Editors Reads Verdict
Lewis at his most humane: The Blind Side works simultaneously as personal narrative and economic argument, and the juxtaposition of Oher's background with his adoptive family's world is handled with unusual sensitivity for a sports book. The football history is genuinely fascinating for non-fans.
What We Loved
- The economic argument about Lawrence Taylor's effect on left tackle valuation is genuinely fascinating even for non-sports readers
- Lewis handles the racial and class dynamics of the Tuohy-Oher relationship with unusual sensitivity and honesty
- The juxtaposition of two parallel stories — economic history and personal narrative — is seamlessly integrated
- Oher's perspective — what it felt like to move from food insecurity to a five-bedroom house — is rendered with real delicacy
Minor Drawbacks
- Lewis's narrative choices about who drives the story have been complicated by Oher's subsequent account of his own life
- The football history sections, while fascinating, may lose readers with no prior interest in the sport's mechanics
- The Tuohy family's role can feel more centred than Oher's own interiority in places
Key Takeaways
- → Economic value in sport is shaped by the threats that emerge — Lawrence Taylor changed what a left tackle was worth
- → The American private school pipeline to professional sport is a peculiar institution that deserves scrutiny
- → What we value in any field is a function of what we fear losing — the blind side matters because quarterbacks matter
- → Race and class dynamics in intimate relationships require honesty rather than idealization to be written truthfully
- → A small phenomenon — one position's market value — can contain a much larger argument about what Americans pay for
| Author | Michael Lewis |
|---|---|
| Publisher | W.W. Norton |
| Pages | 299 |
| Published | September 5, 2006 |
| Language | English |
| Genre | Non-Fiction, Sports, Biography, Sociology |
The Blind Side Review
Michael Lewis has always been at his best when he can find a small, specific phenomenon that turns out to contain a much larger argument. In Moneyball, it was the Oakland A’s drafting process; in The Big Short, it was a handful of traders who noticed something the entire financial system had missed. In The Blind Side, his subject is the evolution of a single position in American football — the left tackle — and the extraordinary human story that crystallised around it.
The economic argument comes first. Lawrence Taylor, the Giants linebacker who entered the NFL in 1981, was so fast, so strong, and so unpredictable that he fundamentally changed how NFL offences had to think about protection. A right-handed quarterback’s blind side — the left side of his body — became a catastrophic vulnerability. Teams began to pay enormous sums for the athletic freak capable of protecting it. The left tackle, once an ordinary lineman, became the second-highest-paid player on the field.
The human story arrives alongside it. Michael Oher grew up in the Memphis projects, the son of a crack-addicted mother, moving between relatives and shelters, barely attending school. He was six foot four, three hundred and thirty pounds, and extraordinarily gentle. A private school coach saw something in him and arranged admission. Leigh Anne Tuohy, a white Memphis interior decorator with fierce protective instincts, essentially adopted him.
Lewis handles the racial and class dynamics of this relationship with genuine care. He does not pretend the dynamics are simple, and the passages that sit inside Oher’s own perspective — what it felt like to move from food insecurity to a five-bedroom house — are written with unusual delicacy for a sports narrative.
The Blind Side is a great sports book that is also a book about economic value, race, and the peculiar American institution of the private school pipeline to professional sport.
Our rating: 4.5/5 — Lewis at his most humanly engaged. Essential reading for sports fans and anyone curious about how economics shapes what we value.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is "The Blind Side" about?
The story of Michael Oher — a homeless Black teenager taken in by a wealthy white family in Memphis who goes on to become an NFL first-round pick — intertwined with an economic history of how American football came to value the left tackle, the position that protects a quarterback's blind side, above almost any other.
What are the key takeaways from "The Blind Side"?
Economic value in sport is shaped by the threats that emerge — Lawrence Taylor changed what a left tackle was worth The American private school pipeline to professional sport is a peculiar institution that deserves scrutiny What we value in any field is a function of what we fear losing — the blind side matters because quarterbacks matter Race and class dynamics in intimate relationships require honesty rather than idealization to be written truthfully A small phenomenon — one position's market value — can contain a much larger argument about what Americans pay for
Is "The Blind Side" worth reading?
Lewis at his most humane: The Blind Side works simultaneously as personal narrative and economic argument, and the juxtaposition of Oher's background with his adoptive family's world is handled with unusual sensitivity for a sports book. The football history is genuinely fascinating for non-fans.
Ready to Read The Blind Side?
Check the current price on Amazon.
Check Price on Amazon (paid link)Prices and availability are subject to change. See Amazon for current price.
Review last updated: