BOOK REVIEW: GIFTED HANDS

“Success is determined not by whether or not you face obstacles, but by your reaction to them. And if you look at these obstacles as a containing fence, they become your excuse for failure. If you look at them as a hurdle, each one strengthens you for the next.” 
― Ben Carson, Gifted Hands: The Ben Carson Story

Gifted hands is an inspirational biography about a boy from Detroit who turned his life around. Coming from the streets, a broken home and a discriminatory school, success was clearly something that did not come easy to the Carson boys; yet, with the help of a loving mother who inspired her children to thrive, and a strong believe in the greater power of god, Ben, against all odds, was able to surpass expectations.   

Ben's story begins when his dad is thrown out of his home for being unfaithful, he and his mother had married at a very young age, and after putting up with him for a long time, Sonya Carson finally made him leave. For a young boy of only 8 years, this was quite devastating; Ben did not understand the motive of his father's absence, and Sonya, being the protective mother she was, refused to tell his boys the truth, no matter how angry or sad it made her. 

For a while, things for the Carson's kept spiraling down, Ben was a victim of bullying at his school for having low grades, and being the only colored boy in his class did not help with the teasing. However, as the years passed things slowly began to improve. Ben got glasses, he began to study more, and his mom put her foot down on certain obligations her boys had to do. She made them read rather than watch TV, learn the times tables, and overall improve their study habits. This was all very hard for Sonya, given she only received a third grade education, yet she refused to stand by and watch her kids do less than the best they could. 

It would be a lie to say that life went perfectly afterwards, Sonya had to be hospitalized some weeks in a mental institution for depression and Ben began to develop a strong temper that could have gotten him into severe trouble; however, with faith on his side, he was able to maintain his grades high throughout his education. This resulted in him earning a scholarship in Yale, and later on attending to Med school in the university of Michigan.

Today, Ben Carson is a mastermind in the field of medicine. He is most known for being the first doctor to successfully separate conjoined twins joined at the head. He is widely recognized as being a doctor who gives children a second chance, granting them miracles in the field of sciences.

I believe that the true moral of this story is that there are no excuses to succeed. If you really want something, you can achieve it, because we are the ones who lead the path to the life that we will lead. I recommend this book to anyone who wants some inspiration and a good time. I personally enjoyed reading this book, it was well narrated, and allowed room for reflection, overall I found this book delightful and truly inspirational.

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