Regina M. (ginamig) reviewed I Beat the Odds: From Homelessness to The Blind Side and Beyond on + 76 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 6
I read Michael Lewis' novel "The Blindside: Evolution of a Game a few weeks ago and while I loved the story of Michael Oher the intricate sports/strategy portion of the book left me bored and wanting more about the life of Michael Oher. Now tha...moreI read Michael Lewis' novel "The Blindside: Evolution of a Game a few weeks ago and while I loved the story of Michael Oher the intricate sports/strategy portion of the book left me bored and wanting more about the life of Michael Oher. Now that I have read Michael Oher's personal account I can safely say that THIS is what The Blindside should have been. Michael Lewis's account painted Michael as a dumb teenager that everyone had to poke and prod and help along to get him into the NFL. That couldn't be further from the truth.
Michaels Oher's personal biography is refreshingly honest, mesmerizing and inspirational. It paints the portrait of a teenager that was determined to make something of his life and not follow in the bad decisions of his mother.
The most amazing part of this book is the fact that Michael doesn't say "Yes, I made it, I fulfilled my dreams", end of story but continutally reaches out to children that may be reading it as a personal coach if you will, to make them live up to their potential and growing their personal talent.
Mr. Oher deserves to be commended.
Michaels Oher's personal biography is refreshingly honest, mesmerizing and inspirational. It paints the portrait of a teenager that was determined to make something of his life and not follow in the bad decisions of his mother.
The most amazing part of this book is the fact that Michael doesn't say "Yes, I made it, I fulfilled my dreams", end of story but continutally reaches out to children that may be reading it as a personal coach if you will, to make them live up to their potential and growing their personal talent.
Mr. Oher deserves to be commended.
Melissa C. (Christianswapper) -
It was great to read about homelessness from the first person perspective.
Wendy R. (WMRod) reviewed I Beat the Odds: From Homelessness to The Blind Side and Beyond on + 171 more book reviews
A fascinating book, where Michael Oher tells us in his own words what his life was like growing up and how he "beat the odds." This is the book that *should* have been The Blind Side, in that it really IS about Michael Oher (not just football stats and recruiters), and shows his thoughts and feelings about his horrible childhood and how he put in a great deal of effort to make it out of the projects.
Where The Blind Side makes it look like he was a passive pawn that happened to be in the right place at the right time to be "rescued" by rich and/or helpful folks, that is far from the truth. Michael decided at a very young age to do everything he could to better his life, and he went about it with hard work and dedication to being the best person he could be. The best chapters of the book are near the end, when he reiterates his philosophy that everyone must take responsibility for his own actions, must be focused and work harder than everyone else to succeed in life.
It's a wonderful, inspirational book that is a Must-Read! It's so good that I copied several pages for reference even after I send the book on for other lucky people to read.
Where The Blind Side makes it look like he was a passive pawn that happened to be in the right place at the right time to be "rescued" by rich and/or helpful folks, that is far from the truth. Michael decided at a very young age to do everything he could to better his life, and he went about it with hard work and dedication to being the best person he could be. The best chapters of the book are near the end, when he reiterates his philosophy that everyone must take responsibility for his own actions, must be focused and work harder than everyone else to succeed in life.
It's a wonderful, inspirational book that is a Must-Read! It's so good that I copied several pages for reference even after I send the book on for other lucky people to read.
