I Beat the Odds

by Michael Oher | Biographies & Memoirs | This book has not been rated.
ISBN: 1592406122 Global Overview for this book
Registered by ResQgeek of Alexandria, Virginia USA on 11/18/2018
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2 journalers for this copy...
Journal Entry 1 by ResQgeek from Alexandria, Virginia USA on Sunday, November 18, 2018
I enjoyed the movie "The Blind Side", but I've heard comments that suggest that it is more the story of Leigh Anne Tuohy, instead of Michael Oher. When I saw this in a Little Free Library I visited on a recent trip, I thought I would take it to read to see how that story looks from Oher's point of view.

Journal Entry 2 by ResQgeek at Alexandria, Virginia USA on Thursday, December 27, 2018
I'm not sure how famous Michael Oher would be if he was *just* a professional player in the NFL, but the success of the movie "The Blind Side" certainly has made him a celebrity. This book is his chance to tell his own story, and while it isn't as polished and formulaic as the Hollywood version of his story, it remains a powerful story of survival and success against the odds.

Michael Oher was born into poverty, with a mother who repeatedly relapsed into episodes of drug use, leaving her children to fend for themselves at absurdly young ages. Michael and his siblings thus experienced all of the trauma and disruption that accompanies foster care, and his life was anything but disciplined and orderly. Yet, through it all, he remained determined to find a better life, even when he had no idea what that life might be like.

Oher is not so much celebrating his success here as he is looking to find lessons that can be applied to helping other children escape similar circumstances. He seems to understand that his success did not just happen, but required hard work and extraordinary luck, and he also seems sincere in his desire to pass on the lessons he learned along the way. As a result, this book does, at times, feel a bit 'preachy', but that is certainly forgivable. His story is inspirational and deserves to reach at least as wide an audience as the movie did.

Journal Entry 3 by ResQgeek at BC-in-DC, Bookcrossing Meetup -- Controlled Releases on Saturday, January 19, 2019

Released 5 yrs ago (1/19/2019 UTC) at BC-in-DC, Bookcrossing Meetup -- Controlled Releases

CONTROLLED RELEASE NOTES:

This book will be shared at the monthly BC-in-DC meeting.

Journal Entry 4 by wingMelydiawing at Rockville, Maryland USA on Saturday, January 19, 2019
This was leftover at the end of today's BCinDC meetup. I hope to continue its journey soon.

Released 4 yrs ago (4/28/2019 UTC) at Day Of The Book (Street Festival) On Howard Avenue in Kensington, Maryland USA

WILD RELEASE NOTES:

This is one of the many books given away at the 2019 Kensington Day of the Book Festival.
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