The Blind Side: The Evolution of a Game
Written by Michael Lewis
Narrated by Grover Gardner
4/5
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Currently unavailable
Currently unavailable
About this audiobook
In football, as in life, the value we place on people changes with the rules of the games they play.
When we first meet the young man at the center of this extraordinary and moving story, 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. And he has no serious experience playing organized 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.
In The Blind Side, Lewis shows us a largely unanalyzed but inexorable trend in football working its way down from the pros to the high school game, where it collides with the life of a single young man to produce a narrative of great and surprising power.
Michael Lewis
Michael Lewis is the host of the podcast Against the Rules. He has published many New York Times bestselling books, including Liar's Poker, The Fifth Risk, Flash Boys, and The Big Short. Movie versions of The Big Short, Moneyball, and The Blind Side were all nominated for Academy Awards. He grew up in New Orleans and remains deeply interested and involved in the city but now lives in Berkeley, California, with his wife, Tabitha Soren, and their children.
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Reviews for The Blind Side
687 ratings62 reviews
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5The Blindside took me by surprise. I was expecting a book documenting the life of Michael Oher, but instead I got a 300 page description of how football has changed-- with Oher's experience to enhance it.
Lewis uses the facts of Oher's life parallel with notable changes in the National Football League (NFL). Though these events did not occur simultaneously, Lewis connects them as if they were meant to go hand in hand. And in some ways, maybe they were.
For anybody who has seen the movie portrayal of the book and has an interest in football, I would deem this book a "must read". I got much more out of it than I did from the movie. You get a better sense of who these people really were. But, I would also say if you're not too interested in the dynamics of the game this book is likely going to prove boring and a disappointment. - Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Interesting study of Michael Orr as he moves from a destitute child in Memphis to a premiere college football athlete. Much different than the movie by the same name.
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5There were two parts to this story. The first part was about the evolution of the offensive lineman in football. The other part of the story was about Michael Oher and his path toward the NFL. Both storylines were very interesting, but I didn't like how Lewis skipped back and forth in time between both stories. He would switch narratives abruptly and it was confusing at times because I was listening to the audiobook. But I was very interested in finishing the book. I was a graduate student at LSU when Nick Saban attempted to recruit Michael Oher and I remember the stories surrounding the recruitment and the NCAA. Coach O (who ended up with Oher at Ole Miss) is now our head football coach. The personal connections made the story more interesting. The best part of the whole book however was listening to the narrator attempt Coach O's speech and accent and then have to translate it. Priceless.
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5The Blindside took me by surprise. I was expecting a book documenting the life of Michael Oher, but instead I got a 300 page description of how football has changed-- with Oher's experience to enhance it.
Lewis uses the facts of Oher's life parallel with notable changes in the National Football League (NFL). Though these events did not occur simultaneously, Lewis connects them as if they were meant to go hand in hand. And in some ways, maybe they were.
For anybody who has seen the movie portrayal of the book and has an interest in football, I would deem this book a "must read". I got much more out of it than I did from the movie. You get a better sense of who these people really were. But, I would also say if you're not too interested in the dynamics of the game this book is likely going to prove boring and a disappointment. - Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Totally fascinating.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5"The Blind Side," another true story written by Michael Lewis, describes a man named Michael Oher's life. Michael had an everything but normal childhood, as his mother was a drug addict, his father left him when he was only a boy, and has many brothers and sisters. Michael lives in a part of Memphis where everyone is black, and there is a lot of violence, poverty, and drug use. There is another unusual thing about Michael's life: he is 6 foot 4 and 315 pounds. Not only that, but Michael is very athletic for his size, which is a great combination to becoming a starting offensive lineman in the NFL. The most important position of the line is the left tackle, as that player is responsible for protecting his quarterbacks blindside. Michael is adopted into a white families home, named the Tuohy's, and they provide him with a place of shelter, food, and love. They also pay for Michael's education, and introduce him to football. Soon, Michael becomes a great player at left tackle, and is recruited to play at the University of Mississippi. After graduating from college, Oher is selected in the first round of the NFL draft, and owes it all to the loving, Christian family that adopted him.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The first half is a feel good story. The second half gets into the complexities of the situation.
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5I feel slightly misled by this one: I thought it was going to be a biography of a kid that comes from nothing and becomes a big sports star. And it was sort of. I just wasn't expecting the mounds of information about American football. As an Australian and not at all sports orientated I did skip through at least four (probably more) chapters that were totally irrelevant and mind bogglingly dull (for me). Which I'm sure anyone with interest in the game would get something out of. Having said that the parts of the book I read we're well written and I came away with a good sense of the people and place involved. The social and religious issues the story raised will be relevant for many years to come sadly.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5I really liked the movie, which I saw first, but I REALLY liked this book! So much more detail about the football side of things, and the history behind it! I loved Michael Oher's story, but I also loved reading about how Bill Walsh and the Niners figured into it, as well as L.T. and the Giants, Steve Wallace, and Jonathan Ogden. Good read!
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5So good!!!! Love it!!!
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5I loved the movie, but the book ruined it for me. The family comes across as paternalistic and opportunistic, while Michael is just a boy who needs help. At the end of the day, there is a reason why the NCAA qualifying GPA was the magical number to reach. Overall, I was left upset and annoyed by the book, where there was none of the soul searching that redeems the parents somewhat in the movie. Also, there was too much about the technicalities and recent historical developments in football.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5If you see the movie before your read the book then you'll be in for a big surprise. The movie is about Michael Oher being rescued from poverty by a wealthy family before being picked by the NFL. The book is essentially about the rise of the defensive linesmen role in football, the high school recruitment program, AND about how a sport-loving family generously adopt Michael Oher and send him to Ole Miss, their alma-mater, and get the NAACP to question their adoption.I enjoyed the movie - it's heartwarming and inspirational, showing you Oher as a positive role model (and all thanks to the Tuohy's generosity, it seems..) - but the book is another thing. I've never known that reading about football stats could be entertaining, and we have to thank Michael Lewis for that. He takes us to the world of professional sports and the recruiters who all look for the next great player from a select few of high school footballers. He introduces us to Tom Lemming, who publishes newsletter about up-and-coming football talents - some of them would later be drafted by the NFL when they graduate from universities.The book is also about the Tuohy's care for Michael, once a foster care student with an IQ of 80, and how they eventually became a family.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5This was a very good book. Half inspiring biography and half a history of the left tackle position in football, Lewis ties the two stories together quite well for an interesting and touching read. A good deal like the movie, but with its difference as well. The book is always better. ;)
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5This was a good, light read for a nice sunny day. You don't need to be a fan of American gridiron to enjoy this book, as the focus is really overcoming adversity and adapting to change. Michael Oher is one of the bright young offensive linemen in the game today, but more importantly, he shows the fortitude that is required to overcome inequality.
For those who have only seen the movie, you are really missing much more. Michael Lewis has a knack at getting under his subjects and the book moves along fairly quickly. It's also a rare book that highlights the actual position played, offensive line. Without a Michael Oher protecting, the vaunted quarterbacks would not be the superstars, which is another reason to like a book that takes a different path.
Book Season = Summer (add it to the beach bag) - Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Lawrence Taylor, linebacker of the New York Giants, revolutionized the game of football.What? You thought this book was about Michael Oher? Well, it is. But it's also about why this kid - tall and wide at 350 pounds, but light on his feet - could play only fifteen high school games for a tiny little Christian school in Memphis and be courted by college coaches who could see his potential at left tackle.See, LT had this thing about sacking quarterbacks. In fact, it's because of him that the sack is even a stat in football. And it's also because of him that the position that blocked him, protecting the quarterback's blind side - you guessed it, the left tackle - became such an important part of the game.So while this tells the story of Michael Oher and the amazing way he went from having nothing to achieving everything, it's also the story of how the strategy of football developed to make a lowly lineman one of the most important pieces of a football offense. Lewis's interviews with Michael; with the Tuohys, the family who took him in and adopted him; Bill Parcells; Lawrence Taylor; Bill Walsh; and many more give you a well-rounded understanding of the man and the game. Recommended for both biography and football fans.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5This was a very good book. Half inspiring biography and half a history of the left tackle position in football, Lewis ties the two stories together quite well for an interesting and touching read. A good deal like the movie, but with its difference as well. The book is always better. ;)
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5The only thing about this book that wasn't to my taste was the few chapters that were purely about football and the history of football. Even though I care way less about sports than I did while growing up, I still do enjoy learning new things, so these chapters weren't entirely bad to get through.
The rest of the book was the story of Michael Oher's life and his transition from extreme rags (Michael grew up in one of the poorest zip codes in the US) to extreme riches (He moved in with a family who owned a private jet) - it's the major reason I wanted to read this book in the first place. I think it was told pretty well. I kept wanting to know more about Michael and his life before the Tuohys took him in, but he was a mystery to everyone who knew him. You finally do learn more about his past at the end of the book though.
My other reason for reading is that the events of this story took place just a few years ago in the city I live in. I've never been to Michael's original neighborhood, and I'm glad I got to visit it through a book rather than actually going there.
It's worth reading if you're a football fan, of course, but it's also worth a read if you're interested in reading about major cultural transitions just by moving a few miles. - Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The passing game has developed, increasing the value of the quarterback, thus also increasing the value of the left tackle, who protects the qb, who is usually right-handed. Then the story of Michael Oher, a kid with a troubled life, but who is perfect for the left tackle position because he is huge, fast and with big hands. It is striking that in American football having experience and training seems much less important than in football, as kids who have the right build can be hailed as future stars despite never having played much.
- Rating: 2 out of 5 stars2/5The book The Blind Side by Michael Lewis is a true story about a boy who was found walking on the street being picked up by a wealthy family who had then started to take care of him. This was hard for me to understand because I do not understand football that well. I would recommend this book to people who enjoy football and have a really good understanding about it, because at the very start of the book he starts talking about a football game and all the details about it which confused me because it was a long time into the book until it seemed the story had began.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5I 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.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Blind Side was a very inspiratational book and it's glad to know that things like this really do happen
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5This was written for an adult audience, but it's great for 8th grade football fans. Lewis analyzes how football strategy has changed and evolved, straight to the fact that the left tackle has become the most highly paid position on the offensive line. This is because that player protects the quarterback's "blind side" and prevents sacks. Lewis takes that and gives us the story of Michael Oher, a sometimes homeless Memphis teen who became a left tackle prodigy at the Christian high school he attended. He was taken in by a wealthy white family, and was tracked and courted by every major college coach in the nation because of his enormous size and natural talents for playing football. Oher backed out of the NFL draft this year to play one more year of football for Ole Miss, but keep an eye out for him next spring when it's draft time! This is an amazing story, but definitely 8th grade and up due to language issues and descriptions of the projects that Michael's mother lived in.
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5This is very much a football book. It's about game strategy, how a change affected pro ball and thus the price of athletes and, secondarily, about the supporting industry of college football. So if you're more interested in the story of Michael Oher, child welfare services in Memphis or Tennessee, the degree of awfulness of Tennessee or Memphis public schools, as I was ... well, there's some information but probably not enough. However, you'll learn how much the movie left out. I wish in particular that the movie had revealed something about the background of Sean, the father. You discover that he has more in common with Michael than the movie suggested. Sean had a loving coach father but he was a scholarship boy all through grade school and high school (where I bet Michael Lewis was not a scholarship boy). When his father became severely ill in high school, Sean often didn't have lunch or lunch money. So it's perfectly logical for him to look out for the poor kids at his own kids' private school. He also went to Ole Miss courtesy of his basketball skills; he loved basketball but hated his college coach. Yet there was no way he could stop playing basketball because that was paying his tuition (though, really, couldn't he have gone back to a state school in La? Tuition would have been trifling in those days, I'd suspect.) I still don't understand why the Tuohys didn't consider having Michael repeat a year of high school and acquire a better educational foundation but the book does clarify why the college football offers were so important; watching the movie I was thinking: "They're rich. They can pay tuition anywhere. Why does this kid need a scholarship?" Answer: he wouldn't want to go to college, or have the incentive to get there *unless he could play a sport* which is the means to reach the pro level. OK, so I've been sheltered I am from the rules of southern college football. I can't follow a football game, don't like the sport. The mantra of teachers, parents and and former athletic scholarship beneficiaries I've known has always been that the athletic prowess was a means to pay for a college degree: you might end up in the pros, but for sure you'd have a degree and a way to earn a living better than that of your parents. As for these guys like Michael at Ole Miss, if they don't go pro or last long as a pro, are they qualified to do anything? Lewis barely touches on that in the book but he does make something of a suggestion in an online interview with an annoying interviewer called Robert Birnbaum. I don't think it's to radically upgrade educational standards and admittance criteria at these football schools. He also explains what those BYU correspondence courses are about.Finally, you get very little sense of Michael's inner life, his birth family and how the heck this kid survived before his rescue. How did he find food? Was his mother ever a mother? Although Michael was still staying at his mother's home when he started Briarcrest and Leigh Ann encouraged him to continue to visit her, it seems that none of the Tuohys had met her or his brothers at the time of publication. I wonder if Lewis even tried. I understand Michael's desire to not to dwell on his hardships. It's a pretty natural response of people that have endured terrible trauma too. Adults in developing countries from poverty-stricken childhoods often have that attitude too. But now Michael has his own co-written memoir! He must have changed his mind. At any rate, it has to have more details than The Blind Side.
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Better than Moneyball, not a patch on Liars Poker. Great on the analysis of the game and how the role of the left tackle has been transformed and transformed. The rest of its a bit twee.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Read before the movie came out. Liked the personal side of story. Rest of book talks about the game of football, the growing importance of the left tackle position, and various coaches and their offensive approaches, such as Bill Walsh. Good book for sports guys.
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5What a great story! Here's one where the movie may actually be better than the book. There are so many sections in this book where the author just starts talking about football and doesn't stop. I skipped those because I didn't want to read about Joe Montana, other famous quarterbacks or left tackles. I was there for Michael Oher! There are some stories in the book that must be embarassing for the man--his original IQ, his lack of cultural knowledge and his grades. But as we all know by now, Oher is an overcomer and things do turn out for the best in the end. Over the weekend I actually started watching a Baltimore Ravens' game to see if I could spot Oher. That's amazing!
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5What makes the Blind Side interesting was not the race issues or not the poverty (There are endless books about that), but the genius of Bill Walsh and Bill Parcells and Lemmings and how the they totally changed the game enabling someone like Michael Oher to reach to reach his potential (with a lot of help).
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5I really enjoyed this book - it was a very inspirational story about survival, generosity and family. I'm glad that I read the book before I watched the movie version.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5This book was a wonderful read. It gives you such an amazing feeling after reading this!
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5I think I'll start off by saying that I'm not a sports fan. At all. I get utterly bored out of my mind if I'm in the vicinity of any sports game and don't play because it's a horrible sight to see me play a sport. But oddly enough, I have an intense like of sports movies. Which is how I learned about The Blind Side in the first place. Well, that's only partly to blame. I'm also an unabashed Sandra Bullock fan and love most of her films, so of course I had to go see The Blind Side. Usually, I like to read a book before the movie comes out. Mostly, that's because when you see the movie first, the book is bound to get tainted with the movie. It's inevitable whether you loved it or hated it. In some rare instances where this happened I liked the movie more than the book. This happened with Practical Magic (another Sandra Bullock film) and The Blind Side. The book focused more on the game of football than I would've liked. But then again, it is also subtitled Evolution of a Game, so it's not like I was misled. There were some parts of the book where my mind wandered and I was just thinking "Get back to the family. That's why I'm reading." Then again, there were some football only parts that had me engrossed in the book. But, the story of Michael Oher was why I kept reading. Michael Oher's story was inspirational. He made something of himself, even though he was plagued with obstacles. And the Tuohy's taking him and all that they did for him was heartwarming. This book was also had it's fair share of humor and I let out a chuckle here and there. But with the good also comes the bad. And the bad comes from me seeing the movie first. The characters were somewhat more likeable in the movie than in the book. Leanne Tuohy comes out more snobby and bitchy in the book. The coach, whom I loved in the movie, came out more as a snake and someone with ulterior motives. Another thing that bothered me in the book was how in some moments, it seemed like the Tuohy's did have a hidden agenda. I know that they didn't, but I understand how they would seem like boosters to the NCAA. Although, some of the characters came off a bit standoff-ish in the book, one character whom I loved in the book and the movie was Sean Tuohy. He was a major part of the book, yet he wasn't that much of a main character in the movie. I enjoyed his parts in the book. Also, already having seen the movie, I kept picturing Sean as Tim McGraw. Allow me to have my shallow moment and say that since good ol' Tim is all sorts of yummy, I didn't have not one problem with his expanded role in the book. Anyway, even though I thought the book was just okay, I absolutely loved the movie. I thought it was just amazing. It made me laugh and cry and then cry a bit more. Amazing true story, with an amazing film to back it up.