Books The Blind Side: Evolution of a Game
Books and Publications Average Rating:

Rating: - I don't care about football, but I liked this book anyway
One hallmark of a great professor in college is that the kids recommend the class to non-majors. I'm essentially a non-major in football; I watch the Rose Bowl parade and I've been to 4 college games. Despite my inherent non- interest in the game, Lewis drew me into a fascinating, relevant world beyond the familiar television analysis and colour commentary. The combination of coaching analysis and the personal Oher story make for a great perspective into how the massive football industrial machine works. Just as you don't need to care about baseball to enjoy Moneyball, same for TBS.

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Rating: - Something here for everyone...
I'm a big Michael Lewis fan. I read Moneyball and loved it, but I figured that's because baseball is my favorite sport. So when a colleague got me a copy of Lewis latest book, The Blind Side, I figured I'd read it but not right away; after all football is #3 or #4 on my list of must-watch sports, so what's the rush?

I finally started reading it recently and finished it last night. Now I wish I would have started sooner. It's every bit as good as Moneyball but from a completely different perspective. The Blind Side tells the story of Michael Oher, an extremely poor individual from Memphis who is an incredible physical specimen. It's his physical abilities that get everyone's attention, including the NCAA. In fact, if you're looking for a book to show you just how incompetent and silly the NCAA can be, well, you've found the winner with The Blind Side.

Besides the story of Oher, Lewis also uses this book to document the left tackle's meteoric rise in importance and pay scale in the NFL. The book is filled with interesting behind-the-scenes observations from coaches and players alike. For example, I don't think I've ever read so much about Lawrence Taylor's career-ending hit on Joe Theismann.

All in all, this is an excellent summary of a position and a player who is currently still in college but should soon be making his mark in the NFL. It's also an inspiring story of a family who took him in and gave him a chance. In short, there's something in this for everyone regardless of whether you're a big time football fan.

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Rating: - Interesting character analysis, what's with the misspellings?
I am currently reading this book for the second time. I enjoy the uniqueness of Michael Oher's personality, especially in the context of his personal environment. However, while reading this again I've come across at least four misspelled names without searching them out. Included are misspellings of Matt Leinart (Leinert), Adrian Peterson (Petersen), Patrick Ramsay (Ramsey), and Bob Stoops (Stoopes). I guess I will never understand this amount of errors in a major release.

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Rating: - Excellent, easy reading for all sports fans.
This is simply a great story, with lots of great football intertwined in it. I enjoyed every minute of reading it, and will probably read it again sometime. Highly recommend this book.