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Product Description

"Lewis has such a gift for storytelling...he writes as lucidly for sports fans as for those who read him for other reasons."—Janet Maslin, New York Times One day Michael Oher will 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 how to read or write. He takes up football, and school, after a rich, white, evangelical family plucks him from the streets. Then two great forces alter Oher: the family's love and the evolution of professional football itself into a game in which the quarterback must be protected at any cost. Our protagonist becomes the priceless package of size, speed, and agility necessary to guard the quarterback's greatest vulnerability: his blind side. This paperback edition contains a brand-new 2007 afterword. .

Customer Reviews:

• An Amazing and Mostly (?) True Story of Redemption and Recruiting in the Hotbed of College Football
  The story of a young illiterate black man of gigantic proportions being taken in--adopted-- by a well-to-do white family and, not without some difficulty, making the most of his chance to succeed.
  
  A tragic, but heartwarming story..A little "too perfect," however, when the young man winds up signing with his adopted white father's alma mater leading some readers, especially those familiar with college football recruiting in the South, to suspect that the author left out or chose to overlook parts of the story---if he in deed had full access to the whole story.
  
  But there is enough ugliness and beauty here, earthy humanity, struggle and sacrifical love to offset that concern or suspicion....And sometimes truth can be stranger than fiction. TThis may be one of those times...
  
  Lots of valuable insight here into the challenges of inner city ghetto life, the challenges inner city high schools face, the recruiting process in the SEC and the evolution of the left offensive tackle position, all good stuff...
  
  Overall, a good book, a very good book, especially since it is a true story...but there is that scent, very faint, but still there....That's unfortunate and perhaps unfair. But it's still there.
  
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• Worth a read...
  Michael Lewis has done it again. Recommend it highly to anyone that has appreciated his previous manuscripts....more info
• Great one
  This is a great book about the exlposion on Left Tackle. I assume that all of us can answer the question: Why are left tackles being paid and rated so high since the past decade? We all know because they protect quaterbacks' blind side. This book explores in details the answer to the question plus the life of the most rated high school left tackle M. Oher (He almost went to NFL this year but decided to finish his senior year at Ole Miss).
  
  This book is very educated and entertaining while trickering various emotions from Oher's life story. Football fans can't miss this. ...more info
• The Blind Side - at times great, a must read, but left me wishing it was much more
  The story of Michael Oher is one that needed to be told, and Michael Lewis presents the story. Oher's story is one that sells itself, and will have anyone who reads the book having trouble putting it down. But when I came to the end, I almost couldn't believe it. There had to be more. More information, more details about Oher's life that didn't make it into the book. And not just with Michael Oher, but with the family that took him in. Lewis hints at how Oher impacted their outlook, and how it changed them going forward, but then fails to provide the details of what actually happened. Lewis also spends far too much time writing about Lawrence Taylor and Bill Walsh, and other NFL players and coaches past and present. It appeared as if he had this information for a story about the NFL, and this story about Michael Oher, and felt the need to combine the two. The chapters on the history of the left tackle could have been greatly reduced, and replaced with more stories and more details about Oher's life.
  
  In all, this is a book people should read because it is about so much more than just football. But when I finished, I wanted more, and I was racing to my computer to run searches on Michael Oher and the other people in the book. I feel like Lewis needed to do a much better job answering these questions for me, instead of leaving me to my own devices to find out. ...more info
• Best Sports Book I Have Ever Read.
  Michael Lewis does it again: this time running two wonderful stories in parallel - that of a virtually-orphaned African-American child taken in by a wealthy white family that resoundingly points to nurture rather than nature as a determinant of success; and that of the revolutions in modern football that led to a reliance on the passing game. The reasoning and argumentation behind both of these stories is economic, and as always, Lewis writes with a flair and an ear for dramatization that makes what are sophisticated arguments into a compelling read - believe the story is actually being made into a movie. Terrific page turner....more info
• Football Lovers
  Out of all the books I have read in my life, this was definitely my favorite. "The Blind Side" was fantastic book for so many reasons; it will be tough to fit them all into a decent sized review. The book was about a heavy set boy from the streets who fought his way through life and found himself playing college football. Anyone who enjoys the game of football will really enjoy this read.
  My dad was the one who inspired me to read this book and at first sight I was pretty unsure about the book. I knew it was about football and thought it would be another boring read because football is such a big part of my life. But when I read the first few chapters I knew this book was going to be one of a kind and it was. The book went way beyond the aspect of football, but still tied it all back together in the end.
  I think I really liked this book because it was connected to my life in so many ways. Like Michael, I'm a football player. Understanding the stress of long days on the football field helped me connect to what he was going through. Also, I really liked how the author talked about the all of the different families that helped Michael throughout his career and how each family had their own story. In addition, I really liked the concept of believing in your dreams and never giving up. I felt that the book had great moral concepts and ideas that can be used in the reader's life.
  One of my favorite parts of the book is when Michael is being nominated into the All-American team and Michael and his friends and family get very emotional. I feel that the author does a great job of expressing the characters feelings and I believe the characters actions are very realistic and can be compared to everyday life. I did feel the book had a flaw or two. I felt that sometimes Michael would receive help in spite of luck which did not seem realistic. In all, I thought the book was outstanding and loved the plot line in which a young boy came from nothing and worked his butt off to succeed in life.
  I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys football or anyone who likes to see the underdog come out on top. I wouldn't recommend it to anyone who isn't a huge sports fan. This book is a great read for any age and really brings out the best in people.
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• The Blind Side
  This book was one of the best my husband and I have ever read! We had borrowed it from a friend and decided we wanted our own copy. We bought three and gave the other two to two of our grandsons.
  
  Knowing this inspirational story is real made it so inspiring. What a family and what a young man! We will be watching Michael Oehr's career. The historical facts about football were also interesting. I will look at the game in a new light....more info
• 2 books for the price of one
  This is about Michael Oher, an impressive mass of humanity and football talent from the Memphis ghetto and the evolution of the left tackle position into the 2nd highest and important position on the field after QB. Each could have been there own book, but Oher's is a sad one, at first, a black kid "adopted" by a rich white family and put into an exclusive private school on the right side of the tracks. The Tuohy's want it to be believed they saw a kid who needed a break but he would never have darkened their doorway if he wasn't a 6"6" hulk with the body fat of a fullback and speed to play hoops as well. Never mind that he didn't talk at all, there were no previous school records and he was reading at a 3rd grade level. But he does persist and improve and by hook or crook graduates and accepts a scholarship to Ole Miss, where his adoptive parents went. But it's hard to read about his upbringing and not cheer for the kid and care less why he got a chance, just as long as did. (and to that end the Touhy's say they will do the same for more kids, albeit ones with athletic abilities).
  
  The emergence of the LT position (Oher's spot) in importance is equally riveting, going from a "big ugly" spot where size was the only thing that mattered to getting people who could stop the new breed of pass rusher, equal size hulks with speed, like Lawrence Taylor. Since the game has changed from a running dominated to a passing dominated, the special skills necessary to play effective Left Tackle became more well know and realized, and with that the whole front line gained status and importance. Any game you watch today, the "key" in every broadcaster is how the line plays. Great, fast read. ...more info
• THe Blind Side
  The story of Michael Oher was very good but what I found interesting was the insights of Football, Players and Positions. Michael Lewis should be commended for a great and interesting read. He brought a story of a troubled young man and a loving family together with the talent that he was given together to bless the reader....more info
• Illuminating
  Lewis's The Blind Side is an excellent depiction of all that is wrong with intercollegiate athletics and our society's insistence on pushing young Black males into sport as a road out of poverty. Lewis provides an interesting backdrop in terms of the evolution of football's left tackle position in building the foundation for the story of the growth and subsequent recruitment of the book's protagonist, Michael Oher. Oher's story is the story of the American Dream. A young kid mired in poverty finds his way to a group of people who care strongly for him, make a home for him, and help him navigate the road to college.
  
  But what is most interesting is Lewis's look at the nightmare side of this story. Lewis reveals much of the dirty underbelly of high school and collegiate sport, especially concerning the ways the least academically prepared high school athletes are assisted in meeting admissions and eligibility standards.
  
  Oher's is a story that needs to be told and Lewis has done well in illuminating much of the hidden processes involved in school sport. ...more info
• A Great Book on Lots of Levels
  This is an outstanding book. Tells a story about a great young man and a great family that overcome a lot together. Fascinating as a sports story, a social commentary, inspirational to anyone who wonders if he can make a difference. And the best part is it's all true. A real page turner, more exciting than any novel....more info
• Great insight into the evolution of football
  As a huge fan of football on all levels and a fantasy sports junkie, I found this book really captivating.
  It has changed the way I watch a football game and given me context into why the game has evolved in the way it has. I find myself watching the left side of the line in every game -- the crucial battle where most games are won or lost because of the ability or inability of the offense to neutralize the best defensive player on the field....more info
• By Tom Cutler- Best Book I Have Ever Read!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
  History meets drama. This book provides the reader with an insight into the back alleys of West Memphis and Southern Detroit. It showcases both the game of American football and how it came to be, and the life of an under-privelaged boy gifted with size and athleticism. I won't say any more at the risk of ruining the book for you. This is a great book, and it can't hurt to buy it. Tom Cutler, 12 years old....more info
• Well done
  The author of "Moneyball" gives another great effort in this story. He takes multiple anecdotes to talk about the emerging importance of the left tackle but the best comes from the unique story of Michael Oher, soon to be a first round NFL Draft pick. The author is close with Oher's adoptive family so that raises some questions, but he tries to answer them. Worth the purchase....more info
• Not quite evolutionary as it claims to be
  I think when most people think of Michael Lewis, they think of Moneyball - the book that rocked major league baseball. I also think of Liar's Poker, an interesting look into the bond business in the eighties. Heck, I still quote "Equities in Dallas" from time to time. Anyway, when I saw this, I was excited because football is the most strategic of all sports, and this could have shed a lot of light on such a fascinating subject.
  
  Unfortunately, that was not the case. It is an interesting book, but the "Evolution" of the game is that left tackles are now considered pretty important. That's the evolution. Sorry I gave it away. There is some history of football, recruiting, the west coast offense, and the development of the offensive line, but it's not that much.
  
  Most of the book is a touchy feely story of an offensive tackle who is adopted by a rich white family and through their help, turns his life into an living afternoon television special. While somewhat touching, it got a little too bogged down in the details and turned pretty much into a sappy drama.
  
  Yes, it is readable, and fun, but really nothing to recommend....more info
• Check it out even if you're not a football fan
  I enjoyed this book even more than Moneyball. Great insight into the college football recruiting process. Also great to see a book recognizing the offensive line position. Lewis discusses football in a way that is deep enough for football fans, yet still understandable for novices. Definitely check this book out....more info
• Possibly Lewis' best
  Moneyball was as insightful as it was cutting edge, but Blindside goes to another level entirely.
  
  The glimpses into the mechanics of football, coaching and player selection are brilliant. The humanitarian side is another story all it's own. Lewis doesn't pull any punches as he details the circumstances surrounding the discovery of Big Mike by the Tuohys, nor does he gloss over the potential self-serving interests that could have been at the heart of the Tuohys benevolance.
  
  All of these moving parts beautifully packaged into a fantastic (and true) story.
  
  As great as his other books were, I have to give this one the nudge as his best work so far....more info