Ben Carson has a profound life message for teens. From his humble roots of ‘class dummy’ to world renowned neuro-surgeon, Dr. Carson’s growing up years were anything but easy-abandoned by his father, raised in poverty, called stupid at school.
Yet he had a mom who believed in him. With a bit of tough love, she limited television watching and put a reading requirement on her sons: read at least two books per week, then write and present two book reports. Through the pages of this book, we get a glimpse of the power of self-education, yet more than this, we experience the character development of a young man who grapples with pride and temper issues. We also see firsthand the power of a praying mom who was instrumental in the successes of her world renowned son. Transitioning to principles necessary for excellence (traits he has identified as essential for unleashing potential), Dr. Carson expands his acronym THINK BIG: T-Talent, H-Honesty, I-Insight, N-Niceness, K-Knowledge; B-Books, I-In-depth learning and G-God. Regardless of your political affiliation, Dr. Carson provides an insightful, motivating book for teens (and adults!). I was captivated by the personal stories of his youthful adversities and medical successes and failures as a prominent neurosurgeon. Appendix includes a personal talent assessment and discussion questions. Excellent for use as a family read, for dinner-time discussion or for a high school book study.
