The Blind Side: Evolution of a Game

First to give you full disclosure I'm a University of Georgia (UGA)Ball Fan. In the South "Ball" means just one thing, football. Does your son play ball has only one meaning, unless you are a Tech fan, then it could mean basketball, but those guys still carry slide rules. I bought this book because I thought it was a "sports story". I was wrong. It is an incredible human interest story, also. One which has caused me to laugh out loud and read some passages to my wife and, others, which made me cry. This should be required reading for every school board official in the country. Oprah ought to put it in her book club. The author starts off explaining why an offensive left tackle is important in football (See Lawrence Taylor (L.T) and Joe (How I got my leg broken on national television) Thiesmann. It tells of the evolution of the passing game in the NFL from a steam-roller running game to a finesse passing game ala Bill Walsh (see west Coast Offense that was really born in Cincinnati). I particular enjoyed the antidote about his official trip to visit the University of Tennessee. But what will be of greater human interest is the overlay of the story of Michael Oher, the "man/child" currently playing football at Ole Miss. Oher shows up at a predominantly white Christian school in the 9th grade with virtually no school history and horrible family background. An incredibly shy 350 pound kid struggles but ingratiates himself to faculty and staff and manages to stick around. Finally one Thanksgiving Day a volunteer assistant coach and his wife see him at a bus stop in his usual shorts and recognize that in addition to no money for food, he is traveling to the gym to watch practice just to be in a heated room. Through incredible acts of kindness and caring this young man is taken in by this wealthy Christian family who attempt to socialize and educate him for the future. But little did they realize that at 6' 6" with an incredible frame and quick feet, football coaches would see their answer to possibly the most important position on the football field and they would relentlessly come calling. This presents many problems as Oher has virtually no chance of attending college with his past educational background. Thus begins the odyssey of the recruiting wars for this individual who by the end of high school has been called the best pro prospect even though he has played in only 15 football games. This portion of the book dominates approximately 60% of the book. It is incredibly touching and I certainly applaud the sympathetic, caring approach by Leigh Ann and Sean Tuohy. This book is not just for football fans as the issues here are much greater. How does a child get to the 9th grade with virtually no retention of knowledge or ability to function in a social setting? What can a change in culture and caring do for this young man? And other questions will also appear such as is their potential ulterior motives for selecting this student out of so many and wasn't the final steps to eligibility really inappropriate? As to my opinion I choose to believe that the Tuohy's were interested in helping another human being, and in the process, it enriched the lives of their family, this young man and the possibilities that a loving, caring environment can create. I strongly recommend this book for football fans, sociologists, and people with interest in politics, religion, or Southern Culture as there are many issues intertwined. Once again, the weakness to this book may be that he narrowed its focus by making it a "sports book". It's not. Its main message concerns underprivileged kids and how a change in environment can produce incredible results I thought it was hilarious that Sean Tuohy read Michael the following and told him that it was about Ole Miss going into the stadium at LSU (THE STADIUM IS KNOWN AS ""Death Valley,": The Charge of the Light Brigade by Alfred Lord Tennyson Half a league, half a league, Half a league onward, All in the valley of Death Rode the six hundred. "Forward, the Light Brigade! Charge for the guns!" he said: Into the valley of Death Rode the six hundred. "Forward, the Light Brigade!" Was there a man dismayed? Not though the soldier knew Some one had blundered: Their's not to make reply, Their's not to reason why, Their's but to do and die: Into the valley of Death Rode the six hundred. Cannon to right of them, Cannon to left of them, Cannon in front of them Volleyed and thundered; Stormed at with shot and shell, Boldly they rode and well, Into the jaws of Death, Into the mouth of Hell Rode the six hundred. Flashed all their sabres bare, Flashed as they turned in air Sabring the gunners there, Charging an army, while All the world wondered: Plunged in the battery-smoke Right through the line they broke; Cossack and Russian Reeled from the sabre-stroke Shattered and sundered. Then they rode back, but not, Not the six hundred. Cannon to right of them, Cannon to left of them, Cannon behind them Volleyed and thundered; Stormed at with shot and shell, While horse and hero fell, They that had fought so well Came through the jaws of Death Back from the mouth of Hell, All that was left of them, Left of six hundred. When can their glory fade? O the wild charge they made! All the world wondered. Honour the charge they made! Honour the Light Brigade, Noble six hundred! Oh, I'm an ex-artillery officer as well. Highly recommended for educational professionals and members of Boards of education. It wouldn't hurt if you are a fan of college football ,either. Gunner August, 2008

As a young adult and student-athlete, this book resonates with me in so many levels. The author’s purpose is to not to tell a simple story about how a kid went from nothing to something because there are many stories out there like that. He was trying to influence people that we all have something in us that can make change and we are capable of so much more than we think. The intended audience is everyone, but I mostly think it is to young adults, especially the marginalized. It is easy to relate to mainly everyone because no matter what age, we all face things that seem to be impossible in the moment, but once we come out of it, we realize we are something far greater than ourselves. It relates to my personal life because I overlook the fact that I am fortunate enough to have a gym at my house and I have the resources to get better, while others don’t. It motivates me on my school work because Michael was always in and out of school, and I am so blessed that I can go to a school everyday where the teachers want what is best for me. In the media, we, as a society, try to shy away from stuff like this because we don’t like seeing the bad side. I think it is important for us to see this because then that is the only way change will happen. I would really recommend this book to young adults of any age because there are lessons in the book that could inspire many at a young age. The author has achieved his goal of using two situations in the NFL and in Michael Oher’s case in order to show that it is possible to succeed, even when it sounds so unobtainable. He uses two stories and parallels them to show that success can come from both ends of the spectrum. I wish that he could have made the NFL part of the story easier to understand. I am a pretty big football fan, so I could understand most of the terms, but for young adult readers or people not interested in football, it could be harder for them to connect with the book. Though it can be hard, the author makes it a bit easier to understand by adding in the definition of plays. The book is very useful because it motivated me to change something about myself and society. Be prepared to grab some tissues during the middle of the book and ending because you’ll become very moved by many of the things that happen. It is easily accessible to parents, students, and teachers through Amazon or a local bookstore. The two most interesting quotes that will stick with me are: “Don’t worry where I am. I’ll tell you when I get there” and “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, because they make the rules. Maybe they know best, but maybe they don't. It all depends on who you are, where you come from. Didn't at least one of the six hundred guys think about giving up, and joining with the other side? I mean, valley of death that's pretty salty stuff. That's why courage it's tricky. Should you always do what others tell you to do? Sometimes you might not even know why you're doing something. I mean any fool can have courage. But honor, that's the real reason for you either do something or you don't. It's who you are and maybe who you want to be. If you die trying for something important, then you have both honor and courage, and that's pretty good. I think that's what the writer was saying, that you should hope for courage and try for honor. And maybe even pray that the people telling you what to do have some, too.” They stick with me because as an athlete it is important to not only listen to other’s stories, but use them to motivate myself. Hard work and the courage to try new things are two key things that I have learned to use in my everyday life if I want to be successful. Overall, this book is a story that I recommend to any and all people because of the learning experiences the author will bring you along.

I am a rather casual football fan. Outside of the interesting college bowl game or professional playoff, I tend to catch football only during odd moments flipping through channels. My understanding of the game is passable but hardly excellent; it was, therefore, nice to read Michael Lewis's book The Blind Side. I learned things, and that is always a good thing to say after reading a book. The particular insight I got from this book is the importance of the offensive line, especially the left tackle. While all the glory goes to the quarterbacks (and to a lesser extent, running backs and wide receivers, it is actually the left tackle that is often the franchise player and typically commands one of the highest (if not the highest) salaries on a team. What makes the left tackle so important? Put simply, he protects the quarterback's blind side and allows the passing game to flourish. Often a key difference between a great QB and a mediocre one is the quality of the left tackle protecting him. While Lewis presents a history of the position and how it helped develop the pass-happy offenses of recent years, he also tells the tale of one up-and-comer in the position. Michael Oher, more-or-less the hero of The Blind Side is at first just a gigantic teenager growing up in the worst neighborhoods of Memphis, Tennessee. At first, he seems destined for a short, unhappy life: essentially illiterate and with a broken home, he gets a chance to attend a prosperous Christian high school, where his physical abilities are noticed. The book chronicles his rise from his impoverished roots to a top college prospect. His success is both due to his efforts and the work of many others who realized he had real potential. Oher was a person who was almost instantly recognized as a potentially great left tackle, but he would never get to the pros without assistance. The book concludes after one year of college ball at the end of 2005, so (as of this date of this review), he would still only be a sophomore and in the physically perilous world of football, his future in the game is possibly good, but also possibly short. In the past, however, the game was his only possible chance at real success; now, however, with the help he has received, he has the chances to do other things beyond the game. Lewis writes with the easy assurance common to good sports writers. Occasionally, he meanders about, going off on tangents before resuming the narrative. Fortunately, the tangents themselves are also informative. The Blind Side is a book on evolution: the evolution of a game (it says so right on the cover), but also the evolution of an individual. It is a good book and recommended for any fan of football.

The Blind Side (A true story) is the best book I have read this year. I would recommend it to anyone who likes an emotional story full of love, support, and friendship. The story of Michael Oher tells the readers a story of hope: rising from the third poorest zip code in America to living with a family that owns a private jet. Michael Oher gives hope to those kids that are poor and don’t think anything will ever change. This book teaches all of us to never give up hope, and that just because you are poor doesn’t mean you are always going to stay that way. In the book The Blind Side by Michael Lewis a poor black kid named Michael Oher unknowingly drifts into a rich, white family. Michael Oher starts attending Briarcrest and is noticed by a rich dad named Sean Tuohy , who’s family takes him in and starts pampering him with clothes, gifts, and cars. Leigh Anne, the rich family’s mom, persuades him to join the football team, and he is now the starting left tackle. Nearing the end of high school, Michael Oher decides to attend Ole Miss (Sean and Leigh Anne’s alma mater) on a football scholarship but other colleges accuse the Tuohys of only picking up Michael because of his football ability and persuaded him to go to Ole Miss. A full scale investigation is launched by the NCAA to see if the Tuohys are boosters or not; luckily this doesn’t affect the lasting relationship that Michael has with the Tuohys. The Blind Side is a book filled to the brim with support. The text states “Leigh Anne took him aside and told him how sorry she was to hear about his dad,”(Lewis, page 101). This shows that Leigh Anne cares about Michael and supports him and makes sure he is okay. This shows that Leigh Anne truly thinks of him as a son. The text also says “There was a new force in Michael Oher’s life: a woman paying extremely close attention to him who had an eye for detail, a nose for detail, and the will of a storm trooper,”(Lewis, page 150). This describes Leigh Anne’s effort she puts in to protect Michael. She makes sure every detail of his life is perfect, and makes sure nothing bad will ever happen to him. The book The Blind Side is full of love. In the text it says “ ‘When I moved in with Leigh Anne and Sean, I felt loved,’ “(Lewis, page 150). This is important because Michael had never really felt loved by a family he was living with, not even when he was living with his own drug-addicted mother. Saying he felt loved isn’t something Michael took very lightly. The Tuohys must really care about Michael. Another piece of evidence is “ ‘I love him as if I birthed him’ she said,”(Lewis, page 146). This was said by Leigh Anne whenever people asked her about her relationship with Michael. Later in the book she got upset with a dear friend when she accusingly asked her if she really cared for him. The Blind Side is bursting with support. The text says “Michael and Sean Junior would shut the door to Michael’s room for hours and compete: video games, miniature basketball, and whatever else they could find that leveled the playing field,”(Lewis, page 146). This proves that Michael and the Tuohy’s youngest son, Sean Junior, have created a friendship so strong that Michael would even offer to skip football practice to hang out with Sean Junior. The text also says “ He now called her ‘Mama’,”(Lewis, page 148). Michael doesn’t even call his own mom by any name except Ms. Oher; to call Leigh Anne Mama means that Michael loves Leigh Anne more than his actual mother. All in all, amazing book, 5 stars. Great book of family and friendship. The Tuohys welcomed this stranger into their home and it turned out to be one of the greatest decisions of their lives. The Tuohys become Michael’s “left tackle”, protecting him from anything that will blind side him. I recommend this book to anyone who will listen.

An incredible human interest story detailed further below but first.........the author of Liar's Poker and Moneyball is at it again with an offbeat interesting subject, or multiple subjects which are intertwined. This is an analysis of the evolution of the left side tackle designed to protect the quarterback's blind side, particularly from the evolution of speed rushers in the Lawrence Taylor mode. Lewis starts with an in depth analysis of Joe Theisman's famous leg break with some interesting facts even Joe didn't remember including who may really have been responsible. Separate stories are then presented of the new prototype Left Tackles like Jonathan Ogden whose investment banker father showed him that his value at Left Tackle would out way any interest in playing college basketball for his 6'9" son. This part of the book is intertwined with a historical perspective of how the passing game developed mainly through the Bill Walsh West Coast offense which downplays the significance of the quarterback. This section of the book is intertwined around the personal story to be described and while extremely interesting to football fans will have virtually NO appeal the typical female fan or other casual fans. But what will be of greater human interest is the overlay of the story of Michael Oher, the "man/child" currently playing football at Ole Miss. Oher shows up at a predominantly white Christian school in the 9th grade with virtually no school history and horrible family background. An incredibly shy 350 pound kid struggles but ingratiates himself to faculty and staff and manages to stick around. Finally one Thanksgiving Day a volunteer assistant coach and his wife see him at a bus stop in his usual shorts and recognize that in addition to no money for food, he is traveling to the gym to watch practice just to be in a heated room. Through incredible acts of kindness and caring this young man is taken in by this wealthy Christian family who attempt to socialize and educate him for the future. But little did they realize that at 6' 6" with an incredible frame and quick feet, football coaches would see their answer to possibly the most important position on the football field and they would relentlessly come calling. This presents many problems as Oher has virtually no chance of attending college with his past educational background. Thus begins the odyssey of the recruiting wars for this individual who by the end of high school has been called the best pro prospect even though he has played in only 15 football games. This portion of the book dominates approximately 70% of the book. It is incredibly touching and I certainly applaud the sympathetic, caring approach by Leigh Ann and Sean Tuohy. This book is not just for football fans as the issues here are much greater. How does a child get to the 9th grade with virtually no retention of knowledge or ability to function in a social setting? What can a change in culture and caring do for this young man? And other questions will also appear such as is their potential ulterior motives for selecting this student out of so many and wasn't the final steps to eligibility really inappropriate? As to my opinion I choose to believe that the Tuohy's were interested in helping another human being, and in the process, it enriched the lives of their family, this young man and the possibilities that a loving, caring environment can create. I strongly recommend this book for football fans, sociologists, and people with interest in politics, religion, or Southern Culture as there are many issues intertwined. Once again, the weakness to this book may be that he narrowed its focus by making it a "sports book". It's not. Its main message concerns underprivileged kids and how a change in environment can produce incredible results. As a matter of disclosure, I live in Memphis, have leased Tuohy's his plane in the past and have many mutual friends. He and his wife have exceptional reputations and I applaud their involvement in helping this man.

I'm not particularly a football fan (I'm a recovering Washington Redskins fan living on the West coast), but I'll readily admit to being a fan of Michael Lewis' work. Ever since Liars' Poker, I've loved the way he brings together the big and the small in a story, ultimately tying high-level trends to human stories. The Blind Side upholds Lewis' high standards. I read the book in one sitting on a flight to Asia, and I have to blame the book for depriving me of many hours of sleep. This is a book that somehow manages to thoughtfully examine race and class in the South, as well as the development of the game of football. I have to confess that as a boy I was a huge Washington Redskins fan, and I thought I well remembered the infamous play that ended Joe Theismann's career. Lewis takes the analysis of that play--and with it, the changes that it represented in the game--to a whole new level. From Lawrence Taylor's famous sack, we see the development of a kind of arms race to deploy first enormous left tackles, and then equally enormous and strong offensive players to counter them. Lewis goes back through football's history to see how the game evolved from running to passing, and then looks at how passing offenses drove new defensive tactics. He takes what could be dry history and brings it to life with vivid recreations of critical plays in past games that represent milestones in the evolution he's charting. I probably won't be able to watch a passing play in football the same way again. The second thread Lewis follows in the book is is the touching story of Michael Oher, an enormous and enormously talented young man who narrowly avoids falling through the cracks in the projects of Memphis. Oher is a boy with every physical gift but every conceivable social disadvantage. Through the caring and kindness of new adoptive parents, the Tuhoy family, he is set on a course to attend college. Of course, nothing is that simple, and The Blind Side doesn't shy from leaving some ambiguity as to whether the story of Michael Oher has really taken a good course. Lewis handles this openly and deftly, with the result that you don't feel as though he's simply a cheerleader rooting for Oher and his adoptive family. That said, I was eagerly turning the page, hoping to read of a happy ending for Oher. It is truly compelling stuff. Bottom line: I couldn't stop reading The Blind Side until I was out of pages. Then I just wanted more. It's an example of some of the best nonfiction writing you can find today. And it might even make you like football again.

I loathe football. Especially the way it's morphed over the past thirty years into little more than an excuse for head bashing. The only "sport" more mindless than football is boxing. I don't know much about football, in fact, most of what I know about it now, I learned from Blind Side. It sounds to me like the professional teams are all looking for physical freaks who are little more than violent monsters who can follow simple instructions, who are angry at the world and can be manipulated to direct that anger into trying to maim the players from the opposing team. The fact that they are quite likely to be maimed themselves is only a concern because of potential lost services to the team. The players are capital expenditures that will depreciate over time and the teams just want to get their money's worth before a player has to be discarded. The level of concern over injured players almost rises to the level of concern over that racehorse that broke its leg last year. For weeks, people were beside themselves worrying over whether the horse would have to be put down. They were almost, but not quite, as concerned about the horse as they are about the recent premature deaths of former football players that are almost certainly due to multiple concussions received while playing pro football as it is now meant to be played. The story of how the object of football has changed from scoring touchdowns to trying to break the quarterback's legs is only a part of Blind Side. The main part is the story of one person, Michael Oher, who is sixteen when we meet him. Michael Lewis, the author, tells a fascinating story, as usual. Oher comes from such a sad and deprived background that it is amazing that he can function at all. The Tuohys, a wealthy couple with two kids of their own, take Oher in. And at 6'5" and 340 pounds, Oher is no stray kitten. To their credit, the Tuohys helped Oher out of the goodness of their hearts, not because they realized that he would be filthy rich one day soon because he is exactly the right body type to be a left tackle, the player who protects the quarterback's blind side. Oher's story brings up several concerns. One is that he always dreamed of playing basketball, and had no interest in football. Although he was pretty good at basketball, his body is perfect for football, so the coaches at his new high school directed him to football and away from basketball. Since Oher is unusually passive, he went along. But being passive isn't a good quality for a football player. It took a lot of taunting and goading by other players for Oher to finally develop his anger and direct it to hitting the other players. Lewis never hints that anyone encouraged the kids to taunt Oher, but it certainly worked out well. Another concern is that in order for Oher to graduate from high school and be admitted to college, he had to have a C average and pass a certain number of courses. The Tuohys hired a full-time tutor for Oher and Oher worked very hard but in the end, he almost certainly had to cheat to make the grade point average. Lewis tells of Oher taking online courses to make up the last credits he needed. Certainly Oher is better off with the education he did get than the complete lack of education he was getting before everyone wanted him to be able to accept a football scholarship. But you know he isn't the exception. I guess there's no way to change the system at this point, but wouldn't it make more sense to have a minor league for football rather than handing out degrees in criminal justice to players who can barely read just so they'll be eligible to play? Michael Lewis is a terrific writer. I loved his Money Culture and Liar's Poker and Moneyball. I was less enchanted by Coach, his paean to an unpleasant and sadistic high school coach. And with Blind Side, I'm on the fence. The writing is good, the story is gripping, there's controversy and drama. I'm a bit uncomfortable though, about how many people are using Oher for their own profit. The high school coaches were thrilled to have Oher playing for them because it meant recognition and promotions. The college coaches were promising the Tuohys and Oher the moon if he'd go to their college because it meant a chance at the pros for them. Even if Oher gets injured and never signs a pro contract, they've already profited. And Lewis has a best selling book.

What a great book. Michael Lewis not only knows how to put together a captivating story, he does so with subtle wit and plenty of insight. His meticulous research is obvious; he'll casually mention a former player and then go into detail about that player's career and its importance to the history of football over several pages. It definitely adds to the scope of the topic. Born and raised in New Orleans before studying at Princeton and eventually trading bonds for Salomon Brothers, Lewis is a perfect candidate to tell this story because of his affection for the people of the American South. Although he goes into detail about the serious socioeconomic problems that divide up Memphis, and touches upon the shady dealings of college football recruiters, he shows us that the people associated with Briarcrest Christian School are huge-hearted people who love God and football and church, who treat their peers with respect and compassion. The Southern culture is completely different from the California bubble I've grown up in, yet I can't help but admire the Tuohy family, the athletic coaches, teachers, tutors, the principal, the social workers, and everyone else in the community who not only gave Michael a leg up but went the extra mile for their community in general, without any obvious personal gain. Another incredible thing about this book, at least for me, was how cool it was when Bill Walsh and Bill Parcells and Nick Saban and Ed Orgeron made 'cameos' in the story, because these are people I would read about in the news or see making formal announcements at press conferences but never knew. So when Lewis writes about Saban's sharp suits and impeccable manners, Orgeron's barely intelligible drawl and nonstop enthusiasm, about a frustrated and disappointed Bill Walsh who couldn't even look into the eyes of his players on the flight home from a playoff loss, I was starry-eyed. These guys are celebrities to me, whom I admire for their passion and dedication to their craft. Also, the occasional investment banking analogy was amusingly out of left field. Plus the book had a countless number of hilarious moments. These guys and gals may be serious business on the field and in the classroom, but they really know how to crack a joke or break the tension. I watched the movie after reading the book and I was surprised at how accurate the filmmakers were at capturing the spirit of the people involved. For a casual movie fan, the film is enough, but if you like both the movie and football I cannot recommend this book enough.

A good book, even if I found it way too much technical for my taste. Chapters and chapters about technical details, the economic side of the game, etc. To a point that the story of Michael Oher is absolutely accesory, kind of something the author tells in between a technical and a financial report.

Love this story

Extrem empfehlenswert! Für Football-Interessierte ein Muss. In Michael Lewis' Buch gibt es zwei Erzählstränge: 1) Die Entwicklung und zunehmende Bedeutung der Position des Left Tackles im Football. Mit Erzählungen von den 1980er Jahren nis Anfang 2000er wie sich das Spiel und v.a. die Position verändert hat. 2) Die Geschichte von Michael Oher, der es aus schwierigen Verhältnissen in Memphis nach ganz oben geschafft hat - mit Hilfe anderer, die an ihn glauben. Beide Stränge ergänzen sich unglaublich gut. Da das Buch auf wahren Begebenheiten beruht (der Autor hat die Infos u.a. von den Darstellern selbst) und die Personen wirklich exisitieren habe ich mit des öfteren ertappt nachzuschauen, was mit den Charakteren passiert ist und was sie heute machen. Habe es auf Englisch gelesen. Man muss ein bisschen reinkommen, aber man will nicht aufhören, sobald man drin ist. Beide Erzählstränge sind lebhaft, emotional und verständlich geschrieben. Wie gesagt, für Football-Interessierte ein Muss. Doch allein die Geschichte von Big Mike ist es wert gelesen zu werden.

libro arrivato in buone condizioni, molto veloce e lo sto leggendo. bellissimo. dopo anni che avevo visto il film, altrettanto bello ho trovato il libro.

The makers of the movie based on this book did a great job of mining the emotional gold in the story, but this book offers mix more. If you love NFL football, this book is for you.