The Blind Side (Movie Tie-in Edition) (Movie Tie-in Editions)

love and insparational book (2010-07-24) : 5/5
I really admire this book its a great football book and great for people who love who love football to read. I also have a little brother who is working on being in the NFL when he is older.
Great Storyteller, Great Story (2010-07-21) : 5/5
Everybody knows the story recounted in The Blind Side, so I won't recap it here for you. I'll just tell you this was a great book - one of the best I've read this year. It was historical narrative, but unlike other books of this genre by other authors, Michael Lewis did several things really well with this one.

He managed the web of characters really well. He gave background and history on most of the folks, and introduced you to all the main and supporting characters but never to the point where the complexities made it difficult to keep everybody straight (like, for example, in Charlie Wilson's War -- which, granted, covered a wider scope but got bogged down too much with all the characters). It was easy to follow and remember who everybody was - from all the assistant coaches to Michael Oher's mom and siblings to his long lost childhood friend.

Lewis also managed the pace and scope of the story well. It never felt jumpy or choppy (like, say, 5 Cities That Ruled the World) like it was zooming in and out from metanarrative to minute details and back. The pace was even and kept my interest the entire time. Anecdotes from football were timely and neatly inserted to highlight and complement Oher's and the Tuohy's story, and broke it up just enough to keep you reading.

And finally, Lewis didn't beat you over the head with any sort of moral of the story, so to speak. He simply told the story and let its power speak for itself, and then left it up to the reader to draw any sort of conclusions or morals they wanted. (A practice which is much too underdone in writing these days - and which evidently allowed many people to get upset rather than inspired by the book. According to his new afterword, he got letters from conservatives, liberals, whites, blacks, Christians, and nonchristians all complaining about the story.)

Lewis is a great storyteller and this was a great story. That combination is a powerful force which results in a great book.
Evolution of the Game ... Football and Lif (2010-07-19) : 5/5
You really should have some appreciation for the game of football in order to really enjoy this book. Presuming you do then you will be able to follow the evolution of not only the game of football but life in America during those same years. I was born in the early 50's, watched football on TV during the 60's 70's 80's so I can understand the technical and huge social impact of "the game" and how it evolved. That part of the book I found was very interesting informative and well worth the read. Having grown up in a family with a Dad that played and coached football during the 50's 60's and 70's this book does a great job in documenting the social issues of poverty and affluence then and now. The book conveys the difficult years we all faced and still face today in this country between the haves and have nots ... poverty and wealth the clash of the classes. A very good story worthy of a Ken Burns PBS special ... have not seen the Sandra Bullock movie ... not sure I want to ... maybe too Hollywood for me but will give it a try. Hope you enjoy this book as much as I did.
Fascinating story (2010-07-16) : 4/5
There's a lot to like about this book. The story of African-American Michael Oher and how his acceptance into a conservative Southern family helped him develop from a homeless, socially awkward teenager into a self-confident left tackle pursued by coaches from college-football powers, is heart-warming. Michael Lewis's writing is deft, and his effort at tying Oher's story into an account of how the left tackle position became so important in the NFL is masterful. It's a good read for football fans, and even non-fans can enjoy this rags-to-riches story as well. The movie version is good, too, but I recommend the book for its depth and detail.
the Blind Side (2010-06-02) : 3/5
Enjoyed the movie, The book was gearded towards those w;ho follow football players career.