Post #2: Turned Out (an Intro)

 

The new book I'm reading, The Pursuit of Happyness, is a memoir of author Chris Gardner's life. He was beat by his abusive stepfather growing up in a rule-free house with not much help from his mother. Because of this treatment, Chris decides he wants order and consequences for his actions by joining the Navy. However, later on in the book, while living in San Francisco, he relearns a valuable lesson:, the most important line of the chapter, and maybe even the book (I am not done reading yet), "For the second time in my adulthood, I was preparing to relearn that lesson about being careful what you wish for" (Gardner 172).

       Chris had made a mistake in who had married earlier in his life. He was wanting a quiet life with some sort of structure. With his first wife, he got what he wanted, but didn't realize how much he disliked the overbearing rules. That was when he first realized he had made a mistake in what he wished for. The second mistake, was to start dating a girl who was the opposite of his first wife. While he liked her, she was too much for him and he would end being a single daddy without a stable job. Will he make a third mistake in what he wishes? He sure loves his child to death, but the question remains, "Was it worth it?" I think it will turn out well for Chris, but who knows? (Anyone who has read the book knows, but I haven't finished it yet so...).

Summer Reading: The Blind Side

The book, The Blind Side: Evolution of a Game, features Michael Oher as the main character. To most people, he was a big and dumb person, and that was true. He had barely moved from grade to grade, with teachers barely giving him a passing grade. He had been in 11 different schools, and had repeated 1st grade. When others would 1st meet Michael, he would be quiet and shy. For example, he was barely audible when he had to talk to the NCAA people about his college eligibility. However, as the books moves on and Michael becomes better acquainted with people such as the Tuhoy family, he interacts with the Tuhoy's children like they were his siblings from their births. Michael was also initially dumb. Going into his senior year of high school, according to the book, Michael had a 1.56 GPA and was 161st in his class of 161. By the time Michael would graduate, he would have a 2.05 GPA, and was now 154th out of 157 in his class. Michael's development as a complex character impacts The Blind Side: Evolution of a Game's theme, which is "Don't judge a book by its cover", or don't judge someone because of how they look and the stereotypes associated with those traits. Michael is the reason for this theme, and can only enhance the theme of this great book.



The article below is a review of the book from "The Washington Post". They give some background information about the people involved in the book, whether it be Michael Lewis, the author, or the actual characters themselves. The review of The Blind Side: Evolution of a Game is a fair and honest review and gives a general summary of the book.

The Blind Side Review


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