The Blind Side: Evolution of a Game (2006)

The Blind Side by Michael Lewis is based on a true life story about a football player that was homeless at one point in his life. The football player Michael Oher wasn't really educated through his life and didn't have any parental support until he met his later to be guardians Leigh Anne and Sean Tuohy. They take Michael Oher “Big Mike” in to the family because of his rough life not even aware of his football talents. When his new guardians give him the support and education he needs they have him player for the high school football team where he would later become noticed by many college teams and be drafted to play for the Baltimore Ravens NFL team.

The author Michael Lewis shares this amazing story of a kid that loiters in the ghetto looking for a place to stay and have shelter. This book is one of my favorite football books just because its a true story of a kid that had it so rough in life and is now getting payed millions. I also find this book to be interesting because when i'm watching Monday night football and notice Michael Oher i feel like i knew him in person because i know his life story. I recommend this book to other football players he is an inspiration. ( )

The only thing about this book that wasn't to my taste was the few chapters that were purely about football and the history of football. Even though I care way less about sports than I did while growing up, I still do enjoy learning new things, so these chapters weren't entirely bad to get through.

The rest of the book was the story of Michael Oher's life and his transition from extreme rags (Michael grew up in one of the poorest zip codes in the US) to extreme riches (He moved in with a family who owned a private jet) - it's the major reason I wanted to read this book in the first place. I think it was told pretty well. I kept wanting to know more about Michael and his life before the Tuohys took him in, but he was a mystery to everyone who knew him. You finally do learn more about his past at the end of the book though.

My other reason for reading is that the events of this story took place just a few years ago in the city I live in. I've never been to Michael's original neighborhood, and I'm glad I got to visit it through a book rather than actually going there.

It's worth reading if you're a football fan, of course, but it's also worth a read if you're interested in reading about major cultural transitions just by moving a few miles. ( )

Besser als der Film: http://www.weberseite.at/sport/the-blind-side-michael-lewis/

My blog post about this book is at this link. ( )

10 copies