Chapter 3, Crossing the Line Summary and Analysis

In Chapter 3, the reader meets Big Tony, the man who will take Michael Oher, whom everyone calls "Big Mike," to Briarcrest Christian School. The school is located in East Memphis, and the majority of the school's students are white children from rich families. Michael is poor and black, but Big Tony is trying to help him.

When Big Tony arrives at the school, readers are introduced to the basketball coach, John Harrington, and the football coach, Hugh Freeze. When Freeze first sees Michael, he is stunned by the child's size. Big Tony explains to the administrators at Briarcrest that Big Mike has no father, and his mother is in rehab. According to his school transcripts, he misses a lot of school, and his grades are very bad. Big Tony, however, thinks that perhaps Big Mike...