The Blind Side

The Blind Side: Evolution of a Game
By Michael Lewis
W.W. Norton, 2006. 299 p. Biography

More than just a blockbuster movie with an Oscar winning cast, The Blind Side began life as a biography recounting the true story of Michael Oher. And if you liked the movie, you’ll love the book.

It all begins with the left tackle. Quarterbacks are the highest paid player on the football field; the left tackle is the second. That’s because the NFL finally realized that protecting the quarterback’s “blind side” was the 2nd most important spot on the team. Coincidentally, Michael Oher is an enormous black kid growing up on the wrong side of town in Memphis, TN, with all the makings of a star left tackle. The only problem is that he’s homeless, doesn’t go to high school and doesn’t even know how to play football. It isn’t until Michael miraculously winds up at the Briarcrest Christian School and falls under the care of the Tuohy’s that he starts making sense of his innate talent. Leigh Ann and Sean Tuohy are a wealthy, football-loving couple that begin by making sure Michael has something to eat and end up legally adopting him as their own son.

Lewis writes pretty good football for the sporting illiterate. But if you’re a reader who only watches football in order to critique the uniforms, it’s easy to skip all the left tackle jazz and focus on the true heart of this inspirational story, that of a poor orphan kid with no future making it to the big time against incredible odds. Locals are sure to love BYU’s role in Michael’s rise to fame thanks to the Independent Study program. The school’s help earned them the back-handed compliment, “Mormons might be going to Hell, but they’re sure good people.” Good football, better reading.

DAP