(Please note that Curtis identifies as deaf, so I will not be using any other modern terms in this review).

I remember watching one of Curtis's first games in the Major Leagues in 1993 against the Braves. In the days when the athletic world was not at the tip of everyone's fingertips, I was not aware he was deaf until one of the Braves announcers talked about it during the game. I was thankful when Kensington Books approved my request for an ARC.

Curtis was born deaf. His parents, who were his biggest advocates, began to take him to speech therapy as a toddler, and wanted him to communicate orally, rather than through ASL. The recurring theme throughout the book is Pride's persistence, whether it be attending regular schools, participating (and starring) in every sport he picked up, and earning a degree in finance from William & Mary while also playing college basketball and minor league baseball in the summers. He has always been motivated, and perhaps it led him to play organized baseball for nearly 20 years, despite only several partial seasons in the big leagues.

The book also gives a reader a great understanding of life as a minor league "journeyman" - someone on the fringes of the majors, who occasionally got call-ups, but never established a professional career.

This is a great inspirational book for anyone facing a disability or those, like myself, who watched Curtis play in the majors, but did not know much about him other than his deafness. He never feels like he's a victim, and actually looks at his deafness in a positive light, as it strengthened his other senses and helped him connect with many youth and adults who had their own disabilities.

A fantastic read. My only question is why the last chapter contained almost 20 long quotes from former teammates, managers, friends, and others in baseball. Curtis's drive for success on and off the field, compassion towards others, and positive attitude are clear in the biography. The quotes just seemed like an unnecessary extension.

It's just a minor nitpick. This is clearly a 5-star book.

I highly recommend this biography.

Thanks to Kensington Books for providing an advanced copy of this book for an unbiased review.

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.