I beat the odds From homelessness, to the blind side, and beyond

Oher was the subject of Michael Lewis's The Blind Side: Evolution of a Game and its subsequent and very successful movie. He is also in his adopted parents Leigh Anne and Sean Tuohy's recent book, In a Heartbeat: Sharing the Power of Cheerful Giving, and, of course, he's on the football field for the Baltimore Ravens. His positive story has been a welcome respite from all the reported poor behavior by professional football players over the years. Now here is Oher's opportunity, with Yaeger (former associate editor, Sports Illustrated), to tell his side of the story, which is especially distinct from the movie, in which a lot of the real details were left out while other circumstances were exaggerated to make the story more dramatic. For example, in the movie Oher was a football novice with difficulty learning plays; in actuality, as Oher reminds us here, he had been playing for years and knew the game very well by the time he met the Touhys. Verdict Recommended. A corrective to the movie, yet still an inspirational book for fans of Oher and the Touhys. Also, a good read on the pervasive nature of poverty in urban areas and the role of sports in young people's lives.-Todd Spires, Bradley Univ. Lib., Peoria, IL (c) Copyright 2011. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.