The Blind Side

Has anyone seen the movie yet? It's based on the Michael Lewis book by the same name. I enjoyed Lewis' work in Moneyball.

From Amy Henry in World...

The article summary: "All-American Michael Oher went from the streets as a 15-year-old son of a crack addict to potential NFL Rookie of the Year on the love and dedication of an adoptive family that wouldn’t let him fail."

Michael Oher needed help with the basics. Semi-raised by a crack addict a block from the Mississippi River in west Memphis, he and his 12 siblings survived by begging food from neighbors and hiding from social services....

Just before Thanksgiving that year, the Tuohys were headed home when their daughter Collins, 16, and then Sean Jr., 9, recognized the African-American boy walking along the street as a newcomer at their school, Briarcrest Christian....wearing shorts and shirtsleeves on a chilly night...

It turns out that Oher (pronounced "oar") had a friend whose grandmother's dying wish was that he attend a Christian school....

Within the year the Tuohys adopted Oher....

More important than all the new socioeconomic status, Oher knew for the first time in his life that he was loved....Members of Grace Evangelical Church in Memphis, the Tuohys said that Oher, who came to Christ in high school, feels actions trump words when it comes to living as a Christian....more comfortable showing the love of God by being a caring and loving person than by talking about his faith....

The article details the work required to get his academics in line. Then this from the Dad:

Sean Tuohy hopes the film can lead to discussion of how inner-city public schools pass kids through classes and grade levels when they are failing...Tuohy points out that many who are athletically gifted cannot qualify to play sports in high school because of poor grades, much less graduate with a required 2.5 G.P.A. Often foster care officials will not sign liability forms for children to participate in after-school sports, depriving them of opportunities to develop and excel athletically, and leaving them with huge blocks of free time in which to get in trouble. Often adoptions take up to four years to complete, even though large numbers of children, especially older ones like Oher, languish in foster care. The Tuohys have started the Memphis-based Michael Oher Foundation with home for just those kinds of kids....

As Henry notes at the end of her article, it's interesting and providential that the movie debuts on the weekend of National Adoption Day. Sounds like a good idea to support the movie and celebrate the day!