Best Children’s Books of the Year: Outstanding Merit, Bank Street College of Education
Choices, Cooperative Children’s Book Center (CCBC)
Reading Program, United Methodist Women

The biography of William Ellsworth Hoy, the first deaf player to have a successful career in professional and Major League baseball.

Now in paperback!

William Hoy loved baseball. Growing up in the 1860s and ‘70s, he dreamed of one day playing in the major leagues. A far-off fantasy for many boys, fulfilling this dream was even more of a long shot for William, who was deaf.

Striving to find his place in a hearing world, Hoy became a shoemaker. He took pride in his work, but baseball was still his real love. When an amateur team coach saw him playing behind the shoemaker’s shop, Hoy dazzled the coach with his hard-hitting skills. Moving from amateur clubs to the minor leagues and eventually to the majors, Hoy proved himself again and again-overcoming obstacles and becoming a star both on and off the baseball diamond.

Silent Star: The Story of Deaf Major Leaguer William Hoy is a tribute to one of the most inspirational figures in baseball history. A talented player with a standout record, Hoy is a shining example that success in life should not be measured by differences but by drive and determination.