I just started reading this book yesterday and Michael Oher did a wonderful job telling his story! It tells a story of what a child feels like when bounced around between foster homes while trying to keep their family together and all of the emotions that come with it. I think it took a lot of courage for him to go back to the different places he had lived and finally come to terms with the different events in his childhood. I have worked with kids in the foster care system and have seen first hand how they will try to "forget" different events in their lives. I can't imagine being in that situation and then having to relive it all over again. I like this book a lot more then the other two. I think it's more personal and could give hope to a child in the same situation that Michael was in. I am so happy he made it out of the bad neighborhood he grew up in and has done something great with his life!

Job well done Michael!

First there was Michael Lewis's best-selling book, "The Blind Side." Then there was the popular movie of the same title, starring Sandra Bullock. Next there was Sean and Leigh Anne Tuohy's book, "In a Heartbeat." (If you haven't read either of these two books or seen the movie, I wholeheartedly recommend them all--each has its own message.) Now, finally, Michael Oher has co-authored his own book about his remarkable story. Perhaps one of the first questions you might ask is whether there is a sufficiently different approach and message in Oher's book to make purchasing it worthwhile. In a word, my answer is yes. Oher's book is definitely not some short piece of fluff. It covers 21 chapters over about 250 pages, and while the book is fast-paced and easy to read, it addresses very important topics. According to Oher, he wrote this book primarily for two reasons: First, he wanted to separate fact from the fiction ("artistic choices") that Hollywood introduced into the movie. Second, and far more important, Oher wants to have a meaningful talk with the approximate 500,000 children in America whose lives have been turned over -hence the title of his book.

While this book is easy to read, it still packs a powerful punch. Perhaps the most touching chapter to me was the third one, entitled "The Day They Took Me Away," which describes what happened when Child Protective Services came to take him from his mother. This about that situation for a moment.

One theme that comes through loud and clear is that Michael Oher was very determined to make something of himself, and he wants to encourage that same determination in children at risk. As he stated, "Failure was simply not an option for me." This determination, dozen or so pages of photos, examples of some of the heart-warming (and heart-breaking) letters that Oher receives from kids every week, and at the end of the book there's a listing of children's organizations that readers may want to become involved with. If the plight of thousands of children in the child welfare system interests you, this book is worthy of your careful consideration.

I've read the Blind Side and the Tuohy's book and I agree with the first reviewer that Oher's book does add quite a bit of information not in the other books. Aside from details on his childhood, you get a sense of the kind of person the author is from his reactions to the people around him and his circumstances. My impression of the author is that he is a man with unusual maturity, compassion and kindness towards others all the more remarkable given the lack of nurturing he received early in life. He also comes across as funny and intelligent. The book definitely gives the reader a better idea of what Michael Oher is really like and I was surprised to see how insightful he seemed to be, not because I thought he was stupid, but because he is so young and yet expresses a maturity beyond his years. An inspirational book for teenagers or anyone else.