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(More customer reviews)First there was Michael Lewis's best-selling book, "The Blind Side." Then there was the popular movie of the same title, starring Sandra Bullock. Next there was Sean and Leigh Anne Tuohy's book, "In a Heartbeat." (If you haven't read either of these two books or seen the movie, I wholeheartedly recommend them all--each has its own message.) Now, finally, Michael Oher has co-authored his own book about his remarkable story. Perhaps one of the first questions you might ask is whether there is a sufficiently different approach and message in Oher's book to make purchasing it worthwhile. In a word, my answer is yes. Oher's book is definitely not some short piece of fluff. It covers 21 chapters over about 250 pages, and while the book is fast-paced and easy to read, it addresses very important topics. According to Oher, he wrote this book primarily for two reasons: First, he wanted to separate fact from the fiction ("artistic choices") that Hollywood introduced into the movie. Second, and far more important, Oher wants to have a meaningful talk with the approximate 500,000 children in America whose lives have been turned over by the state to someone other than their parents. He knows that the odds in life are stacked against these children, and he wants to tell them how he beat the odds--hence the title of his book.
While this book is easy to read, it still packs a powerful punch. Perhaps the most touching chapter to me was the third one, entitled "The Day They Took Me Away," which describes what happened when Child Protective Services came to take him from his mother. This about that situation for a moment.
One theme that comes through loud and clear is that Michael Oher was very determined to make something of himself, and he wants to encourage that same determination in children at risk. As he stated, "Failure was simply not an option for me." This determination, by the way, certainly preceded his encounter with the very generous Tuohy family. Indeed, the famous movie scene where the Tuohy's silver BMW pulls up to him doesn't appear until page 136 of Oher's book.
In short, this book represents a very worthwhile addition to the earlier books and movie concerning Michael Oher's life. It has a lot of interesting material, and it packs an important, inspiring and profound message. There are even a half-dozen or so pages of photos, examples of some of the heart-warming (and heart-breaking) letters that Oher receives from kids every week, and at the end of the book there's a listing of children's organizations that readers may want to become involved with. If the plight of thousands of children in the child welfare system interests you, this book is worthy of your careful consideration.
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I Beat the Odds: From Homelessness, to The Blind Side, and BeyondThe football star made famous in the hit film The Blind Side reflects on how far he has come from the circumstances of his youth. Michael Oher is the young man at the center of the true story depicted in The Blind Side movie (and book) that swept up awards and accolades. Though the odds were heavily stacked against him, Michael had a burning desire deep within his soul to break out of the Memphis inner-city ghetto and into a world of opportunity. While many people are now familiar with Oher's amazing journey, this is the first time he shares his account of his story in his own words, revealing his thoughts and feelings with details that only he knows, and offering his point of view on how anyone can achieve a better life. Looking back on how he went from being a homeless child in Memphis to playing in the NFL, Michael talks about the goals he had for himself in order to break out of the cycle of poverty, addiction, and hopelessness that trapped his family for so long. He recounts poignant stories growing up in the projects and running from child services and foster care over and over again in search of some familiarity. Eventually he grasped onto football as his ticket out of the madness and worked hard to make his dream into a reality. But Oher also knew he would not be successful alone. With his adoptive family, the Touhys, and other influential people in mind, he describes the absolute necessity of seeking out positive role models and good friends who share the same values to achieve one's dreams. Sharing untold stories of heartache, determination, courage, and love, I Beat the Odds is an incredibly rousing tale of one young man's quest to achieve the American dream.
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