The Blind Side (book) Summary

Chapter One opens with the second-by-second replay of a football play known as the “throw back special.”In this play, Washington Redskin Joe Theismann is playing quarterback and New York Giant Lawrence Taylor is playing defensive tackle. This explains why the Right offensive Tackle is the second most valuable player on a team, because Lawrence Taylor made it so Joe Theismann would never walk again. In Chapter Two It only talks about Tom Lennings and how he was stunned by Micheal Oher's Recruitment video and when Lemming was 23-years-old, he had the novel idea that he’d visit every high school in America to see every high school football player, and then publish a book about who he thought should be playing college ball. Chapter Three starts the real story of Micheal Oher. Its starts off with "Big" Tony going to Briarcrest Christian School with Micheal and Tony's son Steven. Tony is There to enroll Steven ,due to a deal with his mother on her death bed to get Steven a education. The only way Tony was able to get there boys in was through Coach Hugh Freeze. Freeze convinced a board to enroll Micheal into the school. Most of the new teachers find out at the public schools, the teachers just passed Micheal along and never taught him any thing. They only found out that Micheal could only take tests orally. Sean Tuohy first met Michael Oher in the Briarcrest gym. Sean had grown up as a poor white kid in a rich school, so he understood the struggles of the poor students at Briarcrest. When he realized that Michael rarely had food to eat, he funded Michael’s school account. He thought it would end there, with just lunch. However, one day in the winter, the Tuohy family saw Michael walking from school at night, through the snow, still wearing the same cut-off jeans and t-shirt he wore everyday. And that's when they let him in for the first time. In Chapter Four, we start to hear of the coaches thirst for Micheal'a athletic Abilities. The first team Michael played for was track and field, throwing discus. When Coach Burgess brought Michael out to the field, it was obvious that Michael was seeing a track and field meet for the first time. But by the end of the track and field season, Michael would make the new Tennessee state record for discus. The next football season, Michael was finally allowed to play, but the coaches were surprised to see that he had absolutely no aggression on the field. It was as if he was afraid to make a tackle. One practice, Michael’s hand split open and he curled up in the fetal position screaming. The school had to send him to the hospital for stitches but they had no idea how to reach his parents. They called the Tuohys instead. Leigh Ann decides to pay for is bills, even though he still didn't live with them yet.For a few weeks, Michael moved around staying with various families from Briarcrest who volunteered a bed for Michael one night at a time. Finally, Leigh Anne Tuohy insisted that Michael move in with them fulltime. And thats' When Micheal met Sean Jr. Chapter Five Talks about the December 1975, Cincinnati Bengals game and how they lost to The Oakland raiders ue to the lack of effort by the linemen.  quarterback accuracy rose from 50 – 60% during those same years (The only reason I'm keeping some chapters short is because it spends alot of time on the dynamics of football.) In Chapter Six Michael was still missing was a real sense of aggression on the field. Coach Freeze had taught him many techniques, but aggression needed to come from a natural place; Michael Oher needed a fighting spirit. When he was finally allowed to play during his sohomore year at Briarcrest School, Coach Freeze noted that Michael looked like he was just wandering around the field lost. Since Micheal Had been living with thee Tuohys for a while he asked for their assistance in getting a drivers license. Since Michael had no birth certificate, no criminal record, or no state issued ID. Leigh Anne made it her personal mission to find Michael’s document and in this discovery she found out , through his birth mother, his name was actually Michael Jerome Williams, and that his birth date was wrong. He eventually got his rivers license. In Chapter Seven after winning a State Chapionship game, Micheal is getting  more interested in colleges.  Michael would choose to attend college grew as Coach Hugh Freeze vied for Michael to attend University of Tennessee and the Tuohys hoped Michael would attend Ole Miss. The author goes on to describing the chaos of the recruitment calls on Wednesday nights. But one evening, Leigh Anne received a frantic call from Collins that there had been an accident. Michael had been driving a car, with Sean Jr. riding in the passenger seat that skidded on the ice and slammed into a van. Michael and the other driver were fine, but SJ’s face was a swollen mess. The hospital doctors were amazed that the airbag hadn’t broken SJ’s nose or knocked out his teeth. She then checked on Micheal and saw he protected SJ from the crash with his arm. Eventually after more effortless recruitment call Micheal chooses Ole Miss. Chapter 9 focuses on the history of 49er’s left tackle, Steve Wallace.In a game against the Minnesota Vikings, Wallace was set to guard the Viking player Chris Doleman who often pancaked the quarterback.  Wallace calmly and efficiently blocked Doleman, allowing his quarterback, Joe Montana, to throw 3 perfect touchdown passes.   This created a uproar in sports media and helped bump the pay of left and right Offensive Tackles. In Chapteer Seven, ends his high school career and begins his College, his plays in the Egg Bowl, and his NFL Career. After The Egg Bowl, many of his team mates gave him a harsh time. They were insulting Michael for being raised in a “cracker” family and stating that he intended to “have sex with Michael’s white sister, but only after he’d had sex with Michael’s white mother.” Michael snapped and beat this player, Antonio Turner, badly. During the fight, he failed to notice that somehow, a professor’s 3-year-old son had gotten caught up in the raucous and now lay in a pool of his own blood. Panicked, Michael fled the scene. He ran because ever since his childhood, it was the only thing he knew how to do for protection. Chapter eleven and Ten are closely related from him child hood. Michael’s mother, Dee Dee Oher, had grown up knowing that her father had been murdered. She never found out by whom. Her mother had been an alcoholic completely incapable of taking care of Dee Dee or her brother, Robert.  Dee Dee bounced around in foster homes and institutions before getting hooked on drugs and giving birth to her first son at the age of twenty. The father of her first four children, Odelle Watkins, soon ended up in prison for murder. When a friend of his, Michael Jerome Williams, was released from prison, Watkins asked if he would pay Dee Dee a visit, just to tell her that he was doing alright.By the time Michael was 5-years-old, Dee Dee had given birth to 4 more children. Now she was raising 13 children all under the age of 15 but she wasn’t really caring for any of them because she was too addicted to crack cocaine. Ironically, from the time Michael was very young, his greatest fear was that he would be separated from his mother. That fear was realized when Michael was 8-years-old and child protective services came to place him in a foster home. This is were Micheal learned how to run. He ran from almost every foster home he was placed in.  Michael aged maturing Hurt Village. When Michael was 15-years-old, he met Big Tony, a man who promised he could help Michael reach that dream. This was right around the time that Big Tony’s mother Betty Boo died, and he took Steven and Michael to Briarcrest Christian School.  In Chapter 12, Michael continued running from the scene of his fight with Antonio Tuner. He ran long after the little white kid was taken away in an ambulance and the police arrived to press charges. Michael ran like he had run when he was a boy, running from authority. After a while, Micheal had enough. Michael picked up his cell phone and called Sean Tuohy, the man he referred to as his father. Sean handled the phone call calmly, then promised to take care of everything. And he did. Through some well-placed donations, Tuohy managed to convince the entire community to brush the incident under the rug. After this unfortunate incident, Michael focused his energy on success, doing what he could to stay out of trouble and ensure his NFL career. Meanwhile, Sean Tuohy had turned his interest in other inner city black athletes who didn’t have access to the system that could further their own careers. After that they go into further depth of another child the Touhys took care of and raised to play professional Football.That was the end of the Blind Side. This was way different from the movie than I imagined.

CHAPTER 21-27 Summary of the Hunger Games

I am so happy and sad to say this is my last Hunger Games Summary. This was a terrific book and I high suggest this read! So we start off with Peeta and Katniss in a cave with Peeta wounded. While they are in there, Katniss tells him of her happiest day. In this Katniss tells of how, she and Gale hunted a deer and how they got a goat for prim. Katniss also gives him some syrup, which eventually knocks him out. After that Katniss heads to the cornucopia, she sees Fox-Face and gets attacked by Clove. They both fight it out, but The boy that came with Rue, kills Clove. They both leave, Cato comes to the scene and Katniss blacks out. Now this is chapter 22 and it was short. Katniss wakes to Peeta helping her get back to heath. She eats the food that is left and realizes to get more, she has to go on with the act of being in love wit Peeta. SO she makes out with him and Peeta tells of his crush. After they hear Threash's canon, the boy for District 11, the two go hunting. Katniss does the hunting and Peeta does the gathering. They decide to use the Mocking-jay system again. after awhile Katniss gets worried. She goes to the meeting point and notice there are poisonous berries on the ground. She runs in to Peeta all scared, BOOM! another canon when off, Apparently Fox-Face had done some eating; the berries. They go back to the cave for the night. When they wake up the see the stream had been dammed (like beaver dam), by the Gamemakers to force them to the lake. They see Cato all buffed out in armor running from creatures. They all run to the cornucopia. There Katniss shoots one of the creatures. Then Cato puts Peeta in a headlock. She shoots Cato's hand and Peeta Knocks him into the pack of wolves killing him. Now shut the front door! At that point The announcer declares the previous rule change is no longer in affect. So what are they to do, Peeta still had some berries and suggests they both kill themselves to they do not have a winner. Immediately a hover craft takes the two up. They are taken to a recovery center and split up. She find herself naked in a room. She asks a Avox if Peeta is alright and the Avox nods Yes. She gets clothed and meets up with Haymitch, Effe, and Cinna. Haymitch informs her on her stunt and that she is in trouble. (OOOOOHHHHH) They Get interviewed  by Ceaser Flickermen again and then head back to District 12. It ends with Katniss all confused with her emotions. 

Due to sudden events the Final Hunger Games Summary and Analysis has been postponed till 3/13/14 and the Lord Of the Rings Summary scheduled for 3/13/14 has been moved to 3/15/14

Thank you,
Matt

Chapters 16-21 summary of The Hunger Games

Chapters 16-19 summary of The Hunger Games 

In this part we see the connection between Rue and Katniss. Rue teaches Katniss something really cool. Rue sings to Mocking Jays  and teaches Katniss. They recently decided to make a plan. They are going to lure the Career Tributes out of their camp by the lake. Rue is set off fire fires in the distance while Katniss is to spy on the camp. Three of the four tributes leave while Rue sets off the fire. While hiding Katniss hears Cato say Peeta is in the woods. This meant he was no longer part of their group. Then Katniss notices something weird about the supply primary There are landmines around the supplies. It takes three shots at a apple bag to test the traps. A apple rolled down and hit a mine. BOOOOM!!! Katniss blew it up.

After the explosion Katniss pulls herself to the surrounding bushes to witness Cato snap the neck of one of the tributes that was part of his group.  Katniss falls asleep there and wakes up thinking of the other remaining tributes are doing sleeping in the cold. Then Katniss realizes, "RUE!" She races back to find Rue, with a spear in her.Katniss shoots Rue's killer with a single arrow. Katniss cries while the mocking jays sign and Rue's canon goes off . She decides to give her a proper burial. She collects wild flowers to surround her body. She sleeps that night and imagines Rue teaching Katniss her song. She wakes up the next day and heads towards the stream. She notices blood, but no body. She sleeps in a tree again for that night. All of a  sudden a announcement is made: Two players from the same district can still both win. Katniss finds Peeta and asks for a truce. She found him camouflaged in the mud and leaves. They go and find shelter and she digs out the tracker jacker stingers and applies the burn cream and then fever reducer. Katniss finds out that Cato stabbed Peeta in the leg.  She takes care of his cloths and his injuries. Eventually she kiss Peeta. Katniss steps outside to see another gift from Haymitch, hot broth. He wrote a note to her that said more romance means more sponsors. she walks back and kisses him again, waking him.  

Chapters 10-15  Summary of the Hunger Games 


This book is amazing, I love it so far. I recommend instead of watch the movies, don't get me wrong THE MOVIE IS GREAT, but the book gives way more description and creates a very vast mental image for the reader. As we left off, we witnessed Peeta's confession of love for Katniss. She is mad, yells at him, and  pushes Peeta into an urn, cutting his hand. Though, Haymitch reveals he was on for the deal of revealing his crush, for sponsors of course. They argue more into the night. The next mourning they prepare for the game, both Cinna and Haymitch give advice on how to stay alive. They are given trackers, and flown to the arena. The Games Have Began. 

Katniss stands on the platform, waiting for the gong to ring and start the game. Katniss has a lot of thoughts running through her head. Whether to run or go to the Cornucopia, get a bow or a bag. She chooses to go get a bag and dash.  A knife is thrown at her backpack while running  away from another tribute. She heads to the forest and checks her bag, she finds a sleeping bag, food, matches, wire, iodine, sunglasses, and a water bottle. For the night, she stays in a tree and hears the canon. The canon is shot 1  every time a tribute dies. One shot, two shot, they keep coming, twelve shots. Half of the tributes are dead. In the mourning she wakes up and hears some of the other tributes and Peeta's.

She watches the tributes kill one of the other girl tributes. She witness the gruesome murder. She checks her snares she set last night and finds a rabbit. She cooks it on the recently deiced tribute's fire.  She keeps going in the forest and can't find any water. Katniss's finds some berries, but doesn't due to doubt if they are poisoned. She sleeps another night, thirsty and parched. Katniss is dehydrated, but finally a break is caught. She finds a pond, puts the water in the bottle with a drop of iodine, waits and enjoys the moistness of the water in her mouth. She can only stay for a little bit though. She walks a little bit before a fireball is coming straight for Katniss. She realizes that the fire is no accident and  it must be the Gamemakers. Katniss's jacket catches  on fire, then she vomits.   Katniss stumbles across the pond and gets some relief from her burns by jumping in. the pond.  Katniss hears feet and  runs to climbs up a tree. The pack of  tributes has found her. She stays up there all night in the agony inflicted by her burn. Midway through the night she notices that a tribute from District 11 Is in the tree next to her.  

The two in the trees create a plan to make the others leave. While up there Katniss receives a gift from Haymitch, healing ointment.  Rue, the girl from District 11, sees a hive of bees on the tree.  These are not any ordinary bees though, they are Tracker Jackers. They are genetically modified killer bees, whose sting causes powerful hallucinations. Katniss takes her knife and cuts the limb off with the hive on it. While cutting it she takes a few stings from the Tracker Jackers. As soon as the hive got the tributes below, frantically ran off. One did not make it though, a Career Tribute by the name of Glimmer, got killed by the massive amount of stings on her body. Katniss is dizzy and now the stings are setting in.  Katniss wakes up from her dreams of Gale and Peeta, after two days. After healing the wounds with the ointment from Haymitch, Katniss searches for food and water.  She got some birds to eat and shares them with Rue. While eating they decide to share supplies and start talking about the other survivors. Katniss finds out the other tributes went and took all the supplies from the cornucopia and the two come up with a plan. 

Schedule

THIS IS THE SCHEDULE FOR THE NEXT THREE WEEKS

These can be expected to be published from 7 pm -12 pm EST 

• 3/15/14 Book 1: Chapters 1-6 of The Fellowship of The Rings (Summary)
• 3/15/14 Book 1: Chapters 7-12 of The Fellowship of The Rings (Summary)
• 3/18/14 Book 2 of The Fellowship of The Rings (Summary)
• 3/20/14 Summary of The Blind Side
• 3/21/14 Literary Analysis of The Blind Side 
• 3/21/14 Literary Analysis of The Hunger Games
• 3/21/14 Literary Analysis of The Fellowship of the Rings

The Hunger Games Chapters 5-9

As I read more and more, I got more intrigued with this book. Whether its how Katniss's attitude toward something or an event like try outs, I started to love this book. In the beginning of this section, we see how people in the capitol are compared to in some of the districts that don't have all of the pleasures people here have.  A example of this is when they have to get the tributes glamorized enough for the crowds. We meet another mentor of the two tributes of District 12, Cinna. Cinna does all the beauty work to get Katniss and Peeta sponsors and get people to like them.  We see Cinna's ability to wow people first when he asks "Your not afraid of fire, are you Katniss?"(Collins 65)  Cinna had made both Peeta and Katniss suits that are on fire, well not real fire.  This is where we see the beginning of the relationship between Katniss and Peeta when the two hold hands. Then proceeded by the crowd going wild and Katniss giving Peeta a kiss on the cheek.  

After the ceremonies The tributes and the mentors go to their rooms. Later they have dinner and Katniss causes a stir. Katniss says that she recognizes a Avox. Effie gets a bit sassy here. She says that it is impossible because a Avox is someone who committed a crime and got their tough cut out. Peeta then covers her by saying that she looks like a girl from the Seam. After dinner Peeta and Katniss go on the roof. Katniss wonders if she could jump off and end this, and once again Peeta saves her by saying its electrified. Later that night, the Avox gets Katniss's Outfit and all Katniss does is hide under the covers. She gets the sense that the Avox will enjoy watching Katniss die. 

The next mourning at Breakfast, Haymitch decides to go over strategies for the Game. After that the two go to training. they have two options at training, Combat Training or Survival Skills. The two choose Survival skills by learning about knots and camouflage, which Peeta likes. On the second day of training the two notice a girl watching them, Rue. They notice Rue is good with plants and trees. On the Third day, the Gamemakers and the tributes have private training. Katniss uses her archery skills.  She shoots a couple of errors and then gets more precise with her shots and notices now cares any more. She sees a Pig with a apple in the mouth on the table for the Gamemakers. She shoots the apple, startles the Gamemakers, and storms off. She goes back to the room and waits for the scores. Most of the career tributes get good scores, along with Peeta. Due to Katniss's  dramatic show, she got a score of  11/12 which was the highest anyone had got.  The next mourning she wakes up thinking of Gale. She remembers her first time meeting Gale and how pleasant it was.That day was the day the interviews were made. Cinna styled both of the two and gave Katniss a dress and a nickname. He gave her a dress that lights up with fire and subsequently gives her the name "The Girl on Fire." Her interview with the host Ceaser Flickerman went very well, especially when she showed her flames. Next was Peeta, he told about his life in District 12 and tells the reader about his crush. It is useless though, because "I came to the games with her." (Collins 130-131)

The Hunger Games Summary: Chapters 1-4

(I'd like to preference this by saying that I have not read this before and have seen the movie, so I know the major plot points.)

To start this is shaping up to be a good book and that I understand the hype over the book. Here you meet the strong 16 years old Katniss Everdeen. The story covers the background of her. She has a 12 year old sister Prim, a emotionally distraught mother, and a deceased father from a mining accident. The reader also gets the metal image that Suzanne Collins is painting of the starving, poverty stricken District 12. Katniss has to illegally hunt to feed her family because her mother does not have a job. While the reader listens to her hunt, they approach Gale, Katniss's friend. The  reader explores the tight relationship between  the two. Then comes the Reaping. The reaping is where each of the twelve districts send two tributes, one boy and one girl from the ages twelve to eighteen, to fight to the death in a arena. This shows how crazy a tyrannical government can be. At the reaping's the drawing of names Prim come up and Katniss volunteers to take her place. At the reaping we meet three other very important main characters: Effie Trinket, Haymitch and Peeta. Haymitch is the only Hunger Games winner from District 12 and bit of alcoholic.  Peeta Malark is the boy chosen to go to the hunger games from District 12. Peeta and Katniss have a bit of a back story. One rainy day, Katniss had been searching through a bakery's trash for food but had been chased of by Peeta mother and Peeta saw who? Hungry Katniss. He burnt two loafs of bread and took abuse for just to give them to Katniss.  After this Katniss says goodbye to her family and Gale. I have finished the book today and end this by saying i will be posting all the other summaries daily and a final response after the summaries