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Each year, the Common Reading Experience 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 (Doubleday, 2024), the story of how an all-deaf football team united on and off the field to become state champions.

"Thomas Fuller 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' expectations of ourselves," Chancellor Glenn Boyce said.

"'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."

Fuller, a correspondent for will give the incoming class's keynote address at freshman convocation in August. The bestselling author was the San Francisco bureau chief for the Times in California when an email about the 's recent success on the field caught his attention.

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.

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, who is also deaf and a former athlete.

"Whether you love football or not, you will enjoy this book about ability, toughness, love and achievement," said Stephen Monroe, chair of the Department of Writing and Rhetoric and co-chair of the Common Read Steering Committee.

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.

"'The Boys of Riverside' highlights hard work, dedication and overcoming barriers to success," said Natasha Jeter, assistant vice chancellor for wellness and student success. "The book offers timely lessons for our first‑year students.

"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."

The annual common read gives students a unifying experience to start their Ole Miss journey, Monroe said.

"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."

The Common Reading Experience Steering Committee has opened submissions for next year's book on the program's website.

Previous selections for the Common Reading Experience include: Conor Knighton's "Leave Only Footprints," Arthur C. Brooks and Oprah Winfrey's "Build the Life You Want: The Art and Science of Getting Happier," Dave Isay's "Callings," John Green's "The Anthropocene Reviewed" and Aimee Nezhukumatathil's "World of Wonders: In Praise of Fireflies, Whale Sharks, and Other Astonishments."

Top: Thomas Fuller is the author of the university's 2026 Common Reading Experience book, 'The Boys of Riverside' (Doubleday, 2024). Fuller will give the fall convocation address in August. Submitted photo