Thus began the great Mormon grade-grab. (214)
“The Mormons may be going to hell,” said Shawn. “But they really are nice people.” (228)
I’m not much for sports reading, so it seems odd to me that of the three sports books I read in 2008, two would mentions Mormons. (I blogged the other one here).
The Blind Side by Micheal Lewis is two books in one. It’s a history of the left tackle position in the game of American Football, and it’s also the story of MichaelOher, and inner city high school student (who, at first glance, fits many of the stereotypes: black, one of thirteen kids to a single mom who takes drugs, barely attends school, obsessed with basketball, etc. ) who, through a series of interesting events, is admitted to an exclusive (and nearly all-white) private Christian school, is taken in by a rich white family, and turns out to be one of the most heavily recruited high school football players in the nation.
It’s a fascinating book, sure to inspire as many people as it offends (as it deals with many touchy issues of race and class).
The quotes about Mormons appear at a point where Michael needs to improve his grades so he can be admitted to college. To raise his grade point average, he takes several correspondence courses from BYU, called “character courses” that are treated as the equivalent of high school classes. He does well enough that he raises his GPA to the minimum needed to play football in college.
I’ve never taken a correspondence course through BYU, so I have no idea what the “character courses” entail. The book implies that these are softball courses and something of a scam – only a step above a diploma mill. A nice way to get some easy A grades. I really don’t know enough to make a judgment on that. However, I thought this was interesting enough that M* readers would appreciate it.
So – whether you’ve read the book or not: any thoughts?