Dr. Benjamin Carson has an important message for America: the best type of affirmative action is determination, hard work and self-reliance and he is living proof that this is true. In his book, Gifted Hands, Ben recounts his rise from abject poverty in inner-city Detroit to become a world-renowned pediatric neurosurgeon at prestigious John's Hopkins University.
The driving force in Ben's life was his single mother, Sonya, who often worked three jobs as a maid to make ends meet for Ben and his older brother Curtis. To make things even more challenging, she had to leave the boys with friends and relatives from time to time to obtain psychiatric treatment.
Married at 13 with only a third grade education, Sonya was an intelligent woman with strong Christian values. She knew that education was the key to success for Ben and Curtis so she shut off the television and made them hit the books - books she could scarcely read herself. Sonia was a tough taskmaster -- the boys were allowed to watch only two hours of TV a week. She also required them to read two books weekly and provide her with book reports.
For a time in middle school, Ben had the lowest grades in his class and lacked belief that he could master the work. Worse still for his self confidence, he was mocked by his white classmates and even some of his teachers. But this soon changed. Over time with Sonia's support and encouragement, young Ben's school work began to catch up with and surpass that of his classmates changing his self image and view of the world. He began to think he wanted to become a doctor.
Due to his outstanding academic achievements and his high SAT scores, Ben was sought out by the best schools in the country. He finally chose Yale University, where he received a full academic scholarship. While at Yale, Ben met Candy who eventually became his wife and life-long partner.
Ben went on to medical school at Michigan State, which was close to home and affordable. During his time in medical school, the interns and residents recognized Ben's obvious knowledge and talents and relied on him to help them carry out their duties. However, Ben's interest in neurosurgery. and concerns about the future of the MS medical school, led him to apply to Johns Hopkins to complete his medical school training. Acceptance at this world-class teaching hospital was a huge step for Ben and it opened the door for his subsequent success.
Ultimately, at the age of thirty-three, Ben became Chief of Pediatric Surgery at John's Hopkins. In this capacity, he developed many medical innovations and performed, and led teams in, ground-breaking surgeries. One of the most celebrated of these was the successful separation of the co-joined Binder twins - a delicate 22-hour procedure involving a team of 70 medical professionals. Ben's other surgical innovations included the first intra-uterine procedure to relieve pressure on the brain of a hydro cephalic fetal twin, and a hemispherectomy, in which an infant suffering from uncontrollable seizures has half of its brain removed.
Given his strong Christian beliefs, I was not surprised to learn that Ben relies on prayer when facing the most difficult surgical challenges.
In addition to his medical practice, Dr Carson is the author of several books and is in constant demand as a public speaker. In 2008, he received the Presidential Medal of Freedom, America's highest civilian honor. His is an inspirational life story of overcoming obstacles and keeping a positive, hopeful outlook . One can only hope that it leads to greater involvement in public life.
Barry Francis
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From the Publisher
A Note from the Author
As a boy, my mother continued to talk to me about my attitude and began to make an impression. She didn’t lecture because she was discovering more subtle ways to encourage me. She memorized poems and famous sayings and kept quoting them to me.
Thinking about it now, Mother was incredible, memorizing long poems like Robert Frost’s “The Road Not Taken.” She often quoted to me a poem called “You Have Yourself to Blame” — a poem I’ve never been able to find in print. But it’s about people offering excuses for failing to do their best. The bottom line was that we have only ourselves to blame. We create our own destiny by the way we do things. We have to take advantage of opportunities and be responsible for our choices.
Mother stayed on me until I fully grasped that I am the one ultimately responsible for my life. I had to take charge if I wanted to amount to anything.
—Dr. Ben Carson
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| Gifted Hands (Kids Edition) | Gifted Hands (Spanish Edition) | The Big Picture: Getting Perspective on What's Really Important | Think Big: Unleashing Your Potential for Excellence | America the Beautiful: Rediscovering What Made This Nation Great | Take the Risk: Learning to Identify, Choose, and Live with Acceptable Risk | |
| Other Books by Dr. Ben Carson | The kids edition of Gifted Hands: The Ben Carson Story. | The Spanish edition of Gifted Hands: The Ben Carson Story. | In this book, Dr. Carson shares with you the philosophy that has shaped his life, causing him to rise from failure to far-reaching influence. It’s not about HOW to succeed—it's about WHY to succeed. It's about broadening your perspectives. | Inside these pages lie the keys to recognizing the full potential of your life. You won't necessarily become a millionaire, but you will attain a life that is rewarding, significant, and more fruitful than you ever thought possible. | An incisive manifesto of the values that shaped America's past and must shape her future, this book calls us all to use our God-given talents to improve our lives, our communities, our nation, and our world. | No risk, pay the cost. Know risk, reap the rewards. In this book are insights that will help you dispel your fear of risk so you can dream big, aim high, move with confidence, and reap rewards you've never imagined. |
Top reviews from other countries
Eduardo
Ben Carson, o neurocirurgião pediátrico
Reviewed in Brazil on December 12, 2018Verified Purchase
avtun
Interessantes Buch
Reviewed in Germany on January 13, 2020Verified Purchase
Gerald Santiago
The life of Dr Ben Carson is an inspiration
Reviewed in India on May 14, 2019Verified Purchase
Mr N Anderson
Great book.
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on December 26, 2018Verified Purchase
Roberto verdin
best inspiration book ever
Reviewed in Mexico on January 6, 2016Verified Purchase
