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The Blind Side: Evolution of a Game

by Michael Lewis

3.94 · rating details · 10,048 ratings · 1,860 reviews

The young man at the center of this extraordinary and moving story will one day be among the most highly paid athletes in the National Football League. When we first meet him, he is one of thirteen children by a mother addicted to crack; he does not know his real name, his father, his birthday, or any of the things a child might learn in school such as, say, how to read or...more

Hardcover, 299 pages

Published September 2nd 2006 by W. W. Norton & Company

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Feb 01, 2010

Elisa rated it

Recommends it for: football fans

This book has quite a few different stories going on:
1) the importance of and rise of the offensive lineman 2) the story of Michael Oher, 3)LT (as in Lawrence Taylor of the NY Giants)and Bill Walsh (football coach, 49er's) these are "supporting stories" amongst others

I heard of the movie and I like football books, so I thought I would enjoy this story about Michael Oher (and I did). I assumed it was just a story about Michael Oher, which it wasn't.

I r...more

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Dec 13, 2009

Devin Munroe marked it as to-read · review of another edition

I saw the movie and it was really good so the book will probably be good to!!!!!!!!!!

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Dec 15, 2011

Jose Tagle rated it

The Blind Side is a book about a homeless teenager who gets adopted by a married couple who sees him on the side of the road and gives him a ride and a place to stay. While he is with them he grows fond of them he starts to attend a fancy mainly white Americans go there he only has a couple pairs of clothes.
He starts playing football but he does not have the best grades in the world, his major is protection. His adopted parents use that to an advantage and he become’s really g...more

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Jan 13, 2009

Mahlon rated it

· review of another edition

Recommends it for: Football fans, educators, social workers

Recommended to Mahlon by: ESPN

The Blind Side features two story lines, one traces the evolution of offensive football since the early 1980's specifically the way it reacted to the way Hall of Fame revolutionized the Outside Linebacker position was played. Thanks to Taylor's prowess at rushing the Quarterback, the Left Tackle(who protects the QB's blind side) quickly became one of the most important, and highest-paid positions on the football field.

The second storyline focuses on Michael Oher, who has all the psyi...more

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Mar 24, 2008

James rated it

Recommends it for: creative minds

This book already has 765 ratings, what can I add? :>

Michael Lewis is probably my favorite living author.

About 1980, Tracey Kidder wrote "THE SOUL OF A NEW MACHINE".

A book about how a bunch of employees at a computer company
designed a new computer against restraints of time and money.

I think this was probably the first book that took an
inside look at organizations and how they work to produce
something "new"...more

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Dec 21, 2007

Patrick rated it

Recommends it for: football fans

On the merits of the story alone, I enjoyed this book. Lewis is a very good writer, and he is able to tell a compelling story and educate the less knowledgeable without coming off as condescending, which is more difficult than it sounds. The story of Michael Oher is compelling (and ongoing), and it's hard not to root for him.

That said, I have my suspicions about the altruism at the heart of the story. There are too many questionable motivations floating about, although, to Lewis's cr...more

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Oct 25, 2007

Kate rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: nonfiction, conrads, usa_canada, pop-nonfiction

3.5 stars.

A real shame that the second half is phoned in. The first half is brilliant; at once a wonderful, heartbreaking story about a real person, and a clean, clear look at the evolution of the passing game and the roles of pass rushers and left tackles. And I know what the West Coast offense is now!

In the end, I wanted more football. Without taking anything away from the story of Michael Oher, which was great, I wanted Lewis's crisp, clear style to explain the intr...more

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Oct 31, 2007

Aaron rated it

· review of another edition

Hoop Dreams detailed the machine built around taking poor black athletes from the inner city and sticking them into primarily white school systems that only cared about those athletes to the extent that they would help their sports teams win. The Blind Side concerns itself with a similar story, except Michael Lewis tends to pause breathlessly and exclaim isn't this great? He admits that the father, Sean, "had been born with a talent for seeing the court, taking in every angle and every othe...moreHoop Dreams detailed the machine built around taking poor black athletes from the inner city and sticking them into primarily white school systems that only cared about those athletes to the extent that they would help their sports teams win. The Blind Side concerns itself with a similar story, except Michael Lewis tends to pause breathlessly and exclaim isn't this great? He admits that the father, Sean, "had been born with a talent for seeing the court, taking in every angle and every other player, and then attacking in the most efficient way possible. The talent translated beautifully from basketball into life." But Lewis never really weighs the possibility that maybe this chronic manipulater had some dubious intentions when, on essentially a whim, he ends up adopting a tremendous football talent, Michael, a year before Michael decides where he wants to play his college ball. When an NCAA investigator feels that this adoption (and the tens of thousands of dollars thrown towards Michael) might be some attempt to circumvent the rules and buy his favor, Lewis can't help but vilify her. "[The NCAA] didn't care how things were, only how they could be made to seem. A poor black football star inside the home of this rich white booster could be made to seem scandalous, and so here they were, bothering Michael. The lady said she was just trying to establish the facts of the case, but the facts didn't descibe the case... They had violated the letter of every NCAA rule ever written. They'd given Michael more than food, clothing, and shelter. They'd given him a life." And, desipte this ascribed nobility of Sean, his family, and the support system of tutors willing to get him passing grades by any means at hand, I never found myself buying into it fully. Yes, I find myself rooting for Michael Oher to make it in the NFL, but mainly because I feel that if he doesn't, the life that these people have given him will seep away, and he'll be back on the streets from which he was rescued.

I also was annoyed by which the degree Lewis writes from a perspective of "poor black" athletes and "rich white" heroes. He can't help himself from throwing these modifiers on any person where they might apply. But when talking of about a black investment banker, he isn't written as "a rich black banker", instead he is merely described as being from Washington, D.C. Michael is meant to stand in for so much of what is happening in this country in terms of race and economics, and, while large though he may be, he isn't big enough to tell this story unless Lewis cuts off these annoying details and nuances.

In the end, it rings with the empty ease of a cheer before a football game: "Whitey, go adopt a black kid that can run 4.3 40, on three!"(less)

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Feb 14, 2007

Nicole rated it

Recommends it for: Football fans and social critics

While this book bills itself as an analysis of the evolution of the game of football, it is actually a fascinating story of life and redemption in the ghettos of Memphis. The author spends some time talking about how the left tackle has transformed from a nameless interchangable position player to the second-most important person on the field - behind the quarterback, whose 'blind side' they are to protect.
But the bulk of the book focuses on the life of Michael Oher, and his unforgettable...more

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Feb 18, 2010

Sherese rated it

· review of another edition

Mixed feelings about this one. I'm huge NFL fan and Ravens are one of my favorite teams (mostly because of Ray Lewis) but I didn't know the Michael Oher story until the movie was released.

I found the Left Tackle/NFL history of the book very interesting. But I can totally see why Michael himself had problems with how he was portrayed in the book. This is not just a poor black teenager being taken in by rich white upper class christian family stereotypical rags to riches taking the bl...more

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Oct 26, 2010

Maria rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: books-to-movies, contemporary, favorites, non-fiction, biography

Michael Oher, is a black kid from the rough side of Memphis. The book chronicles his journey to the NFL. What makes this different from the rags to sport-hero riches stories out there is that Michael's life was changed by love. He was adopted by Tuouhy family, a delightful cast of characters and powerful personalities. Lewis, also writes about how the game of football has changed in the last thirty years and how that has changed the attitudes towards the left tackle.

Why I started ...more

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Mar 17, 2009

Christine Theberge Rafal rated it

Shelves: sports, teaching

My husband read this as a sports book, but as an educator I was very interested in the barriers poverty presents for getting through (or even "to") school. My father-in-law recently reminded me of the book when he recalled that Oher and his brother grew up in a section of Memphis where Census results showed not a single father in the entire zip code. Is anyone starting a Memphis Children's Zone?

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Feb 22, 2010

Amanda Redman added it

I really liked reading this book, almost as I liked watcing the movie. I decided to read this book because when I watched the movie there was so much going on in it, that it kept my attention. It's amazing how a young boy named, Michael Oher can go from not having a stable home, to becoming one of the best players in NHL history. The whole story talks about how to run the offensive to defensive line in football. How no matter how great you are, you will always have a blind side. While reading th...moreI really liked reading this book, almost as I liked watcing the movie. I decided to read this book because when I watched the movie there was so much going on in it, that it kept my attention. It's amazing how a young boy named, Michael Oher can go from not having a stable home, to becoming one of the best players in NHL history. The whole story talks about how to run the offensive to defensive line in football. How no matter how great you are, you will always have a blind side. While reading this book you get a feel of what Michael had to go thru living in the ghetto of Memphis.
Michael had a tough life from living in the ghetto in a bad apartment with a cracked out mother that always did drugs and drank. His father also left him at a young age, but for Michael to find out later in the book that his dad had passed away. Michael grew up knowing nothing about his past, not even when his birthday is. I could never imagine living like this, it would break me more and more everyday.
In the beginning of the book it brings you back to the 1980's, the main character they talk about it Lawerance Taylor. Taylor played for the New York Giants for his whole football career, he was a left tackle. He was just as big and tough as Michael Oher turned out to be. I feel that they put some of the best players into the story so that in the beginning of the book, you can get a feel for what is to come later.
When the Touhy family decided to raise Michael, Leigh Anne was the only one who would accept him. Michael didn't trust men that much after his father left, so him and Leigh Anne really clicked. He said that he would always have her back no matter what. They would raise him having him go to school at a private Catholic School with thier 2 children, Sean Jr. and Collins. Sean Jr. was the first one to ever connect with Michael in school. Everyone called Michael, Big Mike but only Leigh Ann knew that he didn't like to be called that. No one thought that this would be good for thier family, but only the Touhy family knew what they wanted. They first invited him for a night, they never thought he would be apart of thier family.
Michael had a hard time with school, he was in 9th grade and couldn't read or write very good. None of the teachers at the school believed in him, and it wasn't unitl he had one on one help that is where he started to make his big improvements. Michael would push himself after that and would work very hard to get himself through school. He first started playing football in the spring and didn't understand much. It wasn't until Leigh Anne tought him about protecting the quarterbacks blindside. With how big and tough he was he was able to take anyone down.
Mike had scouts coming to look at him at every practice and games, they would drive hours to see the real thing, because no one believed it on film. Michael wanted to attend college but first he had to get his grades to stay up all the time so they hired a toutor for him named, Miss Sue. Michael ended up going to the University of Mississippi, the college he wanted to go too. Even though Miss Sue tried to scare him away from it, it was still the college of his dream.
Soon after he finished college he was selected to play for the Baltimore Ravens after the first draft round pick in 2009. He is known for always protection his quaterbacks blind side.
There is so much in this book that caught my eye and if you enjoyed watching the movie i suggest you to read the book, it goes into more death and makes you imagine the story all over again. And always remember to not give up even when you think you can't achieve greatness.

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Feb 22, 2010

Taryn added it

Michael Lewis’ novel The Blind Side is an inspirational story of a less fortunate African American who turns his life around and makes something of himself with the help of many others. Michael Jerome Williams otherwise known as Michael Oher was born to Denise and Michael Williams, his parents were never wed to one another. His father was in jail by the time he was born and his mother had thirteen other children with four different fathers. Unable to raise her children alone, Michael learned ...moreMichael Lewis’ novel The Blind Side is an inspirational story of a less fortunate African American who turns his life around and makes something of himself with the help of many others. Michael Jerome Williams otherwise known as Michael Oher was born to Denise and Michael Williams, his parents were never wed to one another. His father was in jail by the time he was born and his mother had thirteen other children with four different fathers. Unable to raise her children alone, Michael learned how to provide ford and water for himself. As a child he found shelter wherever he could, sleeping at local homeless shelters in Memphis. Child Services was always on the look for Michael and his siblings to place them in foster care where they would receive better care. Michael always ran away from the foster homes he was placed in, he would run back and find his mother. It wasn’t until Big Tony Henderson spotted Michael to play on his local basketball and football teams that someone began to look out for hum and occasionally give him a place to sleep. Michael was no ordinary 15 year old, he was six foot five, three hundred and fifty pounds, and had quick feet and great agility, he was and exceptional athlete. Tony first introduced Michael to The Braircrest Christian School. When Michael enrolled at Briarcrest he was one of very few African Americans at the school and he started his sophomore year with a grade point average of 0.6. While at Briarcrest Michael participated on the varsity basketball football and track teams. Throughout his first few months at Briarcrest, Michael was still struggling to find places to sleep at night. I was one winter evening where Leigh Anne Touhy spotted Michael wondering around the streets and invited him into her home to stay the night. Sean and Leigh Anne Touhy had two children, Sean junior and Collins, the Touhy family grew attached to Michael’s company as he became a regular in their house. Soon enough, The Touhy’s had made Michael a permanent member of their family, giving him a bedroom of his own. At first everyone found it strange that this rather large African American boy was living with this rich white republic family in east Memphis, but after awhile people became used to the idea. While playing football for Briarcrest, Michael’s size and speed got him noticed by Division One head football coaches, everyone wanted a chance to see Michael Oher play left tackle. This was Michaels first season ever playing organized football and he already been ranked as a top recruit in the nation. Michael had come into contact with almost every top division one football school in the nation. After visiting schools and exploring all his options, Michael came to the conclusion that he wanted to be a member of the Ole Miss (University of Mississippi). Michael was now following in the footsteps of Sean, Leigh Anne, Miss. Sue, and Collins who all attended Ole Miss.
But to be eligible to play college football Michael needed to have a 2.525 GPA to meet NCAA standards. This would be one on Michael’s biggest obstacle, for he has no formal education and he had missed school just as much as he attended school. The Touhy’s hired Michael a tutor, Miss. Sue, who helped him reach NCAA regulations. That summer Michael moved to Oxford, Mississippi to begin his football career with the Ole Miss Rebels. Usually as a freshman on a Division One football team you redshirt your first year to prepare yourself and get to know the program. But Ole Miss Head coach, Coach O, felt Michael was ready to start and play on his offensive line, and that he did.
Within the novel, the author also explains the evolution of the game of football. How the NFL once played a running game and has now changed its ways to a passing game with the help of coaches like Bill Walsh and Bill Parcells. With this change, the position of left tackle became more important. The left tackles job is to protect the quarterbacks’ blind side from the other team’s linebackers. The offensive left tackle that was once never noticed is now the highest paid offensive position in the NFL. Michael Oher is a man built to play this position; he has the criteria to be the best the left tackle in the nation and an inspirational story of how he got there.
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Apr 02, 2009

James rated it

Michael Lewis writes really well. He's got the ear and words of an investigative journalist. His stories reach just behind the headlines to find interesting---almost fictional---characters because they are portrayed as protagonists in a bigger story. Starting with Wall Street in Liar's Poker, to baseball in Moneyball, to the internet in New New Thing, to high school football in this book. He cites figures, like how the left tackle is one of the highest paid positions in professional football...more

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Mar 16, 2009

Barbara rated it

Shelves: all-time-favorites-nf

Let me be clear: I am not a football fan. My motivation for reading this book is its consideration as mandatory summer reading this year. Set in Memphis, Tennessee, a city still racially polarized forty years after MLK’s assassination, The Blind Side works on multiple levels: as an explanation of the NFL’s growing reliance on QB passing as a game strategy and the need for the QB to be protected from injury(hence the development of offensive left guard) , an expose of college football recruit...more

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Feb 05, 2009

Bookmarks Magazine added it

As in Moneyball (**** July/Aug 2003), which chronicled the strategies behind the Oakland A's general manager Billy Beane, Berkeley-based author Michael Lewis takes a personal look at a complicated game in his newest nonfiction extravaganza. Just as they embraced Moneyball, critics eagerly wrap their arms around The Blind Side. It's much more than a treatise on football; it's an exploration of the limits of conventional thinking and how strategic changes affect the value of quick-footed behemoths

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Nov 29, 2008

Jonathan rated it

Last week I finished reading Michael Lewis’ The Blind Side: Evolution of a Game. From Wikipedia:

The Blind Side: Evolution of a Game is a book by Michael Lewis released in 2006 about American football. It features two dominant storylines. The first is an examination of how offensive football strategy has evolved over the past three decades in large part due to Lawrence Taylor's arrival in the 1980s and how this evolution has placed an increased importance on the role of the left tackle...more

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Jan 05, 2012

04taylorr rated it

Shelves: book-reports

Micheal Oher, a very poor, homeless, boy just trying to get a good education,
The characters in this book are,
Micheal- a very HUGE black boy(future left guard for the Baltimore Ravens), Sean Jr.-a very small sports lover, Collins- a very kind young women, Leann- A very selfless kindhearted women, Sean Sr.-A very kind man(owner of a chain of taco bells, and former point guard at old miss)
The storyline of this book is
Micheal is living couch to couch just trying so survive da...more

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Dec 31, 2011

Claudia Gonzalez rated it

In the beginning of the year Mrs.Smith said we could only do 1 book review on a book that had already made a movie after it. I choose the Blind Side. You would think that the movie and the book would be the same, but it's not! The book had so much more details towards what the movie was really based on. The book and movie taught me something after reading and watching them. I learned that wheather you think your smart or not, at the end things can happen. Like for Michael Oher, he started off as...more

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Dec 26, 2011

Mary added it

Shelves: given-up-on

I only got about five chapters in to the audiobook. I liked a magazine article I'd read by Lewis, so I took a chance on this. I'm not really a sports person, so I really wasn't digging the rise-of-the-offensive-linemen aspect of the book that much. And it felt like the storytelling dragged on too much. Lewis kept quoting more and more people about Michael Oher, about left tackles, and about Lawrence Taylor, and they were all saying essentially the same things. It felt like overkill -- like he di...more

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Nov 30, 2011

Joe rated it

This book is about a homeless teenage African American boy. Early in the book he is found by a family that took him into their homes for a couple of days and eventually adopted him. They gave him an education, food, and a place to live. They also set him up to play football for his high school. He worked hard to get better and eventually got noticed by every divison 1 football team in the country. All he had to do to get a full scholarship to college was get his grades up to be elligable. His ne...more

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Nov 14, 2011

Joey rated it

The book The Blind Side By: Michael Lewis is a book about football and emotions. In the book a women and her husband find a homeless boy named Michael Oher whom they bring into their home. At first Michael wasn’t particular thrilled with thee decision of them taking him in but after a while he felt more and more comfortable. Michael became close with the home owners kids he basically became their older brother. Leigh and Sean Touhy the people who bought Michael into their homes new a local footb...more

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Nov 09, 2011

Jane Stewart rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: football-nonfiction, 5-star-other

Oh this author is wonderful! I can’t believe he makes nonfiction so entertaining and engaging.

REVIEWER’S OPINION:
Several times I didn’t want to stop reading. Several times I was laughing out loud. Part of his talent is “finding” a good subject to write about. I can see why they made this into a movie. Although I was disappointed that the movie had a scene that was not in the book. But that’s a minor point and relates to the movie, not the book. The story of Michael Oher ...moreOh this author is wonderful! I can’t believe he makes nonfiction so entertaining and engaging.

REVIEWER’S OPINION:
Several times I didn’t want to stop reading. Several times I was laughing out loud. Part of his talent is “finding” a good subject to write about. I can see why they made this into a movie. Although I was disappointed that the movie had a scene that was not in the book. But that’s a minor point and relates to the movie, not the book. The story of Michael Oher is such a feel good story. However, the end of the book is sad when showing the details about his early life.

The book was published five years ago. I wish there was something bringing us up to date with what happened to Michael since then. When I finished the book I found myself online doing searches to learn more about what happened to Michael.

I am not a sports fan and don’t watch football, but I really enjoyed this book. Actually I am now a little more interested in the sport. When I saw a football game on TV recently, my first question was who is playing left tackle, and I wanted to watch him.

STORY BRIEF:
The book starts out with some history about the passing game and Lawrence Taylor’s skill at sacking quarterbacks. That created the need for a left tackle to protect the quarterback’s blind side. The first player who could stop Lawrence was a guy who wrestled steers on a cattle ranch. He was big yet light-footed fast. Then most of the book is the story about Michael Oher. He was homeless for most of his childhood, but through a stroke of luck ended up at a private Christian high school. Within two years, Sean and Leigh Ann Tuohy invited him to live with them. He needed a full time tutor to survive classroom work which they provided. They later adopted him. Michael had the perfect body and skills for the left tackle position. Some additional history about high school, college, and pro football is provided during and after the Michael story.

NARRATOR:
The narrator Stephen Hoye was excellent.

DATA:
Unabridged audiobook reading time: 11 hrs and 50 mins. Swearing language: strong but rarely used. Sexual content: none. Setting: 1970s through 2006 various U.S. locations. Most of the Michael story is 2003-2006 Memphis, Tennessee. Book copyright: 2006. Genre: football nonfiction.(less)

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Oct 13, 2011

Kevin rated it

I'd never read any books by Michael Lewis before, so I thought I'd give this one a try. This was an easy read that always kept you wanting to know more, and what would happen next. This was such an amazing book. It's a book about a few different things: high school football, college football recruiting, college football, race relations, life in the eastern and western halves of Memphis, and how the value of good offensive linemen has changed over time. It tells the story how Michael Oher gro...more

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Oct 13, 2011

Dylan rated it

I think the authors purpose of writing the book was to reach out to kids and telling them no matter how bad your life style is you could always go far in life in something you believe in. The author also said to always stay in school and get good grades to get an education. Here is one of my favorite quotes in the book, "Courage is a hard thing to figure. You can have courage based on a dumb idea or mistake, but you’re not supposed to question adults, or your coach or your teacher, bec...more

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Oct 05, 2011

Christina rated it

Leigh Anne is an incredible mother; she truly cares about her family and is compassionate for others. She adopts a homeless African American teenager and not only provides him with food and a place t stay but she provides him with something he never had before a family and love. Michael Oher had never met his father and his mother was addicted to drugs. Michael is very protective of his family and would do anything to keep them safe; his protectiveness also helps him when it comes to football. ...moreLeigh Anne is an incredible mother; she truly cares about her family and is compassionate for others. She adopts a homeless African American teenager and not only provides him with food and a place t stay but she provides him with something he never had before a family and love. Michael Oher had never met his father and his mother was addicted to drugs. Michael is very protective of his family and would do anything to keep them safe; his protectiveness also helps him when it comes to football. S.J. is his little brother; he is a funny character and loves his new brother. S.J. helps Michael out a lot especially when it comes to football, Michael may be big in size but he doesn’t know much about the game itself until S.J. helps him out. Collins is the typical little sister jealous at times but has a big heart. At first she isn’t too happy with this stranger living in their house but that soon changed and she learnt to love her older brother. Sean is the father and works together as a team with his wife Leigh Anne, he has her back for everything and together they help Michael improve his grades by getting him a tutor so he could qualify for an NCAA Division 1 athletic scholarship.

This book shows that if you put your mind to something and work hard for it with determination you can accomplish anything no matter who you are, what background you come from, what religion or what ethnicity. This book also shows a lot of compassion, love kindness and understanding.

This story takes place in two totally different areas. There is the wealthy area where S.J. and Collins grew up and the less wealthy area where Michael’s mom lives. These two extreme different places show that although Michael grew up in a tough neighborhood he has a huge heart and the place you grew up in does not necessarily describe everyone in it. Michael realized that you can’t just walk into someone’s house and live with them. He was so grateful for this loving caring family but he thought he over stayed his welcome so he ran away, back to where he came from. As soon as Leigh Anne realized he had run away she knew exactly where he’d be. Leigh Anne went alone to a very dangerous part of town because Michael was part of the family. After this incident Leigh Anne understood why Michael did what he did and she wanted to make sure he felt like he wasn’t over staying his welcome and that he was a part of the family because he really was. She decided the right thing to do would be to adopt him, she discussed it with her family and in no time he was officially apart of their family.

I would definitely recommend this book to others because I think it was very well written and if I had the time I would re read it because I really enjoyed reading it. There is also a movie to this book but if you haven’t seen it I recommend you read the book first because you can use your creativity to fill in the blanks and personally I think the book is a lot better than the movie because after reading the book I had high expectations for the movie and I was disappointed after I saw it because it wasn’t how I had imagined it.

I love how welcoming the entire family it to Michael but its also somewhat unrealistic, you don’t typically adopt a random stranger and welcome them into your home. I mean if you saw someone walking on the street would you ask him if he needed a place to stay and invite him to sleep at your house to sleep. Knowing that it’s based on a true story is amazing because it’s not something simple and it’s not an over night decision. It is a huge decision that not only entirely changes and turns around Michael’s life but it defiantly changes theirs as well.
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Sep 26, 2011

Elie Climan added it

At the end of every year of school we are asked to choose a book to read over the summer, this past year, I had decided to choose the book “The Blind Side” by Michael Lewis. Previously to reading the book, I had seen the movie about a year earlier. I was very fond of the movie, which compelled me to read the book however at the end of the movie, I felt like there was something missing, like these stories don’t happen. Kids like Michael Oher (the main character) don’t get randomly pick...more

At the end of every year of school we are asked to choose a book to read over the summer, this past year, I had decided to choose the book “The Blind Side” by Michael Lewis. Previously to reading the book, I had seen the movie about a year earlier. I was very fond of the movie, which compelled me to read the book however at the end of the movie, I felt like there was something missing, like these stories don’t happen. Kids like Michael Oher (the main character) don’t get randomly picked up off the street, they don’t go from no athletic ability to pro bowl football player and they don’t go from failing to straight A’s with just the help of a tutor. Sure enough, the book revealed such truths. Michael Oher, the main character of the book did have significant athletic ability and he didn’t get straight A’s by just a tutor, he as well did extra courses on line and really put in the hours that I thought it would take for such a vast improvement. He is described to be extremely tall (about 6’4) and very heavy as well as a quite athletic build, all the things you look for in a lineman for football and more specifically, the right tackle. I thought that the book really played him off to be quite fit from the start, which while watching the movie is not evident at all. Michael is very shy and it actually takes quite a lot of time to find out who he really is and I think that’s what gives him his mysterious look, which makes him so unpredictable and an interesting person to read about. Towards the end of the book, you really start to see Michael come out and express his true self who is a caring but very interesting human being because he always wants to make people happy which sometimes shields his real feelings that are hard to distinguish. At the beginning of the book we learn that he is staying with a friend that happens to be a janitor at a school named Wingate in a very wealthy area. I found it really good how they displayed his improvement in his studies, sports and just a more open person. Throughout the book, he becomes a very good football player and so good that he can aply for a division one scholarship. Unfortunately, this would require him to have a 2.4 GPA, significant to the one he had a that point. This is one of the first big contradictory events between the book and movie that I found really confusing and was missing sync. During the movie, it plays Ms. Sue (Michaels Tutor) off to be a type of dream weaver that somehow single handedly made Michael get the grades that he got. However this is not the case, I am not saying that she wasn’t a huge factor in his success but she wasn’t the only one, he as well takes other measures to ensure good grades. However the story isn’t as clean cut as this, the book takes a lot of twists and turns that made my jaw drop at some of the feats he had to overcome which all surmounts to a real heart warmer and page turner that everyone will be sure to love. I really enjoyed the book over the movie because I found that the movie lacked a lot of detail and was more a money pit rather than detailed stories of some of the insurmountable tasks that Michael managed to complete so don’t throw out the idea of reading the book just because you didn’t like the movie. However, if you are not a true sports fan I found that I would be really hard to get into because the book is filled with statistics and reasons why the Offensive Tackle is such a key position in the game of Football contrary to the movie which is really more the story of his life. Over all I would give the book a solid eight an a half out of ten just because I found that although the statistics were interesting and informative, I found that it took away from the story a little bit and the author sometimes got a little carried away and turned parts of the book into a bunch of statistics and what they mean which tends to be quite boring. I would recommend the book to those who really enjoy football and that understand the game because for someone that doesn’t understand football, the book can be sometimes very confusing.
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Sep 21, 2011

Nathan Reid rated it

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The book that i read over the summer was The Blind Side by Michael Lewis.

Michael Oher was once a young 17 year old who didn't have any money and was living on the streets with no one to comfort him. He and his younger brother got separated from their mother when they they were just young boys. Michael would live on the streets everyday but he and his brother would sleep at a different foster families houses at night.

One day, Michael's foster parent brought Michael and h...moreThe book that i read over the summer was The Blind Side by Michael Lewis.

Michael Oher was once a young 17 year old who didn't have any money and was living on the streets with no one to comfort him. He and his younger brother got separated from their mother when they they were just young boys. Michael would live on the streets everyday but he and his brother would sleep at a different foster families houses at night.

One day, Michael's foster parent brought Michael and his younger to Briarcrest Christian School in the suburbs of Memphis, Tennessee, to sign him and his brother up for school. On the first day of school, Michael had no idea what was going on and didn't speak or write a word all day. At night there was a volleyball game in gym and Michael went to watch. After the game, Michael was sitting outside on the sidewalk in the poring rain, when a nice truck pulls up and out comes mrs. Leigh Anne Tuohy. Leigh Anne demands that Michael sleeps at their house for the night, and he didn't refuse.

The next morning, leigh ann is walking down stairs and she sees Michael heading out the door, but before he could leave, leigh ann asks him if he wants to stay for christmas with the Tuohy family. Once again Michael didn't refuse. Bit by bit Michael becomes part of the family. One day Leigh Ann was having lunch with some of her girlfriends, when she thought to herself " maybe i should adopt Michael" and that is exactly what she did.

The tuohy family is very into sports and now that Michael is part of the family, they think that he should try out for some sports at his school. So Michael decides he is going to try out for the school football team. Michael plays offensive lineman and he is very good at it, but the coach thinks that he is to soft, like a gentle giant. but Leigh ann gives Michael a little talk, and tells him that he should think of leigh ann as the quarter back, and that he has to protect his quarter back. and he does just that.

Michael becomes one of the best offensive lineman in the league, and he gets scouted by coaches all around the NCAA. Michael must choose 1 team that he will go on to play with in college. Michael chooses The University Of Mississippi, but he cant go to "Ole Miss" unless he gets a GPA of 2.5. Michael ends up getting a GPA of 2.52, and is able to go to The University Of Mississippi. Michael played with Ole miss for 1 year and then got drafted into the NFL in 2009 by the Baltimore Ravens in the first round.(less)

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Jul 30, 2011

Rebecca rated it

You know me and books made into movies. If I could have majored in this, I would have. It was one of my favorite classes in college. Anyway, nothing to do with this entry anyway. I haven't seen this movie yet (hello TNT in 2.5 years!) but the book finally came in at the library a few weeks back. The book was okay. It was an intertwined of both story about this guy and football in general, which was so so so boring! Totally my least favorite part of the book. Luckily, it was only for about maybe ...more

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About Michael Lewis

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads' database with this name. See this thread for more information.

Michael Lewis attended Princeton University where he received a BA in art history in 1982. He also received a masters degree in economics from the London School of Economics in 1985.

He went on to work with New York art dealer Wildenstein, and then b...more

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