Loading...
112th out of 293 books
—
182 voters
My rating:
add to my books
Gifted Hands: The Ben Carson Story
Gifted Hands by and about Ben Carson, M.D., is the inspiring story of an inner-city kid with poor grades and little motivation, who, at age thirty-three, became director of pediatric neurosurgery at Johns Hopkins University Hospital. Gifted Hands will transplace you into the operating room to witness surgeries that made headlines around the world, and into the private mind...more
Mass Market Paperbound, 224 pages
Published
December 8th 1996
by Zondervan Publishing Company
(first published 1990)
There is a good chance some of your friends read this book. Sign in to see!
sign in »
Friend Reviews
To see what your friends thought of this book,
please sign up.
Community Reviews
(showing
1-30
of
2,443)
This is supposed be inspirational, but it seems to show how blessed and special Ben Carson is. I appreciate his message, but I come away not inspired but frustrated. What happens when folks pray and God says no or they don't get the same result Carson did?
And if it's supposed to be inspiriational why only one chapeter on his big thing, Think Big?
And if it's supposed to be inspiriational why only one chapeter on his big thing, Think Big?
I'd give this book 3 1/2 stars, maybe even 4, but I'm not quite sure.
I love the story, particularly the beginning where he talks about his mother. (She's the reason I read the book -- I had heard a little teaser of the story at a presentation by Jim Trelease and wanted to hear more about her.) She is an incredible person and did what every mother should do -- give her kids a chance to be better and do more than she did.
Ben Carson and his brother were raised in inner-cit...more
I love the story, particularly the beginning where he talks about his mother. (She's the reason I read the book -- I had heard a little teaser of the story at a presentation by Jim Trelease and wanted to hear more about her.) She is an incredible person and did what every mother should do -- give her kids a chance to be better and do more than she did.
Ben Carson and his brother were raised in inner-cit...more
Ok the negative first. It kind of just ended (which sort of makes sense when its a biography of yourself and you're only 50 or so.) There were capitalization issues. Which I really don't understand with all the editing but at times it was really annoying and distracting--partly because I've been on a captilization rules kick since Joelle's 3rd grade teacher had capitalization issues (for those who don't know she felt turkey should be capitalized.) Anyway. They capitalized Vietnam in a weird...more
view 1 comment
Cindi
rated it
Recommended by Honey for a Teen's Heart, this promises to be an excellent story.
Wonderful, wonderful! This book is all about education and the importance of it. But, instead of being preachy, it's a great story. Even my 7 (almost 8) year old doesn't want to miss a bit of it. Some of the things we have tried to teach our kids are reiterated in this book. Yippee! Also, there is the wonderful aspect of faith in God and miracles throughout the pages of this book.
Book on tap...more
Wonderful, wonderful! This book is all about education and the importance of it. But, instead of being preachy, it's a great story. Even my 7 (almost 8) year old doesn't want to miss a bit of it. Some of the things we have tried to teach our kids are reiterated in this book. Yippee! Also, there is the wonderful aspect of faith in God and miracles throughout the pages of this book.
Book on tap...more
Stop what you're doing. Read this right now. I did a gigantic project on this book. My God I loved it. It was simply remarkable.
The whole story of his life is inspiring, and the book causes you to become very emotionaly attached to Ben Carson as a character. I, at least, felt his struggles, victories, and failures quite strongly. If it's being rated by emotional investment, it gets 5 stars. If its being rated for writing style, it gets 5 stars. The voice is powerful and has a sincer...more
The whole story of his life is inspiring, and the book causes you to become very emotionaly attached to Ben Carson as a character. I, at least, felt his struggles, victories, and failures quite strongly. If it's being rated by emotional investment, it gets 5 stars. If its being rated for writing style, it gets 5 stars. The voice is powerful and has a sincer...more
This is a really good autobiography. It discusses the journey that Ben Carson takes to become one of the most recognized neuro-surgeons in the United States. It sheds light on his childhood and his struggles that he faced during this period of his life and shows how he worked hard to become eduated and surpass many in becoming a very knowledgeabe/brillant student/doctor. He grew up with his mother who had minimal education yet she raised two children without a father and I must say did an excell...more
I read this for a biography paper I did in elementary school, and I'm embarrassed to say that it usually takes a school assignment in order for me to read nonfiction (something I'll have to change, as I'm now obviously out of school). I really should re-read this, because I don't remember much about it at all, except for what the Cuba Gooding Jr. TV movie stirred up for me, and the fact that Dr. Carson is a Seventh Day Adventist, along with, of course, the basics of the brilliant procedure Cars...more
Really, four and a half stars, but I felt like I should round it down. One of those spur of the moment decisions. Like when you wonder if you should eat a cake or a double fudge brownie for dinner, and there is only one last slice of cake and you get hte brownie. Then somebody else comes along and eats your cake and you go "HEY THAT WAS MINE" but they eat it anyways. Well it's a good thing the brownie tastes good.
Ok that made NO sense, I had too much sugar for breakfas...more
Ok that made NO sense, I had too much sugar for breakfas...more
I was an extra in the TNT movie based on this book (starring Cuba Gooding Jr., aired February 2009). Unfortunately, all my parts were cut! I had read his book THE BIG PICTURE earlier, but should have read this one before I worked on the set since I was in the final scene and a little confused about what was taking place.
Ben Carson is an amazing person who had every reason to fail (poverty, parents divorced, poor grades, bad temper), but he had a dream to be a medical doctor and his m...more
Ben Carson is an amazing person who had every reason to fail (poverty, parents divorced, poor grades, bad temper), but he had a dream to be a medical doctor and his m...more
Well I wante to start off by telling you that this book is an autobiography book. Since I finished the book I will just talk about how much I liked it and my thoughts opinions and if I would recommend it to some of my friends. This man Ben Carson is quite a card. He went through many things like prejudice, peer pressure, plain hair tearing pressure and the struggle to get a job. He is very smart but he's not like the regular smart kids he's stupid at times too. He is my best friend. I think this...more
Ashley.709 x33
added it
This book was completely amazing! It was so great how many things he has done. With the Binder Twins. They were conjoined at the heads and he seperated them successfully. Denise Baca of new mexico she was 13 years old. She needed a hemispherectomy done but Ben didn't know if she would survive because wheneverhe di dhemispherectomies they were on younger childeren so it ws easier for them to bounce bcks becuase their brains weren't as developed as thirteen year ld but he did it. He conquered ever...more
This is a well written book. I have mixed reviews of Ben Carson. His talent and drive is unmeasurable, and his most admireable quality is his relationship and respect for God. But there isn't much he does not htink of himself. His arrogance in his own abilities at times put me off. Several times in his book her dismisses everyone else's opinion and continues to do as he pleases. I am not sure whether that is a lesson for me in needing to belive in yourself or permission to be completely self-ab...more
Bonnie
rated it
Recommends it for:
Ralph Sudbury
Recommended to Bonnie by:
Theresa Flores or Stacy Stosich
Nothing typical about this story of a rags-to-riches, Detroit inner-city boy raised by a single mom who worked 3-4 jobs just to keep the two boys and her family off government subsistence (except for food stamps).
Or how about the boy at 14 who goes to stab his friend in a fit of anger over the radio station being changed only to hit his friend's belt buckle instead of his stomach, drops the knife runs home and spends hours in the bathroom reading the Bible and pleading for God's for...more
Or how about the boy at 14 who goes to stab his friend in a fit of anger over the radio station being changed only to hit his friend's belt buckle instead of his stomach, drops the knife runs home and spends hours in the bathroom reading the Bible and pleading for God's for...more
This book is not designated for one particular age group. It is a great read for both adults and children. This book is a great teaching tool to teach diversity and also adversity. It teaches people, especially children, that no matter how rough of a life you had or what obstacles come your way, even what failures you may run into, anything can be accomplished. The book also has a great plot line that is easy to follow. I also think that this book is a great read because in many cases, it is rel...more
A fascinating read about a poor young black kid from Detroit who has ambitions to be a doctor. After many trials to get through school he eventually becomes a gifted neurosurgeon who performs hemispherectomies - removing half of people's brains as well as other intriguing surgeries like crainiectomies. It's quite amazing that half of a person's brain can be removed and the other brain cells will adapt and the individual can still function. I wish I had read this book with a diagram of the hu...more
EXCELLENT BOOK. A surgeon's long journey from knife-wielding, street fighter in Detroit to master of the scalpel--a leader in pediatric neurosugery. I admired the way he gave God credit for his successes and the influence of his mother, who only went as far as 3rd grade herself.
This is one of the most incredible books I've ever read. It's about a young boy living in Detroit, trying to get out of the inner city. He becomes one of the leading brain sergans at the John Hopkins Medical center. Great story, and true!! You won't want to put it down.
This is the third book I've read by Ben Carson, following Think Big and The Big Picture. He essentially repeats the same stories in each of his books, selecting the ones to fit the message he's trying to impart supplemented with advice. This book, though, is his autobiography and gives a more complete account of his life.
The way he talks about himself sometimes might seem boastful or even arrogant at times but he's just achieved so much and knows so much that doing those incredible feats a...more
The way he talks about himself sometimes might seem boastful or even arrogant at times but he's just achieved so much and knows so much that doing those incredible feats a...more
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
Jean
added it
From Ben Carson's acronym: THINK BIG
"B = Books
I emphasize that active learning from reading is better than passive learning such as listening to lectures or watching television. When you read, your mind must work by taking in letters and connecting them to form words. Words make themselves into thoughts and concepts. Developing good reading habits is something like being a champion weightlifter. The champion didn’t go into the gym one day and start lifting 500 pounds. He tones his...more
"B = Books
I emphasize that active learning from reading is better than passive learning such as listening to lectures or watching television. When you read, your mind must work by taking in letters and connecting them to form words. Words make themselves into thoughts and concepts. Developing good reading habits is something like being a champion weightlifter. The champion didn’t go into the gym one day and start lifting 500 pounds. He tones his...more
I really enjoyed this book and all of the short stories it gave about how Dr. Carson successfully performed surgery on people who thought they couldn't be cured without a miracle. Also I liked how even though he is a very famous and successful surgeon, he told the story as a humble man trying to inspire others. Another thing I really liked was how in the face of adversity, he overcame all of the obstacles and people who doubted him. Dr. Carson also did a great job giving all of the credit for hi...more
I enjoyed reading this book and found it very interesting. When an autobiography is written with someone, I'm never sure how much is really the person's own words and how much is the other person's or how exactly it works. Anyway, I was intrigued by a lot of the things he said about his life growing up and beginning as a surgeon. Working in the medical field as a transcriptionist, I found it interesting to hear some of the medical procedures he's done (that aren't done routinely where I work, so...more
I read this book because it was on my daughters list of books to read for her health occupations club. I saw the movie first and loved it, of course the book was 100 times better. Probably the three most prominent lessons learned from this book are; Work hard at learning, knowledge is so valuable, Don't make life too easy for your children they learn from hard things and work, and how the hand of the Lord is in all our lives. I found it a valuable tool for parenting, it motivated me to seek the...more
Pretty good book about a student who did absolutely terrible in his early school years who eventually became a leading pediatric neurosurgeon in America. He's an interesting person. When Carson was in High School he would just get the desire to be the best in something, or to learn about something, and then he would go out and do it and perfect it. Later on when he was a surgeon he would operate on children who had frequently reoccurring seizures (due to half their brain swelling) and Carson wou...more
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
I'd give it 3 1/2 stars if I could. You can't rank a book too low when it's about an amazing person like Ben Carson. I wasn't a huge fan of the writing style. I had to keep reminding myself that the purpose of his book is to inspire, or else I'd start to feel like he was bragging too much. The bottom line is, Ben Carson made something of himself through sheer hard work, determination, and complete reliance on God. He really truly has gifted hands and is inspired in his work as a pediatric n...more
This was an incredible story of a boy who despite his circumstances, rose above it all because of a good, wise mother and faith in God.
I found this story completely inspiring and refreshing. Inspiring because of the work Dr. Carson has accomplished during his career, and refreshing because he does not credit himself, but God. It was one of the easier biographies I have read. Dr. Carson made the medical terminology easy to understand and his writing style was honest, which I real...more
I found this story completely inspiring and refreshing. Inspiring because of the work Dr. Carson has accomplished during his career, and refreshing because he does not credit himself, but God. It was one of the easier biographies I have read. Dr. Carson made the medical terminology easy to understand and his writing style was honest, which I real...more
Incredible! Made me want to "start my life over and make something of myself." Good tools for parents and teaching kids how to learn.
This was an excellently written autobiography of a truly amazing man. He came from a typically disadvantaged background...poor, parents divorced when he was young, raised by a mother with a 3rd grade education. In spite of her education level, however, his mother was an intelligent woman who ALWAYS pushed her sons to do their best, and made them believe that they could achieve anything they aspired to...and they believed her, and usually chose to really try to do their best. Ben Carson is als...more
Dr. Ben Carson is an inspiring figure. He is an acclaimed neurosurgeon and a very humble man. This book tells of his childhood, and his journey from deciding to enter medical school, and the journey to where he is today. Over and above all the breaking news and procedures he had done, one thing was constant throughout it all. Dr. Ben Carson remained a humble and down-to-earth man. His accomplishments did not make him proud and arrogant. Dr. Ben Carson is someone whom I want to emulate. He is an ...more
There are no discussion topics on this book yet.
Be the first to start one »
Readers Also Enjoyed
Share This Book
No trivia or quizzes yet. Add some now »
“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.”
—
31 people liked it
“To THINK BIG and to use our talents doesn't mean we won't have difficulties along the way. We will--we all do. If we choose to see the obstacles in our path as barriers, we stop trying. "We can't win," we moan. "They won't let us win.”
—
25 people liked it
More quotes…
