Play Book Tag discussion

What a great 'get myself ready for football season' book! I surprisingly haven't seen the movie, and had only heard about Michael Oher briefly. Lewis does a great job of intertwining a few decades worth of football history and one man's journey into football.

There is a lot of history- which I think non-football fans could find boring. I however, thoroughly enjoyed it. Learning how the recruiting of high school football players to college has changed and progressed. Learning how the entire game changed, with the importance of the offensive line, and the value of these players increasing not only to protect the quarterback, but to get paid! The left tackle used to be just another o-line position, and now is one of the highest paid players.

The history comes concurrently whit Michael Oher's story. A poor, uneducated black teenager ends up in a rich Memphis Christian school, and assimilates himself into the Tuohy family. It's great to hear an underdog story, and shows how remarkable Michael Oher's journey was. From a silent, awkward kid no one would talk to- to a confident high school player who is being pulled in every which way because he's wanted by every college to play for them. Fun fact, Oher is now 30, still playing for the NFL- currently with the Panthers, still playing offensive tackle.

The story itself is enough to want to read this one. I found this to be part biography, and part history. Worth a read for anyone who enjoys football, and Michael's story is inciting enough for any non-football fan to enjoy. One of the most interesting parts I thought was getting to see inside the SEC's tactics of how to recruit players. The schmoozing, the 'almost' bribing. Didn't Ole Miss just get into trouble for paying a coach to convince their high school player to attend Ole Miss? Haha.

I have always wanted to read this. I want to read most things by Michael Lewis but I never seem to get there. However, this movie (while I know it was SO different from the book) was excellent.