Through My Eyes [Hardcover]

Tim Tebow (Author), Nathan Whitaker (Collaborator)

Book Description

Release date: May 31, 2011

FormerUniversity of Florida star quarterback, 2010 first-round draft pick for theDenver Broncos, and devout Christian Tim Tebow tellsthe story of his faith, his life, and his career in football in Through MyEyes. Written with Nathan Whitaker, the New York Times bestsellingcoauthor of Quiet Strength, with Tony Dungy, Through My Eyes givesfans a first look into the heart of an athlete whose talent and devotion havemade him one of the most provocative figures in football.

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

Over the course of the last five years, Tim Tebow established himself as one of the greatest quarterbacks in the history of college football and a top prospect in the NFL. During that time he amassed an unparalleled resume—winning two BCS national championships, becoming the first sophomore in NCAA history to win the Heisman trophy, and in the face of massive public scrutiny, being drafted in the first round of the NFL draft by the Denver Broncos.

Now, in Through My Eyes, Tebow brings readers everywhere an inspirational memoir about life as he chose to live it, revealing how his faith and family values, combined with his relentless will to succeed, have molded him into the person that he is today. As the son of Christian missionaries, Tebow has a unique story to tell—from the circumstances of his birth, to his home-schooled roots, to his record-setting collegiate football career with the Florida Gators and everything else that took place in between.

At every step, Tebow's life has defied convention and expectation. While aspects of his life have been well-documented, the stories have always been filtered through the opinions and words of others. Through My Eyes is his passionate, firsthand, never-before-told account of how it all really happened.

About the Author

Tim Tebow is an NFL quarterback, who was a first-round draft pick in 2010. He was the first-ever sophomore to win the Heisman Trophy and won the NCAA National Football Championships twice with the University of Florida Gators. His charitable organization, the Tim Tebow Foundation, was established in 2010 to bring faith, hope, and love to those in need.

Nathan Whitakeris the coauthor of three New York Times bestsellers including Quiet Strength, which he co-wrote with Tony Dungy. He lives in Florida.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 272 pages
• Publisher: Harper; 1 edition (May 31, 2011)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0062007289
• ISBN-13: 978-0062007285
• Product Dimensions: 6.3 x 1.1 x 9.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (332 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #26,003 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #27 in Books > Sports & Outdoors > Football (American)

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

227 of 251 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Great inspiration to read with my daughter! June 1, 2011

By Mile High Mommy

Format:Kindle Edition

Reading this with my daughter has been a gift I'll treasure forever. I hadn't expected a young man to have much wisdom to share just being so young (and he addresses that nicely), but I have found more than just the story enjoyable - the book has been a great conversation piece for me with my 10 year old daughter. I am grateful Tebow created this story for family and friends to share together. What a gift!

Example - the chapter about Tim's mom's pregnancy impressed me with the delicacy and dignity he (with Nathan Whitaker) uses to offer the story. Here, I had expected a more evangelical Tebow (which I would have been fine with), but it never got "preachy" - just inspiring and touching the heart deeply.

Generally, to me, Tebow seems to present his faith as HIS and absolutely the only right answer FOR HIM. He doesn't express his faith as the only truth for everyone, but rather uses his platform to explain how valuable it has been to him personally. I didn't get the feeling that he was holding himself up as the gold standard whatsoever (again, I might have been just fine with that, because he does seem to be a fine modern example of a young man dealing with fame and faith beautifully, and, besides, I couldn't be offended because I happen to agree with him in this respect).

I am thrilled his story has been genuine, heartfelt and inspiring. And he hasn't really even lived but a small portion of his lifetime yet - so I can't wait for the sequel! :)
I hope that one leads to the greatest heights of his hopefully legendary career. More importantly, a legendary LIFE :)

UPDATE: BOOK SIGNING, TATTERED COVER, DENVER 06-04-11 > What a class act this man is! Took my daughter and my neice to have their books signed.... They both feel so blessed that they got to shake his hand as he looked sincerely into their eyes and told them it was HIS honor to meet THEM! OMG - to see a child's heart touched (and eyes tear) from hearing such an inspiring remark from someone who is larger than life to them both. He treated them as if they were the only people there for that moment.

My neice leaves in 6 days to work at orphanages in Africa for 3 weeks and was overjoyed that I gave her Through My Eyes to read on her trip. She's going to LOVE having this book with her - in her hands and in her heart as she works in Africa! GB2 to Mr. Tebow! Read more ›

81 of 91 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Inspirational and motivational read May 31, 2011

By Brookeh

Format:Kindle Edition

This is a wonderful story of Tim Tebow's journey to the NFL. It is a very personal and heartwarming book, and gives you his take on all of the media-scrutinized events of his life. I really enjoyed this, and can't wait to read this with my nine year old son.

28 of 29 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A new Tim Tebow fan January 8, 2012

By Stephanie Granger

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

I'm not an avid football fan, I know the game but I don't follow it every season and was oblivious to Tim Tebow and his career until about a month ago when he started to make headlines for his consecutive 4th Quarter comebacks. When his success brought national attention to his Faith it opened up discussions amongst my family about the negativity displayed toward his praying, particularly by Bill Maher. My sister gifted me "Through My Eyes" for my Kindle on Christmas and I was surprised to learn that one of my peers had already published an autobiography.
I do not have a problem with the age in which he published this memoir, although based on reading other reviews, it seems there are critics. I found it refreshing to hear from someone from my generation who not only has a good head on his shoulders but an impeccable work ethic. In the fashion of a good inspirational sports story, I found myself more motivated to work harder and longer in my training for an upcoming marathon after reading Tim's mantras and about his successes.
I also found myself more motivated to pray. Although I am Christian, I am embarrassingly lackadaisical when it comes to praying and I wouldn't say Tebow's excessive praying guilted me into wanting to be more devout, but he did make me realize where God's presence was missing in my life due to my own neglect.
So based on Tebow's goal of writing an inspirational autobiography, I believe he has succeeded in getting out his message and affecting at least one life. As for the story, his story, I enjoyed reading about his upbringing and collegiate career. There were times when I felt he could have elaborated more on events in his life which he briefly mentions but could have lead to some great stories (i.e.... a road trip with a packed car, a date with a fan with a brain tumor). And despite the low page count, I found the book very dense, with almost play by play details of all of his collegiate games.
I really like Tim Tebow based on what I read, and I am proud of the platform he has worked so hard and diligently to create for himself. Whether you're a fan of the Gators or Broncos, you cannot deny the results, his championship wins and other accomplishments (i.e. Heisman) had to be earned.
Before reading "Through My Eyes", I was aware that he is a devout Christian and I also felt his actions on and off the field were commendable, that he is a good role model. I feared the naysayers and comedians like Maher would discourage him - eat him up for praying, then losing a handful of games, and the public tears - but after reading his autobiography, I learned that this is nothing new for this tough football player with a big heart. He is no stranger to critics. Hopefully he will continue to succeed both on the field with the Broncos and off with his TIm Tebow Foundation. I finished "Through My Eyes" just in time to watch the Broncos defeat the Steelers in the AFC Wild Card Game; it looks like Tebow will continue to make a name for himself in the NFL and it's exciting to see him succeed. Read more ›

63 of 72 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Amazing!!! June 3, 2011

By Mr CJ

Format:Hardcover

As a huge LSU fan from Baton Rouge I hated when we played Tebow and Florida but I always respected the man's determination. This book lets you in on his thought process and shows how vital an iron will is to success. This book is like the movie Rudy on steroids as it is not only a motivational read but a look at the dissapointments in life and how you can't let it beat you. I could not be happier with this book and Tebow makes fearing God look cool.

27 of 30 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful role model June 5, 2011

By B. Davis

Format:Hardcover

What a fantastic role model is this young man. My husband and I have watched him play football for years and knew that he was going to become one of the greatest to ever play the game, but now we see that his life-view is also remarkable. This is such an inspirational book! I would recommend it to anyone; especially, to young people.

103 of 126 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars Touchdown Jesus October 25, 2011

By Kevin Quinley VINE™ VOICE

Format:Hardcover

On the campus of the University of Notre Dame - within sight of its football stadium - is a statue of Jesus with his arms upraised. Due to the statue's proximity to the gridiron, many have informally dubbed the statue, "Touchdown Jesus."

Many could use the same moniker for Tim Tebow, the Bible toting, scripture-spouting quarterback, ex-Heisman Trophy winner, national football champ for the University of Florida Gators and now (at least this week) the starting quarterback for the Denver Broncos.

It is unusual for someone in their early 20's to write an autobiography. Tim Tebow seems to understand that some people are fascinated by his story and hunger for more.

Others are nauseated by it. There are Tebow lovers and Tebow haters. Few seem neutral about Tim Tebow. He is an unlikely polarizing figure but polarizing nonetheless.

His autobiography, THROUGH MY EYES, offers his story. To many, this will not be unfamiliar terrain. Mostly, it is a story of faith, family and football, in that order. Each chapter begins with a Bible first. Some people will like this. Other people will find it grating and annoying. It appears clearer that Tim Tebow's Christian faith serves as the cornerstone of all of his activities, both on and off the gridiron.

Having said that, he was obsessed with sports and football at an early age. Because of his stocky body type and his passion for weight lifting and strength training, many football coaches tried to shoehorn him into playing linebacker or running back. However, from an early age, Tebow was fixated and obsessed with playing quarterback and no other position. His father moved him from different teams and coaches who were determined to play Tebow some position other than quarterback....

This is ironic. To me, part of the gist of Christianity is subordinating your ego and personal preference to the will of God. However, when it comes to football, it appeared that Tebow placed his ego and his desire to play a particular position above the judgment of coaches who felt that he would serve the team better in a different position. This is not necessarily a bad thing, just an anomaly between Tebow's submissiveness in one realm and his "me first" approach when it came to selecting his football position.

Bottom line: if you are a Tim Tebow fan, you will likely enjoy this book. If you are a hater, you probably wouldn't take the time to read the book in the first place and, if you do, you will find it grating and annoying.

When I mentioned to my oldest son, age 25 and an ardent NFL football fan, I was reading Tim Tebow's autobiography, he sarcastically remarked, "Finally we will learn about somebody that the media has left undiscovered!" There is a risk of Tebow overload. As the book comes to press, Tebow finally gets the nod to be the starting quarterback for the NFL's Denver Broncos. There is a raging debate about whether or not Tebow is suited to ever succeed as quarterback in the National Football League.

While Tebow tends to wear his faith on his (jersey) sleeve, I personally do not find it irritating. I do not believe that he comes across as a "holier than thou" or judgmental guy. Because of his faith and his willingness to be "out there" with regard to his Christianity, many have thrown stones at him and have tried to paint him as some kind of sanctimonious hypocrite or religious nut. I don't think that this stereotype fits Tim Tebow. Even before he turned pro, he used his fame as a vehicle to raise funds for needy children and other worthy causes.

Part of the problem is people thinking that Tebow is "just too good to be true." Since so many paragons on pedestals have been brought down by scandal, it is easy to examine closely to see if Tebow has feet of clay.

While anything is possible, Tebow appears to be The Real Deal. THROUGH MY EYES serves double duty as both an athletic and faith journey. Read more ›