left a legacy. Just ask any pitcher who covers his mouth when talking to his catcher. According to Hall of Famer Greg Maddux the practice started when Curtis Pride was in the opposing dugout reading lips. Curtis wasn't the first deaf Major League Baseball player and most likely will not be the last, but he established a standard of excellence that hasn't been paralleled since his last at-bat.

I expected to love this book, and I wasn’t disappointed. I enjoy being immersed in stories of those who’ve experienced life differently than I have, as well as baseball, and inspiration. I found all three in one thanks to Curtis Pride.
Right off the bat (haha), Curtis explains that his parents chose a mainstream approach to learning communication over ASL or other adaptations. He learned lip reading and using his voice, which fine-tuned his awareness of his surroundings. Interestingly, this allowed him to form a unique prowess on the baseball field.
I can’t help but adore his parents, who raised Curtis with essentially zero “disability” mindset. They were supportive and always blessed him with feeling whole and whole-ly loved. A strong foundation will get you everywhere, and his success began with them.
I loved reading about Curtis’ transition to MLB, his experiences there, and a bundle of recognizable side characters along the way.
I’ve already bought four copies as gifts, and recommend it daily to patrons at the library. This book was superb.

I would like to thank the publisher and Netgalley for giving me the chance to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

There wasn't a single time that I wasn't smiling when I read this book. Curtis Pride is a major league baseball player whom was born deaf at birth. While many deaf children learn to use sign language at an early age, Curtis learned to read lips. He also used some advantages that came with losing the hearing sense. For example, he had strong peripheral vision and he was able to concentrate on the players' body language. He faced some ableism and some racism throughout his baseball career, but he handled it with pride and grace. He had some very supportive people in his corner. For example, his parents, who encouraged him to follow his dreams to become an athlete and never saw his disability as a crutch, as some parents of disabled kids are prone to do.

I was also pleased to see that there were multiple positive shout-outs to Curtis from the people who knew him throughout his life at the end of the book. He has made a major positive impact among family, friends, fellow baseball players, and baseball managers.

All in all, Curtis wants to show his readers that if you work hard enough and show real dedication, you can follow your own dreams despite your shortcomings. I found his memoir to be a very inspiring read, and I would highly recommend to those with disabilties, as well as baseball fans. Huge five stars!

A great memoir that's inspirational. Pride's message is to never give up on your dreams.

If a brick wall is standing in the middle of anyone succeeding in life, this book will motivate you to run through that brick wall.

A great book for any sports fans to read.

I received a free ebook from Netgalley in exchange for a fair and unbiased review. I am not a big baseball fan. Honestly I never heard of Curtis Pride before I saw this book. I really like inspirational stories. I have been reading more about deaf individuals lately. I am a similar age to Curtis.

I finished this book fairly quickly. It is a pretty easy read. The writing is good. The chapters are short. The book is so interesting. Curtis had a really interesting life. There is a lot of emotions throughout the book.

The book is very positive, uplifting, and inspiring. Ofcourse, negative things happened to Curtis, but the focus is on the positive. In a world, that can be down right mean, Curtis is a force on good in the world. Curtis has a very strong work ethic.

The book is something to read to try to focus your energy on the good in your own life. The book isn't a self help book. At times, it reminded me of the blessings we all have in our lives.

There are some surprise people in the book that you wouldn't think would be in this book. I don't want to mention their names but it brought a smile to my face.

Curtis has an attitude that we should all aspire to have. The book is about counting our blessings. Teaching the next generation to count their blessings to ( and work hard). The book is about the unconventional ride that Curtis has

Thank you so MUCH to Curtis Pride and Netgalley for the opportunity to read this book. I would love to see Curtis Pride at a book signing.

I was intrigued by this one as Curtis was a professional baseball player, but he was born with deafness. I have actually heard of him, and think it was when he played for the Detroit Tigers.

As a baseball player, he never let his deafness get in the way. He considered it an advantage as his other senses were increased. All of his coaches, from high school to professional, helped him be a better baseball player and he also took there knowledge with him when he become the head baseball coach at Gallaudet University in 2009, a school for the blind and deaf.

He had parents who supported him and did the best they could given his predicament. His mother who worked as a nurse gave that up to handle the well being of Curtis. Curtis learned to read lips and communicate orally with words. Later when he got to Gallaudet, he learned American Sign Language.

All the stories he told in the book were fantastic, and I enjoyed the minor league tales of roommates and host families.

He was a role model and always received a lot of fan mail from people thanking him. And, he did his best to reply to all. One was also deaf and wanted to interview him, and Curtis being Curtis, was all for it. The local television station got wind of it, and they wanted to be in the Curtis game! The reporters name was Lisa, and at that time she was engaged. Later, though, she was single and Curtis made a move. They got married, and have two kids. Both kids have some hearing loss as well.

Overall, I really enjoyed the book.

Thank you Kensington Publishing | Dafina for the copy of I Felt The Cheers by Curtis Pride. I’m not the biggest sports fan, but I enjoyed learning some of the ins and outs of being a professional player. and how being deaf affected him. I liked it when he listed the highlights of each place he played/lived. I loved reading about his relationships with his coaches and the other players and how positively he remembers everyone. It was also fun to recognize some familiar players! There were numerous touching moments that really added a nice touch to the story. If you are a big sports fan and love baseball, you will love this book! 4 stars.

Thank you, Kensington Publishing, for providing this book for review consideration via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

I just finished I Felt The Cheers: The Remarkable Silent Life of Curtis Pride, by Curtis Pride.

This book will be released on February 25, 2025.

Curtis Pride was the textbook case of a journeyman baseball player. He played 11 seasons in the major leagues, with six different teams. Overall, he played 23 seasons as a professional player, across the minors, majors and independent leagues, while playing for 26 different teams. Looking at his stats in the majors, he was overall, a mediocre major leaguer.

But, what distinguished Pride from everyone else was he was born profoundly deaf and overcome that to make it to the majors. As he explained early in the book, while the rest of baseball considered that a hinderance to him, he believes it helped him become a good defensive outfielder.

I was pleasantly surprised how much I enjoyed this book. I wasn’t expecting a journeyman mediocre player to have such an interesting life story. Braves Hall of Fame manager Bobby Cox said about him, “He was the most loved guy you ever want to have on your team. He is everywhere he goes.” Reading this book makes you understand why.

I give this book an A. Goodreads and NetGalley require grades on a 1-5 star system. In my personal conversion system, an A equates to 5 stars. (A or A+: 5 stars, B+: 4 stars, B: 3 stars, C: 2 stars, D or F: 1 star).

This review has been posted at NetGalley, Goodreads and my blog, Mr. Book’s Book Reviews

I finished reading this on October 4, 2024.