Let me start this review of Michael Vick’s autobiography, Finally Free (Worthy) with my own confession: I am not a football fan. Not at all. And quite honestly, I was not a Michael Vick fan. I knew what he had done and the horrors involved with his dog-fighting days. Why would I even pick up his book?
Well, I read it because I am huge fan of biographies. I love to know people’s stories. My favorite books are memoirs and autobiographies, those true stories of people’s life experiences. And if it’s about someone’s journey of faith, the real-life account of a person’s coming to a deep understanding of the living God, then that’s enough to draw me in.
“A lot of my poor decisions and subsequent mistakes can be attributed mostly to two things: my weak resolve in telling people no, and the people I chose to be associated with.” ~Michael Vick
Vick’s story is one of regret. It’s the story of a man who had every opportunity. Because of his great talent, people believed in him. Because people believed in him, they were willing to make sacrifices for him and go out of their way to help him. But like I tell my own kids so often, he is a picture of what happens when you surround yourself with the wrong people. It is so hard to bring people up to the level where you are, but it is so easy to be pulled down to places you don’t need to be.
Vick tells his story quite frankly. He is quick to admit his mistakes and he is remorseful. He is candid about the appeal dog fighting had for him, the pull it seemed to have on him. He describes the horrible prison conditions with a rawness that made me squirm as I read it. And as I journeyed with him through his childhood in the projects, his emerging talent as a young teen and high school football player, and his great opportunities in college and then the NFL, I saw a person who had an enemy—like we all do. It just took him a while to find his real strength, and the real faith that he needed to find his freedom.
“Some may question my sincerity or say, ‘Of course he found God in prison,’ as if it is a crutch or an excuse or an easy way to show remorse or reform. But in reality, I didn’t find God; He found me. He put me in a place to be alone and to have conversation with Him. And I needed to listen.” ~Michael Vick
Vick is remorseful about a lot of his mistakes, but I couldn’t help but notice that it took him many years to marry his girlfriend, even after he had found his faith. So the fact that he didn’t seem to be in a hurry to make that relationship “right” did kind of bother me, and while I would recommend the book for any adult, that inconsistency would keep me from recommending it for teens.
I do think it’s sad that so many people have a hard time forgiving Michael Vick for his past. He seems to be resting in God’s forgiveness, and in doing all he can to share the news of God’s unexpected grace. That’s all any of us can do. Our imperfection and our propensity to sin is why we need a Savior. When we come to Him and He offers us what no one ever has–unconditional love, forgiveness, and grace–we are finally free.
Have you read Michael Vick’s Finally Free? Did you like it? If you haven’t, will you read it?
Review by Faithful Provisions contributor Rebecca Ingram Powell.
