I Beat the Odds: From Homelessness, to The Blind Side, and Beyond (edition 2011)

A moving story about making it in spite of anything or anyone trying to stop you. I am glad to find that Michael is not the silent giant portrayed in the movie, that he does have something to say. He gives good advice to those who need help and those who want to help. He is an intelligent, thoughtful person who takes the long view, who is willing to do what is necessary to make his plans come true. An inspirational example for all of us.
5 stars for the story, 3 for the writing. ( )

The story of The Blind Side in Michael Oher's own words. That's basically how I would describe this book. The majority of the book talks about his life before meeting the Tuohys. I give Michael props for wanting to write a book, hoping to help kids that are in a similar situation to what he was in. The writing wasn't great, but the story was inspirational. ( )

The writing was poor and very repetitive. The story was interesting but very much like the movie. However, it had a lot of heart. Oher's purpose was to inspire kids that are in bad homes or the foster care system and I think given that audience, it would accomplish its task, and for that I'll rate it a bit higher than I otherwise would have. ( )

I'm officially a Michael Oher fan! Simply and without pretense, Oher voices his own story, helping readers separate fact from those portions of The Blind Side blockbuster that were fiction. Yet, because he identifies with and cares about young people trapped in poverty, he embraces the movie's positive impact and takes it farther by offering many practical ways to effect change. This books is both an inspiration and a call to action. ( )

A short biography from Michael Oher, the subject of the movie Blind Side. In this book he gives us a picture of his life before and after the time covered in the movie. Plus, it's his chance to correct some of the events the movie chose to take some artistic license with. I think the most interesting was that, although he had never played organized football before high school, he was a sports fanatic and really did know the game and the strategies -- he didn't have to learn it all from a kid with spice jars and ketchup bottles on the kitchen counter. Oher's primary reason for the book, he says, is to give hope to kids like him who don't have a supportive family and are stuck in the "system." If he could make it, they can, and here's how.

I thought this book was somewhat superficial, but then, the author was only 24 years old at the time he wrote it. Let's see what happens with maturity. But it was a quick read, and it was interesting to learn a bit more about the man, after enjoying the movie. ( )