Not knowing very much about the game of American football, I perhaps didn't get as much out of this book. That said, I did enjoy reading it. Maybe now I'll even go watch the movie!

**Not the same as the Sandra Bullock movie of the same name** This is a sports book about how NFL football changed since the 1960s. Many athletes are highlighted along with an in-depth case study of Michael Oher, an NFL player since 2009, currently a Carolina Panther's offensive tackle. Oher was born into poverty in Memphis, Tennessee and his improbable rise to the NFL nicely illustrates a particular moment in the evolution of professional football, inequities of race and class in America, systemic problems in public education and the highly-competitive world of college football recruiting. If this sounds interesting to you, read it. If you are worried that it is a 'sports book,' it is, kind of. I do not follow sports or the NFL but I liked it. If you are worried that it is an inspirational book about a poor black kid, it is not. If you liked this author's other work including Moneyball or Liar's Poker, you will probably like this, too.

I really liked this book and that’s kind of funny because I actually checked this book out from the library fully expecting to loath it. A long time ago I watched a preview of the movie, “The Blind Side” and thought it appeared pretty offensive. It seemed like one of those white savior movies where some white person goes to some scary part of town to rescue a black person (usually, some gifted and talented black person) and then they pat themselves on the back for doing a good deed.
Never mind the fact that it’s white supremacy that created the circumstances that allowed the white savior their privilege and position as rescuer, and the deliberate systemic racism in our country that caused the crippling of the black person they rescued.
So I thought this book was going to piss me off and I was going to hate-read it, but it turned out to be very interesting. First the writing is fun and fast paced. Michael Lewis is no John Steinbeck, but he can write an attention-grabbing read.
What’s more is that this book teaches you a lot about football. I enjoy learning about football and this was the kind of book I needed to get involved in the details. It was extremely interesting to learn about the pass rushers and how the left tackle is needed to protect the quarterback’s blind side. The development of the left tackle as a position that is of its own importance and no longer lumped in with the rest of the offensive line was fascinating history. I didn’t know the left tackle was one of the highest paid positions on the field, but because it is so important to protect the quarterback from getting sacked by the pass rusher, NFL teams will pay big money for the right guy. It seems a good left tackle can’t be made, but must actually be born to play the position, in that, their size is a large factor in their ability to stop the rush. They have to be enormous, but they also have to be athletic. This means that your average 350-pound guy can’t apply for the position if he’s not both fast on his feet and solid muscle. You can’t be a fat 350-pound guy and be a great left tackle, you have to be fit, and that’s rare in this weight class if you’re just combing through the general population of our country.
To be a great left tackle you’ve got to be tall, with long arms and big hands too. This type of person exists, but they are rare and hard to find, and that’s why the NFL will pay them handsomely for their efforts.
I also didn’t know anything about Lawrence Taylor until I read, “The Blind Side,” and now I’m going to get his autobiography. I’m also going to read a book written by Bill Walsh.
Now, I do have a few concerns regarding this book. One is that this rich white family by the surname Tuohy adopted this black kid from the city, and the kid was kinda old when he was adopted. I think he was a pretty big teenager when he was adopted by these people and he was projected to eventually be a huge football star, which made it look like it’s possible he was adopted because these people wanted him to play for Ole Mississippi State. This argument, if true, is insane to me.
Who adopts a child to get him to play for their Alma mater? I guess I’m from Michigan where people like football, but are not obsessed with football, so I just don’t understand what would motivate a family to go to such great lengths to stack their college football team of choice.
I can see, for example, assisting and caring for a kid who I hoped would play for the Michigan State Spartans, since that’s where I went to school and I want the Spartans to have a winning season. However, to actually go so far as to adopt a child to sort of rig things so my team wins is just doing too much. It’s insane! I hope the Tuohy family really does love Michael Oher—even if just for the sake of their own sanity.
My next mention here is that I read, “The Blind Side” in 2022 and I know that Michael Oher turned out to be a rather mediocre player in the NFL. Now, don’t get it twisted, anyone who plays football at a professional level is a damn good player and that’s a fact. However, with all the hype about Michael being the next greatest left tackle in the NFL, I’m sad to report that he wasn’t really that impressive. He never made it to the Pro Bowl and he’s not going into The Pro Football Hall of Fame. Sure he was all right, but I don’t think he turned out to be worth all those college coaches practically shitting their pants over.
Michael was all right. I’m glad he is successful and I hope he’s happy. I hope the Touhy family adopted him for the right reasons and that they really do love him. I hope he has a strong connection with his adoptive family as well as his biological family and I hope he has started a family of his own.
I really did enjoy this book, and though I am surprised by that fact, I must say that my surprise is a sign that I need to keep an open mind and give things a chance without rushing to judgement. I would reread this book again willingly. But I will never watch the movie. Never.

I loved this book. I'd seen the movie, and figured that I'd enjoy the book, but didn't realize how much. While the movie version focuses a vast majority of its time on the relationship between Michael and the Tuohy family, the book is split between that storyline and what changed in the game of football that lead to Michael becoming such a coveted player.

As a football fan, I understood enough of the technical parts about the game that it wasn't over my head, but I can see how it could be too much for someone not into the sport. I found a lot of the background about the former players and coaches who shaped the game and the role of the left tackle to be fascinating.

And of course, the story of Michael's life -- from his difficult childhood to becoming a "rich kid" with all the opportunity in the world -- is incredibly touching.

Stuck in an airport with nothing to read. I don't even like football, but I couldn't put this down. Michael Lewis weaves a fascinating story about the evolution of pro-football. It's also the story of Michael Oher, a ghetto kid who just happens to be a natural left tackle. Michael survives the worst odds with the help of football-crazy patrons.

I liked this true life feel good story of Michael Oher. This version ends while he was still in college, but Oher is now playing for the Baltimore Ravens and hopefully there is more good to come.

I really liked reading about the evolution of the passing game in football and the growing importance of the left side tackle position. I am glad I don't play professional football. Seems scary.

Loved the movie so I thought I'd try the book. While the movie is mostly about Michael Oher and shows Leigh Anne Touhy in a leading role, the book is much more about the game of football and how it has evolved. The story of Michael and the Touhys is there too. Just don't expect that the book will be just like the movie. I learned more than I ever thought I would about the game and enjoyed this story where Sean Touhy is a much more prevalent character.

A fascinating study on how one position on the football field has risen to such prominence, combined with a heartwarming tale of triumph over adversity.

Like the film, the audience is left to decide on the motives at play here, but really that isn't important. What matters is how one boy was given a chance - and took it.

It's also worth reading as it was banned from Christian bookshops for having "evolution" in the title. Presumably they'd rather believe God invented American football and oversees the changes the game has undergone...

I have kind of mixed feelings. The story of Michael Oher was really interesting and sad (until he met the Tuohys), but Lewis sometimes got too wonky with his information on the finer details of the evolution of the Blind Side and Left Tackle positions. Maybe if I was a football person it would have felt different. However, I will say that I learned quite a bit. Whether I needed to learn that much about football is another story. Michael Oher's story is basically about being lucky. I want to find out what happened to him now that the book is a decade old, and finally get around to watching the movie which I never saw because of my aversion to Sandra Bullock.