Short description
Introduces to the reader, one of thirteen children by a crack-addicted mother; who does not know his real name, his father, his birthday or any of the things a child might learn in school. Nor has he ever touched a football. He takes up American football and school, after a rich, Evangelical, Republican family plucks him from the mean streets.
Long description
The young man at the centre of this 'compelling book' ( The Economist ) will one day be among the most highly paid athletes in the National Football League. When Michael Lewis introduces him to the reader, he is one of thirteen children by a crack-addicted mother; he does not know his real name, his father, his birthday or any of the things a child might learn in school - such as how to read or write. Nor has he ever touched a football. He takes up American football and school, after a rich, Evangelical, Republican family plucks him from the mean streets. Their love is the first great force that alters the world's perception of the boy, whom they adopt. The second force is the evolution of professional American football into a game where the quarterback must be protected at any cost. Lewis' protagonist turns out to be the priceless combination of size, speed and agility necessary to guard the quarterback's greatest vulnerability: his blind side. Directed by John Lee Hancock, the film, The Blind Side , is set for release in November. Sandra Bullock, Tim McGraw, Kathy Bates and Quinton Aaron lead the cast of this true-life sports drama.
Review
The Blind Side is a wonderful tale. John Gapper, Financial Times Lewis has made a habit of writing about sport recently, but sport is really only a subtext for a much more meaningful examination of class and race. I wept at the end, something I have not done at the end of a work of non-fiction for a very long time. Malcolm Gladwell, The Observer, Books of the Year 2006 The strongest strand of The Blind Side is about sporting strategy. When brain defeats brawn in one of Michael Lewis's books, you can almost hear the prose style lift off. The Times [The Blind Side] provides deep insights about sport and America. Ed Smith, The Spectator ...a brilliant analysis of the evolution of American football... Nick Hornby, Guardian Lewis is the finest storyteller of our generation, and this is his best book...it's actually an extraordinary story about love and redemption. Malcolm Gladwell, Best Books 2008, The Week ...a brilliant book... The Independent ...a compelling book... The Economist The Blind Side combines tactical analysis with an account of a young sportsman's astonishing life and career. With this and Moneyball, Lewis has written the two best sports books of the last five years. Nick Hornby's Top 40 Books, The Times