My Reading List

Wow. It's literally been months. But I am back, not sure for how long, but the next ten to fifteen minutes at least. Work really interferes with my ability to blog. However, it has not interfered with my ability to get in the occasional light read. Yeah!

I just finished reading three books, two of which, Atonement and The Blind Side, I was really excited about, and the other The Memory Keeper's Daughter, which I only bought because it was part of a 'Buy 1, Get 1 50% Off' deal at Borders. The Memory Keeper's Daughter was utterly useless. Quite frankly, I am surprised it hasn't made the Oprah Book Club list yet. But I suppose she has been busy campaigning for Barack. Anyway, I don't want to waste anymore time on the book. I already lost two hours of my life to it.

I was a little suspicious of Atonement, especially when the movie previews came out with Keira Knightly pouting around an English estate in that ridiculous green dress. But what can I say, I am a sucker for romance and period novels. By now, I am sure everyone is familiar with the plot - a little melodramatic no? Star crossed, class crossed lovers. Separated by a horrid lie, wrought from a child with an over active imagination, and Hitler's war. But in a period romance, it is unavoidable!

However, beyond the melodrama, the pacing of the book seemed off. I found the first part of the book interesting and well written, but slow. I could skip entire pages without missing anything at all. Especially true during the battle scenes. Not quite sure what was going on there. Despite my issues with the first part of the book, I found the latter half of the book far less engaging. Not only was the plot was completely predictable! it was also rushed.

Character development was another issues. Robbie and Cee, the emotional center of the novel failed to deliver for me. I didn't feel any connection to them what so ever. To the end, Robbie in remained nothing but a hormonal teenager disguised as a chain smoking, Cambridge intellectual. And Cee wasn't much better as a vapid, ineffectual, little rich girl.

Since reading The Blind Side, I have found myself watching football differently. I confess or perhaps compliment myself on being a sophisticated football watcher, in that I have always tried to watch the offensive line and the pocket. But the left tackle. Never really knew who he was, until Michael Lewis told me.

I found the first chapter or so of the book on the "evolution of the game" really interesting. The evolving importance of the passing game, the spread offense, the West Coast offense, etc. The decline of the running back, and the increased importance of the quarterback and hence the quarterback's protector, in the evolving passing game. The second half of the book, the story of Michael Oher was touching, something I would expect to see in the New York Times Magazine, where it was apparently excerpted some time back. But in a way the "rags to riches" story of Oher is troubling. Based on what I know of Memphis, the state of Tennessee, and Harold Ford Jr.'s unsuccessful presidential bid, there is something almost sinister in the way a rich, white, Southern, Christian, Republican family adopted Oher. Would they have adopted him if they hadn't seen his potential as an athlete? I can't help but wonder. I also can't help but wonder if my cynicism is getting in the way of appreciating real love and generosity.

At some point, the book became a bit tedious. It lacked the wit that I expect from Lewis. Towards the end it becomes clear that there are kids like Oher all across America's cities with the talent to make it as professional athletes. But they lack the access to education, to scouts, to a strong support structure, etc. You cannot help but wonder what the right market clearing price for talent would be if all these kids could be "adopted" like Oher. Or what it could mean in terms of uplifting entire families and breaking the cycle of poverty that pervades the inner city. On the whole though, the book ended up feeling a little more Reader's Digest, which is not a bad thing per say, just unexpected. So reader beware, this is no Liar's Poker.

Still I am look forward to seeing Michael Oher play next year either for Ole Miss or as a first round draft pick. Who would ever have thought the block and tackle would be worth more than the golden arm!