Tuesday, June 1, 2010
Likes and Dislikes
I absolutely loved this book. I would reccommend anyone to read it. It is very inspirational and could change the way people think nowadays.
blog entries
Chapter 1
The first chapter begins with a step-by-step description of a famous football play and the role of the offensive linemen that protect the quarterback from opposing defenses. The author also explains how the roles of offensive linemen are changing. He introduces the reader to New York Giants defensive star linebacker Lawrence Taylor, who delights in instilling fear in the opposing quarterbacks he faces on the field. Taylor is not only large and powerful, but also surprisingly fast. He runs past the people who are responsible for blocking him, and he loves sacking the quarterback and putting him on the ground.
Chapter 2
This chapter begins with a story about Tom Lemming and the first time that he sees a video of Michael Oher. Lemming starts out in 1978 as the creator of a book that ranks the best high school football players in the country. By the time Lemming learns of Oher, he is considered the ultimate authority on all up-and-coming American high school football stars. He identifies the top one hundred players in the nation, and then labels a select group of twenty-five as "All Americans." Beginning in 2000, he selects eighty players to compete in the U.S. Army High School All-American football game. Lemming is surprised by Michael's speed on the video, especially given his enormous size. He knows that someone like Michael could do very great.
Chapter 4
Michael begins spending up to five hours each day with a tutor. Soon, Michael begins to appear at the football field during practice, even though he is not yet a member of the team. The coaches note how quickly he moves for a young man his size, and decide to weigh the boy. Michael is six-foot-five, and weighs 344 pounds. Michael also begins playing basketball and competing in track events. Michael's athletic ability is unmistakable. He does not understand many of the techniques and strategies used by the athletes, but he learns quickly by observing. Michael finally starts playing football during his junior year at Briarcrest. Since Michael is so fast, Coach Freeze starts him out as a defensive tackle. Unfortunately, Michael is not very aggressive, and he switched to offensive tackle.
Chapter 6
After four months of trying to get used to the idea that he is a football star, Michael's season finally starts. He is being contacted by coaches around the country, who can now communicate with him directly and regularly offer him full scholarships to any school in which he shows interest. Michael is also being tutored in football by both Coach Freeze and Coach Long, who has experience as a left tackle in the NFL. When Briarcrest plays against a team called Munford, the defensive end who lines up directly across from Michael begins teasing him. It is not as though the adults have to be too concerned with Michael's temper. He is not likely to retaliate. Something in this game, however, is different. Suddenly, Michael not only blocks he pancakes people.
Chapter 7
After Michael's team wins the state championship, the college football coaches intensify their pursuit of him. They are expecting to woo the poor young black man with free plane tickets, tickets to sporting events, and other amenities that most men in his situation might not have. Unfortunately for them, they do not understand that Michael's living situation is very different now from what they expect. As a bona fide member of the Tuohy family, Michael has access to anything he could ever want or need. The family estate is worth millions, and Sean is well connected, so if Michael ever wants something that Sean does not have, he probably knows someone who can provide it.
Chapter 8
This chapter opens with a description of a meeting at the Tuohy home with a woman named Joyce Thompson. Miss Thompson is an investigator for the NCAA, and she is interviewing Michael to determine if the Tuohys are in violation of NCAA recruitment rules due to their relationship with Michael and their status as Ole Miss boosters. During the interview, the reader learns that Michael may have at least thirteen siblings. He is not even sure of all of their names. Sean points out that they may have different last names as well, since he believes that Michael's mother has children by at least five different fathers.
Chapter 9
In this chapter, the author describes the evolution of the left tackle position and why it is now one of the most valuable positions in professional football. Lewis presents the story of Steve Wallace, a left tackle for Bill Walsh's San Francisco 49ers. Wallace is not the starter, but gets the job when another player named Bubba Paris fails to perform. The 49ers are successful during the regular season, but cannot seem to get through the playoffs, mainly because that is where they usually run into Lawrence Taylor. Another defensive star, Chris Doleman, is also presenting a problem.
Chapter 10
Lewis provides a more detailed description of Ole Miss, its history and reputation. Ole Miss is associated with the old Confederate army, so it has a reputation for possibly not treating black athletes very well. Interestingly enough, Michael is not the most academically challenged athlete at Ole Miss. The players spent a great deal of time with tutors who help them with their class work. Michael's offensive line coach, George DeLeone, does not expect Michael to play during his freshman year. The Ole Miss head coach, Coach O, however, has different ideas. He wants Michael to start right away. DeLeone starts Michael at the right guard position because it is the easiest to learn.
Chapter 11
This is the only chapter of the book in which the author reveals much information about Michael's mysterious childhood. Michael's mother, Dee Dee, has an unhappy childhood herself. Her father is murdered in his bed when she is just a child. Her mother is an alcoholic and cannot take care of Dee Dee and her brother Robert. The children grow up in an orphanage. At age twenty, Dee Dee is already involved with drugs, and begins having children. She has five sons within six years. Her brother Robert kills his wife when she asks for a divorce. While he is on Death Row for murder, he meets a man named Michael Jerome Williams. He asks Williams to visit Dee Dee after he gets out.
Chapter 12
In this final chapter, the author explains what happens after Michael runs away following his fight with Antonio. The police are called to the scene. It turns out that the little boy who is injured is tutor Bobby Nix's son. He is going to press charges against Michael. Michael drives around town, angry and confused. This is a new situation for him. He is more vulnerable now. Antonio's comments about his white family hurt him. Other people can now get to him by using his loved ones to cause him pain. Sean is urgently trying to reach Michael, and fears what the scared boy might do. He learns that the little boy is hurt and needs stitches, but will recover.
The first chapter begins with a step-by-step description of a famous football play and the role of the offensive linemen that protect the quarterback from opposing defenses. The author also explains how the roles of offensive linemen are changing. He introduces the reader to New York Giants defensive star linebacker Lawrence Taylor, who delights in instilling fear in the opposing quarterbacks he faces on the field. Taylor is not only large and powerful, but also surprisingly fast. He runs past the people who are responsible for blocking him, and he loves sacking the quarterback and putting him on the ground.
Chapter 2
This chapter begins with a story about Tom Lemming and the first time that he sees a video of Michael Oher. Lemming starts out in 1978 as the creator of a book that ranks the best high school football players in the country. By the time Lemming learns of Oher, he is considered the ultimate authority on all up-and-coming American high school football stars. He identifies the top one hundred players in the nation, and then labels a select group of twenty-five as "All Americans." Beginning in 2000, he selects eighty players to compete in the U.S. Army High School All-American football game. Lemming is surprised by Michael's speed on the video, especially given his enormous size. He knows that someone like Michael could do very great.
Chapter 4
Michael begins spending up to five hours each day with a tutor. Soon, Michael begins to appear at the football field during practice, even though he is not yet a member of the team. The coaches note how quickly he moves for a young man his size, and decide to weigh the boy. Michael is six-foot-five, and weighs 344 pounds. Michael also begins playing basketball and competing in track events. Michael's athletic ability is unmistakable. He does not understand many of the techniques and strategies used by the athletes, but he learns quickly by observing. Michael finally starts playing football during his junior year at Briarcrest. Since Michael is so fast, Coach Freeze starts him out as a defensive tackle. Unfortunately, Michael is not very aggressive, and he switched to offensive tackle.
Chapter 6
After four months of trying to get used to the idea that he is a football star, Michael's season finally starts. He is being contacted by coaches around the country, who can now communicate with him directly and regularly offer him full scholarships to any school in which he shows interest. Michael is also being tutored in football by both Coach Freeze and Coach Long, who has experience as a left tackle in the NFL. When Briarcrest plays against a team called Munford, the defensive end who lines up directly across from Michael begins teasing him. It is not as though the adults have to be too concerned with Michael's temper. He is not likely to retaliate. Something in this game, however, is different. Suddenly, Michael not only blocks he pancakes people.
Chapter 7
After Michael's team wins the state championship, the college football coaches intensify their pursuit of him. They are expecting to woo the poor young black man with free plane tickets, tickets to sporting events, and other amenities that most men in his situation might not have. Unfortunately for them, they do not understand that Michael's living situation is very different now from what they expect. As a bona fide member of the Tuohy family, Michael has access to anything he could ever want or need. The family estate is worth millions, and Sean is well connected, so if Michael ever wants something that Sean does not have, he probably knows someone who can provide it.
Chapter 8
This chapter opens with a description of a meeting at the Tuohy home with a woman named Joyce Thompson. Miss Thompson is an investigator for the NCAA, and she is interviewing Michael to determine if the Tuohys are in violation of NCAA recruitment rules due to their relationship with Michael and their status as Ole Miss boosters. During the interview, the reader learns that Michael may have at least thirteen siblings. He is not even sure of all of their names. Sean points out that they may have different last names as well, since he believes that Michael's mother has children by at least five different fathers.
Chapter 9
In this chapter, the author describes the evolution of the left tackle position and why it is now one of the most valuable positions in professional football. Lewis presents the story of Steve Wallace, a left tackle for Bill Walsh's San Francisco 49ers. Wallace is not the starter, but gets the job when another player named Bubba Paris fails to perform. The 49ers are successful during the regular season, but cannot seem to get through the playoffs, mainly because that is where they usually run into Lawrence Taylor. Another defensive star, Chris Doleman, is also presenting a problem.
Chapter 10
Lewis provides a more detailed description of Ole Miss, its history and reputation. Ole Miss is associated with the old Confederate army, so it has a reputation for possibly not treating black athletes very well. Interestingly enough, Michael is not the most academically challenged athlete at Ole Miss. The players spent a great deal of time with tutors who help them with their class work. Michael's offensive line coach, George DeLeone, does not expect Michael to play during his freshman year. The Ole Miss head coach, Coach O, however, has different ideas. He wants Michael to start right away. DeLeone starts Michael at the right guard position because it is the easiest to learn.
Chapter 11
This is the only chapter of the book in which the author reveals much information about Michael's mysterious childhood. Michael's mother, Dee Dee, has an unhappy childhood herself. Her father is murdered in his bed when she is just a child. Her mother is an alcoholic and cannot take care of Dee Dee and her brother Robert. The children grow up in an orphanage. At age twenty, Dee Dee is already involved with drugs, and begins having children. She has five sons within six years. Her brother Robert kills his wife when she asks for a divorce. While he is on Death Row for murder, he meets a man named Michael Jerome Williams. He asks Williams to visit Dee Dee after he gets out.
Chapter 12
In this final chapter, the author explains what happens after Michael runs away following his fight with Antonio. The police are called to the scene. It turns out that the little boy who is injured is tutor Bobby Nix's son. He is going to press charges against Michael. Michael drives around town, angry and confused. This is a new situation for him. He is more vulnerable now. Antonio's comments about his white family hurt him. Other people can now get to him by using his loved ones to cause him pain. Sean is urgently trying to reach Michael, and fears what the scared boy might do. He learns that the little boy is hurt and needs stitches, but will recover.
The Blind Side
The Blind Side is a warm hearted story that would touch the lives of anyone who read it. The Blind Side is about a African American teenager named Michael Oher who is homeless and doesn't have anywhere to go. Micheal Oher spent his childhood and early teenage years in North Memphis where gangs, drugs, and crime infested the streets. His mother is a crack-addict and his father was murdered. He was 1 of 12 children and he really didnt know any of his family. He was a very shy kid and kept to himself for the most part. At age 15 Michael was a very large kid. He was 6'2" and weighed 350 pounds. He quickly earned th name "Big Mike." He was a very gifted athelete and could just about play anything that involved a ball. Even with his gifts Michael struggled with school. He attented 11 different schools in 9 years and had a gpa of .06. Tony Henderson was head of the youth athletic center in North Memphis and would often see Michael there. He quickly realized Michael talent and wanted to do something about it. He would let Micheal stay with him. Tony also had a son that was Micheal's age. Tony wanted his son to go to a christian school and decided to take him as well as Big Mike up to Briarcrest Christian High school to be enrolled. The coach at the school is reluctant at first but see's Big Mike's potential and convinces the principal to enroll him. Big Mike was enrolled his sophomore year and still was homeless. He would stay with different people at school but nothing was permanent. One day Mike was walking on the street and the Tuohy family would pull over ask him where he was head to. Obviously Mike had no where to go so the Tuohy family invited him to stay at their home. The Tuohy's were a very wealthy family due to the father Sean Tuohy was a successful business owner. Mike would stay for that night and that one night turned into many nights. The Tuohy family consist of a mother named Leigh Anne,Sean (father), Collins (daughter),and Sean jr. (son). Collins is in the same grade as Mike. Eventually Mike would stay with the Tuohy's permanantly. He would form a bonding with the Tuohy's that could never be broken. Now since he was apart of the family the Tuohy's wanted help Mike in any possibe way they could. Leigh Anne did most of the helping, she noticed Michael's struggle in school so she hired a private tutor for him. With his grades improving jurastically he was now eligible to play footbal his junior year. Michael Oher had no football background at all so this was all a new experience for him. The coach placed him at defensive tackle but he learned that Michael was not aggressive so he placed him at offensive tackle. Michael quickly learned the position and was an instant success. The Tuohy's phone was ringing off the hook with college coaches trying to recruit Michael. He had offers from every major football school in the U.S. After a successful senior year and becoming a high school football All-American Michael decided to attend Ole Miss. Sean Tuohy had also attened Ole Miss as a successful basketball player. It was great suspicion that the Tuohy family forced him to go there but that was not true. He was an All-American at Ole Miss too. Mike entered the 2009 NFL draft and was selected 23rd overall by the Baltimore Ravens.
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