The Blind Side

Evolution of a Game

By: Michael Lewis

Narrated by: Stephen Hoye

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 13 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.

©2006 Michael Lewis (P)2006 Books on Tape

Critic reviews

Winner - Alex Award, 2007

“[Lewis] is advancing a new genre of journalism.” (George F. Will, New York Times Book Review)

“...works on three levels. First as a shrewd analysis of the NFL; second, as an exposé of the insanity of big-time college football recruiting; and, third, as a moving portrait of the positive effect that love, family, and education can have in reversing the path of a life that was destined to be lived unhappily and, most likely, end badly.” (Wes Lukowsky, Booklist)

"As he did so memorably for baseball in Moneyball, Lewis takes a statistical X-ray of the hidden substructure of football, outlining the invisible doings of unsung players that determine the outcome more than the showy exploits of point scorers.... Lewis probes the fascinating question of whether football is a matter of brute force or subtle intellect." (Publishers Weekly)

Great Reader

I decided to read/listen to this book because I enjoyed the movie, and now that I've finished it... I like both as they're own individual story, since the film was meant to be an inspiring story, while the book is as the cover says the "evaluation of a game" still great! If it weren't for the audiobook the football parts would have gone over my head a lot more lol love it

better than the movie, of course....

whereas the movie has to focus on the story of a young phenom, the book is able to explore the market conditions...and luck...that allowed Michael Oher to rise to prominence and success. Michael Lewis is a master of identifying anecdotes and unsung heroes who come to define the very market conditions that defined them. ~SW

Good book to listen to

I'm not a football fan but I really liked this book. It was a little disjointed - going between the story of Michael Ohr and the NFL but still very enjoyable. It made our 18 hour trip home from So Ga go very quickly. I would recommend it to just about anyone - sports fan or not.

Underdog story with equity/equality undertones

This isn't a story like Moneyball, except in football. It is still a great underdog story, and without getting too political it digs into some major equity/equality issues while keeping the reader interested in the main storyline.

Lewis Does it Again

After enjoying Moneyball so much, with its amazing human portraits placed against the tableau of baseball, I had some doubts that Michael Lewis could duplicate such quality with The Blind Side. And while The Blind Side may not garner as much attention as Moneyball, or the sizzle that book generated, it is every bit its equal, and perhaps even better. A fascinating (almost incomprehensible) story for our age, Lewis has actually managed to make the left tackle position in football interesting. Have you tried watching left-tackle play during a game? It's only effective when it's dull. Lewis, however, peels back the layers of its intricacy, in the process showing us why people like Michael Ohre and the Tuohy family are so remarkable. Even if you don't like football, you'll enjoy this book.

Wonderful

it was much better than the movie which I loved. I really enjoyed the history behind the position. you wont be sorry you read this.

An amazing story

This was a great story that needed to be told. I enjoyed hearing about the struggles and hardships that were endured. The only thing I found hard to listen to was the actual talk about NFL as I am Australian I would liken this to someone from the USA listening to a story about an Australian cricket legend... this aside I did learn about the game and the story itself kept me interested the whole way.

Excellent read

The last three chapters are some of the finest and most thought provoking literature I've ever encountered.

Must listen

Thrilling book that gives you a perspective you didn’t know existed. It also portrays how much potential anyone can have no matter what background.

Another great book by Michael Lewis

I'm not a big reader, just an engineer with a long commute. I purchased the book because I enjoyed reading "Moneyball" when my daughters played softball. The knowledge from the book helped in the coaching of my daughters, but also in the way I worked with others. I hoped "Blind Side" would do the same, while telling a great story about a loving family and a child, who needed a break.
The "Blind Side" starts with an understanding of how the game of football was changed by players like Lawrence Taylor. Whether you like football or not, this is a great story of how one person affects a system or an industry. LT forced coaches to give greater consideration to their individual offensive linemen, who previously had just been known for being big and heavy. Like "Moneyball", we learn how this simply inequity in the game was discovered and exploited. The change in the game set the stage for a young Memphis kid with a bleak future to become a national prospect.
The story of Michael Oher could be it's own book (and it is, now that he wrote an autobiography). Inside that wonderful story are great supporting characters, the Tuohy family. The book is far more honest about the intentions of everybody than the movie, and for that; it's worth the time to listen. You'll see how Leigh Anne is the key to Michael Oher in many ways, but the one story as remarkable as Michael is that of Sean Tuohy. That's a story hinted at, but never told in the book. What's for certain is Sean Tuohy truly believes in paying it forward. His willingness to help others is obvious, and I suspect part of the reason of his success. Certainly, it was a major part of Michael Oher's success.
As they say, the book is better than the movie, but this one is good even after seeing the movie. Perhaps its even better to see the movie first. If you liked the movie, and you read through this review; buy the book.