The Blind Side: Evolution of a Game

This is the true story of Michael Oher, a black kid from Memphis who was poor, unschooled, sometimes hungry and homeless, and is now on track to becoming a first-round draft pick for the NFL. Lewis takes us deep into the life of the formerly shy, somewhat passive loner known as Big Mike, who overcame tremendous obstacles to become a student at Briarcrest Christian Academy. On arrival,

"Michael had no money and no reliable way to get around. He was totally dependent on whoever might give him a lift, and he had no idea, when he arrived at school in the morning, where he might spend the night. He sort of shopped around every day for the best deal he could find."

i was struck by the heart of those who helped him succeed ~ his friend, Big show more Tony, who first drove him to the white side of town and argued that he should be enrolled in an expensive private school; Leigh Anne Tuohy who noticed Michael wearing the same clothes every day and eventually became his adoptive mom when Sean and Leigh Anne took him in; Sue Mitchell who volunteered many hours to tutor him to help him overcome his lack of education; etc. And faced with enormous changes, Michael kept pushing forward:

"He'd gone from among the least valued fifteen-year-olds on the planet to among the most highly prized eighteen-year-olds. In the market for him great forces were at work. Soem of these forces arose from changes in football strategy: professional football now exalts the value of the task that Michael Oher's body is ideally suited to perform. But the greater forces arose from a series of social accidents -- his wandering out of poor black Memphis into rich white memphis, being taken in by a rich white family, and, above all, his willingness to endure an immense amount of trouble and discomfort to better his lot."

Equally fascinating is Lewis's description of the rise of the passing game and the recognition of the left tackle's importance:

"Offensive linemen were the stay-at-home mothers of the NFL: everyone paid lip service to the importance of their contribution yet hardly anyone could tell you exactly what that was. In 1985 the left tackle had no real distinction. He was still expected to believe himself more or less interchangeable with the other linemen."

But that changed when Lawrence Taylor appeared:

"(New York Giant linebacker Lawrence) Taylor is coming. From the snap of the ball (Washington Redskins quarterback Joe) Theismann has lost sight of him. He doesn't see Taylor carving a wide circle behind his back; he doesn't see Taylor outrun his blocker upfield and then turn back down; and he doesn't see the blocker diving, frantically, at Taylor's ankles. He doesn't see Taylor leap, both arms over his head, and fill the sky behind him. Theismann prides himself on his ability to stand in the pocket and disregard his fear. He thinks this quality is a prerequisite in a successful NFL quarterback. "When a quarterback looks at the rush," he says, "his career is over." Theismann has played in 163 straight games, a record for the Washington Redskins. He's led his team to two Super Bowls, and won one. He's thirty-six years old. He's certain he still has a few good years left in him. He's wrong. He has less than half a second." show less

I have no interest in football. So the ability of this author to keep my interest sustained, even when he spends whole chapters explaining various aspects of the game, is remarkable. The way he does that is through making it personal. The main focus is of course on Michael Oher and the Touhy family. I love stories of individuals beating the odds to survive and thrive, and this one certainly fits the bill. The author does spend a bit too much time talking about the technical aspects of football (he didn't make it all interesting for me), but other than that it's a great read.

Ignoring the Hollywood hype and glam, The Blind Side is an inspirational story of a real family- the Tuohys- helping a real boy in need- Michael Oher. The book, unlike the movie (which I saw as well-and loved) has no need to sell a perfect version of this story. Lewis writes bluntly and honestly. He shows faults in his characters, which is fitting because they aren’t truly characters but real people. Lewis writes like he is telling this story to friend, not trying to sell it on the big screen. He delves into some of the moral shortcuts the Tuohys took to get Michael where they and he wanted to be, and he slowly reveals Michaels development into a child of an affluent family. Michael becomes a Tuohy, which is made clear in both the show more film and the book. But what I liked about the book is that it shows what is expected of Michael- he becomes spoiled. Lewis doesn’t glance over this, which is refreshing. I wasn’t mad to learn Michael became this way; it was okay because that’s what I expected.
Lewis includes a good amount of football commentary. I’m a casual fan of the sport, but it was a little too much for me. I wanted more Tuohys, and less of a history of football. But, overall, the book was a great story. It wasn’t too perfect (i.e. movie-like), which made it easier to swallow. Lewis so easily weaves humor into his writing; I was laughing almost as much as I was crying. show less

New Favorite Author

This doesn't happen often but Michael Lewis has just been added to my very short list of authors who I TRY to read EVERYTHING they ever write! (Ayn Rand, Irving Stone, Trevanian, Shakespeare - so many with just a few books, so many with so many! LOL! Dostoevsky, Tolstoy, Soseki Natsume, Lafcadio Hearn, Oscar Wilde) - I can't keep up! But several are worthy of short-listing!

This was a fascinating, multi-faceted glimpse into the socioeconomics of the intersection of our high school and college educational system and football - and the perhaps unfair whispers of white savior complex. It was also an interesting character study on how a foster child's survival instincts can shape a personality.

Another book where I loved the movie. I have to say, the book is better than the movie. As with Michael Lewis [b:Moneyball: The Art of Winning an Unfair Game|1301|Moneyball The Art of Winning an Unfair Game|Michael Lewis|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1388176510l/1301._SY75_.jpg|416305], the book isn't about just what you think.

Yes, The Blind Side tells the story of Michael Oher and his path from poverty and homelessness to adoption and NFL stardom, but the title of the book is Evolution of a Game. The book also tells the story of the evolution of Football. It attacks the notion of all time greats being destined to be all time greats like Joe Montana and Steve Young, and moves credit to overlooked show more positions such as coaches like Bill Walsh and left tackles. It also examines the evolution of Linebackers and Defensive Ends which in turn lead to the evolution of left tackles and the offensive line, as well as their monetary compensation.

I loved both sides of this story. Learning more about the NFL and the wonderful story of Michael Oher and the Tuohy family. show less

Overall, I'd say this book surprised me. I was fully expecting a little more of a biography and a little less of a history of the position of the left side offensive tackle, changing of football strategy that made that position so important, and commentary on the societal factors that shaped and later changed him. Admittedly, the latter at least makes sense since it does factor strongly into his life and how it changed to create the story that has been sprinkled among these pages and across TV/movie screens.

Overall, it's a great story that seems too good to be true if you didn't know that it actually happened. Unfortunately, you finish with a feeling that you still don't really know Michael Oher, but that seems to be a common sentiment show more among many in his life. show less

About 100 pages into The Blind Side, I was putting the book down for the night, and noticed that the library had tagged it as "B - Oher" (Biography section, subject's last name Oher). I thought it was a bit odd, since the author was really just starting to talk about Michael Oher, the phenom left tackle prospect from Memphis, Tennessee. But it ended up being very accurate. Only two or three of the chapters are devoted to examining how football evolved from the reliable run-first offense to passing 50-60% of the time. The rest are devoted to the evolution of Michael Oher's game, and more accurately, how he went from being just another kid from the slums to living with a rich white family and becoming a top left tackle prospect.
I won't show more give away the ending, and if you decide to read the book, I recommend you avoid looking up Michael Oher on the internet, as it will spoil it for you. The author definitely succeeds in showing all angles of college and pro sports, good and bad. You wind up rooting for Michael, even as he seems destined to follow that all too familiar route to destruction. The Blind Side shows us why left tackles have become so important to football (are you listening Giants and Jerry Reese?) even while they remain virtually anonymous, and then puts a face on one of those anonymous players. Brilliantly done, and the first "non-fiction" book I've finished so quickly in a long time. show less