Book #16 - The Blind Side by Michael Lewis

I am a sucker for "Awards Season" - the Golden Globes, the SAGs and the big show, the Academy Awards. I will sit and watch for hours as the celebrities arrive on the red carpet and make their acceptance speeches. I'd been wanting to see the movie The Blind Side since it hit theaters, but when Sandra Bullock started winning accolades for her portrayal of Leanne Tuhoy, it peaked my interest in the story of Michael Oher even more.

After finishing, I'm glad I didn't see the movie - as I'm sure you've learned from my blog, I'm a big believer that the book is always better, and therefore, it's always wiser to read it first. It took me a while to make it through this one, as the story was very rich and involved a lot of football history. I learned more about the game and the position of left tackle than I ever thought to know. But the background information Lewis provides is necessary in realizing why Michael Oher was such a hot commodity to college football.

What surprised me about the story is that it took place rather recently - Michael Oher graduated from high school in 2005 and he currently plays in the NFL after a successful college football career with the University of Mississippi. He was taken in by the Tuhoy family shortly after he started at Briarcrest Christian School, where their daughter, Collins, was in the same grade.

Michael had a terrible upbringing and childhood - no father, a drug-addict mother and was often sleeping on the streets and scavenging for food. He didn't go to school regularly, meaning he had a lot to catch up on in the classroom before even going to college could become a reality. This book follows Michael's personal struggles and growth more than his performance on the field.

The Tuhoy family's generosity and commitment to a complete stranger really gives me hope that there still are good-hearted people out there who will do what's right even when they know there is nothing to gain in return. The story of Michael Oher is inspiring to anyone - it demonstrates that with a lot of help and perseverance, anything can be possible.

Book #15 - The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time by Mark Haddon

This was another book that was suggested by my cousins Ashleigh and Allison over the holidays. I had never heard of it and I had no idea what to expect, with the exception of the lamentation of my cousins pronouncing "This one is soooo good."

When I looked at the back cover of this novel, one of the reviewers' quotes classified this novel as "A modern day Catcher in the Rye." And I thought, awesome (you all remember how well that one went for me).

However, I was pleasantly surprised by The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time. The main character of this novel is Christopher, a British teenage boy with some sort of mental disability. He finds a neighbor's dog murdered in the yard, and he takes on the charge to solve the mystery of the dog's death.

Along the way, Christopher discovers more than he bargains for, and more than he can mentally handle. He lives with his father and his mother is dead and he has an entire list of things he does and doesn't like. For example, he hates anything brown and yellow; he loves anything red. Christopher is also a math genius and the smartest kid in his school and uses his ability with math and numbers to calm him when necessary.

When Christopher discovers that his father isn't the person he thinks he is, he sets off on a journey and achieves things he never thought possible. During this journey, we understand how difficult it is for a mentally disabled individual to do things that seem so simple, like riding a train or reading a map. But throughout the novel, we also realize how gifted Christopher is and how he can visualize and accomplish things that I could only dream of.

Above all else, this novel is a story of survival. Christopher has to survive every day and rise above the challenges his disability presents. And he also survives a realization that most human beings would let cripple them with hatred and distrust, but he teaches us all to rise above.

Book #14 - The Hours by Michael Cunningham

In the novel The Hours, author Michael Cunningham uses the life and work of Virginia Woolf as his inspiration. Through it, he tells the story of a group of contemporary characters, while shedding some light on who Woolf was, as well. If I had one word to describe The Hours, it would be "depressing," as the novel begins with the narration of Woolf's suicide and carries the somber tone throughout the stories of Mrs. Dalloway and Mrs. Brown, as well.

The lives of these three women are woven together to create this novel. As I was reading, I was constantly trying to figure out how the three would collide, and when they did, I wished they never had. However, the way Cunningham reveals the connection is masterful, regardless of how unexpected and heartbreaking it may be.

The three women in this novel are living lives that they are unhappy with. They tolerate them solely to protect others and because they are the only lives they have ever known. There is a general theme of feeling trapped in this novel - trapped in heterosexuality, trapped with depression and even trapped in motherhood.

I haven't seen the movie, nor have I read Mrs. Dalloway, but after finishing this novel, I'm inclined to pick up both. Cunningham's novel sheds light on parts of the female condition that most writers or filmmakers have tried to and failed. We understand these three women; we feel sorry for them and we root for them to break free from the so-called prisons of their everyday lives. In its own way, this novel allows it characters to live and ultimately seek what they deserve out of life.