Michael Lewis, a writer of nonfiction who has covered topics as wide-ranging as the culture of Wall Street and the art of Moneyball in baseball, here interweaves the evolution of American football with the bizarre life of a young African American boy growing up in Tennessee.
Lawrence Taylor was so feared a linebacker, offenses that played against him, during his stint with the New York Giants in the 1980s, would often be forced to block him with multiple players, greatly diminishing the effectiveness of their plays. This lead to the emphasis on the Left Tackle, now widely held to be the most important position along an offense's line. He must be a player big enough to block a defensive end and fast enough to track down a linebacker and keep him from the quarterback. He is a hybrid of speed and skill bred to combat the Laurence Taylors of the world. Enter Michael Oher, a high school student who is as undereducated a tenth grader as he is a giant of a human being, which is to say he can barely talk and he's nearly 300 pounds. The Blind Side conflates the evolution of the Left Tackle with the rise of Michael Oher, his adoption into a successful Southern family, his remarkable athletic gifts and, finally, his entry into college. Though the book concludes prior to his turning pro, Mr. Oher would eventually be selected by the Baltimore Ravens in the first round of the 2009 NFL draft, a meteoric rise for a man who could barely communicate merely seven years earlier.
A quality book with a quality tale to tell. Michael Oher is easily the star here. Unfortunately, Mr. Lewis has a tendency to oversell his premise, as noteworthy a flaw in Moneyball as it is here. Annoying, yes. Misleading, possibly. But it does not derail an engrossing read. (3/5 Stars)
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