This past week I finished reading "The Blind Side" by Michael Lewis. As I've mentioned before, "The Blind Side" is the story of Michael Oher, a young homeless, African-American boy from Memphis who is taken in by a rich, White family. Michael begins attending a prestigious private, Christian school and earns a high school degree and college football scholarship to the University of Mississippi. The main thing I read about this week was the struggles that Michael encountered when he entered college because of his unique background and situation. As an African-American being raised in a White family, Michael struggles to fit in with any group of people. He was not completely comfortable in a White, upper class social situation and other young African-American men resented Michael for the opportunities he was given in life. After encountering early struggles in college, Michael perseveres and earns his college degree while excelling on the football field. After his senior year, Michael is selected in the first round of the NFL Draft. Currently, Michael plays offensive line for the Baltimore Ravens.
Besides the themes that I have previously mentioned, I believe that one of the central themes in "The Blind Side" is race and its impact on people, communities, and society. Although many people may think otherwise, I believe that race and racism is still a very powerful issue in our society today. With that being said, I do believe that our society has made great strides in dealing with race and racism in the last 50 years. "The Blind Side" demonstrates the gap that continues to exist between races in our society, but it also demonstrates how people who care about one another can bridge this gap. Stories like "The Blind Side" provide hope that we can continue to make progress towards a society where people do not notice race and a reality of life without racism can truly be realized.
My Reading Log
12/3 10-11:30 pm
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