Through My Eyes

Through My Eyes
Tim Tebow
HarperCollins, 2011

I have been waiting on this one to release for...months. And maybe, on some philosophic level, I've been waiting on this book for years, since that first game - that first glimpse - of the football phenom known as 'Tim Tebow'. This may be a good time to note: I am a passionate SEC football fan, with special passion for the Florida Gators and their former quarterback Tim Tebow. Thus, this post is one-part book review and many-parts football girl responding to her favorite quarterback's memoir. Consider yourself forewarned.

Through My Eyes is Tebow's story - we know some of it: what we watched with our own eyes, what sports shows and reporters told us in blurbs and bits and specials, what the media in general picked up and broadcast. There's no denying that Tim Tebow is quite possibly one of the most polarizing figures to ever play the game of college football, if not among athletes in general. People love him or hate him, but there's no question his ability and presence demands respect. But these things developed around the outside view - and while we as a people like to claim we know our 'celebrities', how well do we really know them? Do we really know what's going on in their head, what they're thinking and feeling? Chances are: No. And that's where these memoirs come in - allowing us the chance to relive experiences, seeing it through the eyes of the person who actually lived it.

Starting at the very beginning, and working systematically through his life up to early this year, Tebow tells us the way he saw things - from reflections on how he was raised and the experiences that nontraditional upbringing allowed, to reliving some of the most amazing, breathless moments of college football, this is his story - through his eyes. And I absolutely loved it. Knowing some of the story from the years I've spent watching him play, I thoroughly enjoyed getting "the insider" perspective. I think anyone reading it would quickly see how the way he grew up translates onto his performance and spirit on the field. Also, once his college career at Florida started, I remembered so many of those games - watching them, texting my friends with running commentary and exclamations, holding my breath and shrieking in delight (sometimes agony), even crying -- I got to relive all those moments, and see things I didn't get to see over the television screen or in post-game write-ups.

Rest assured: while this is definitely a pro-football book, it's also the story of a very passionate young man who knows exactly who he is and why he is where he is - and is not afraid to share anything. There is emphasis placed on Tebow's unabashed Christian faith, but it's not intimidating or demeaning: it simply explains and helps define who he is and why he behaves and speaks as he does.  Additionally, this memoir serves double-duty as a challenge to live our lives with purpose and meaning, to "finish strong". It made me stop and think about who I am and where my dreams are - where I've been and where I'm going. It's a challenge and an encouragement, and some really amazing football.

Book provided by my local library.