The Blind Side: Evolution of a Game

Average customer rating: 4.5

Another Michael Lewis winner
Wow!
Not just for football fans!
Shockingly biased
More than a football book

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The Blind Side: Evolution of a Game
Michael Lewis
Manufacturer: W. W. Norton
Product Group: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: 039306123X

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Book Description

By the author of the bestselling Moneyball: in football, as in life, the value we place on people changes with the rules of the games they play. 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 write. Nor has he ever touched a football. What changes? He takes up football, and school, after a rich, Evangelical, Republican family plucks him from the mean streets. Their love is the first great force that alters the world's perception of the boy, whom they adopt. The second force is the evolution of professional football itself into a game where the quarterback must be protected at any cost. Our protagonist turns out to be the priceless combination of size, speed, and agility necessary to guard the quarterback's greatest vulnerability: his blind side.

Customer Reviews:

Another Michael Lewis winner.......2007-06-08

Lewis fans will not be dissappointed by this wonderful read. As always, Lewis explains the evolution of his subject, in this case an offensive left tackle, in an interesting, compelling, and fact-based manner. His humor is ever present and he takes fair shots at all participants. Lewis' keen eye for socio-economic and cultural dynamics is actually surpassed by his ability to communciate the nuances in a direct, unflinching way. I always enjoy Lewis' writing style, which I feel is a little like Hemingway's short, athletic prose. At the end of the day what Lewis is really really good at is understanding that shifts in culture (sports, business, etc) happen because certain individuals make them happen. His ability to delve into the lives of these people and help us get to know them is what makes his books so interesting.

Wow!.......2007-06-05

Incredible book! Michael Lewis even topped himself (Moneyball) in this book. Very entertaining book and insightful about the evolution of football told through the story of the top blue-chip football recruit.

I recommend this book to anybody

Not just for football fans!.......2007-05-21

MONEYBALL by Michael Lewis was one of the finest books
on baseball I have ever read . . . I can now say that his
latest, THE BLIND SIDE, was one of the finest books on
football I have ever read--or make that heard (in that
I listened to it on CD).

It was so good, in fact, that at the end I found myself
staying in my car one afternoon because I wanted
to see what happened . . . and when it was over, I
thought to myself, "Too bad. This is a story I wanted
to continue."

But methinks it will, in that we will most probably hear more
about Michael Oher (its main character) . . . it concluded
with Oher still in college after what might be described as
an improbable climb from his being a homeless Memphis
kid to a career that will likely take him into the National
Football League.

En route, Lewis touches upon many fascinating subplots:
the role of the left tackle in the game, how society lets
young black youngsters drop out of the educational
system, collegiate recruiting, the NCAA, and how diploma
mills lead to both college credits and degrees.

You don't have to be a sports fan to enjoy THE BLIND
SIDE . . . those interested in education and sociology
will like it, along with anybody else looking for a story
that will hold your attention from beginning to end.

I got a particular kick out of this book because it made
many long car rides go quickly, in large part due to
Grover Gardner's excellent narration.

Shockingly biased.......2007-05-19

I agree with most of the reviewers that I enjoyed reading about how left tackles became so important and well-paid in football. While much less technical than Lewis's work on "Moneyball," I found it well-written and interesting.

However, the larger story is about Michael Oher, a teenager growing up in Memphis who has been neglected and ignored by the public school system. A rich white couple take him into their home, become responsible for him, and he is able to attend college and will likely become a major NFL prospect. A great story about sacrifice, overcoming adversity, the American dream, etc. Right?

Not so fast. Because questions are raised: why did this couple bring this teenager into their home. Apparently, while Sean Tuhoy regularly worked with minority kids at a local posh Christian academy, he never essentially adopted one before. Why this one? While Lewis leads us to believe it is from the goodness of the Tuhoys' hearts and portrays them as essentially faultless saints, there are obvious ulterior motives. Is it a coincidence that Oher decides to marticulate at the Tuhoy's alma mater, Ole Miss, where they are still highly involved? Was anyone else struck by Leigh Ann Tuhoy stating emphatically that Oher was not going to Tennessee when he expressed interest in that school? (Personal bias alert: I went to UT) Obviously there was something fishy going on here: the NCAA investigated the Tuhoys because their actions were highly suspicious. Lewis paints the NCAA as intrusive and the Tuhoys as simply protecting themselves against an aggressive institution that is wrongly accusing them.

Oh, by the way, Lewis admits to being an old friend of Sean's. They go way back together, and it was Sean discussing Oher that made Lewis interested in the story. Of course, all of this is admitted at the end of the book, when our minds have been made up by a few hundred pages of absolution and explanation.

Sorry, this book seems like a marketing strategy to me. I couldn't help but think the Tuhoys wanted Oher at Ole Miss, got caught by the NCAA, and here is Lewis turning the tide of public opinion back to the Memphis saints.

Personally, I think giving Oher a chance he would not have had otherwise is outstanding, regardless of which school he attends. But this book felt extremely dishonest to me. I wonder if Lewis' friendship with the Tuhoys colored his journalistic integrity. Check that; I have no doubt it did.

More than a football book.......2007-05-17

This book had me hooked in the first paragraph. A friend of mine described it as a book about how LT changed the face of football. On a very basic level that is true, however, I think that doesn't describe the overall depth of the book.

This book gives the reader a lot to consider including what and who we value in society, the money involved in high school, college and professional sports and a good understanding of how obnoxious the college recruiting process is.

I have recommended this book to a bunch of friends and none have been disappointed.

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