I got this book from Netgalley, so I can read and review it before it’s published. 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.
