The Blind Side

With MONEYBALL, Michael Lewis established himself as a premier chronicler of the role of money in professional sports. In THE BLIND SIDE, Lewis solidifies his position, presenting a fascinating glimpse into the evolution of left tackles as key players in professional football. The book focuses significantly on Michael Oher, a ghetto kid without education or family, who enrolls at a predominantly white Christian school. Stephen Hoye's narration is ideal. Hoye is presented with a diverse cast of characters, and he provides each with a distinct style--from the Tuohys, who take in, educate, and socialize Oher, to the "NCAA Lady," who tries to find evil behind every good deed. Hoye varies his delivery and tone superbly, presenting an ideal parallel to the emotions his listeners surely will share. D.J.S. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award (c) AudioFile 2007, Portland, Maine


This book suffers from a disjointedness that is exacerbated by the audio abridgment. One part is an examination of one of the arcane but critical elements of professional football: the importance of the offensive tackle who protects the quarterback's blind side. The bulk of the audio explores the life of a young man from inner city Memphis who has the potential to make millions as a professional football lineman. This latter story is fascinating and compelling. Grover Gardner is suited to the task of narrating, using speed and a bit of volume to add emphasis without artifice. He generally doesn't give figures separate voices, except for the University of Mississippi football coach. Both the audio and the book itself would have been stronger had each focused only on the young football phenom. R.C.G. (c) AudioFile 2007, Portland, Maine