NYT Notable Book Challenge

THE BLIND SIDE

Michael Lewis ~ BOiPod
Personal Rating: 3.5/5
Yearly Count: 67

This was a surprise. I never anticipated listening to a book about football, but it landed itself on the New York Times Notable Books 2006 list, so I picked it up for the challenge. It's not that I don't like football, I do; I just didn't think I'd listen to all the details of one such game. And so not surprisingly, I really didn't relish the football fest, but it was okay. The history and stats didn't draw my attention, yet Grover Gardner as the narrator, presented it very well.

What I enjoyed most was the story of Michael Oher, the Memphis, virtually homeless, young black man just trying to survive in the world. A wealthy, white family emotionally and physically adopts him into their hearts and home. His story is inspiring and touching.

Merging the two stories seemed to forfeit a gentle flow. The stories bounced around and sometimes it felt very scattered, but in the end, I learned a bit here and there, so it worked out. My recommendation is that you should have a little more than a slight interest in football to make this book be worth your while. If you're a fan of this pigskin sport, it's a winner.