B******1
发帖数: 9094 | 1 这是本好书。讲的是一个文盲妈妈的穷孩子如何成为著名的神经外科医生的故事。扁豆
写的书评如下：
Title: Metamorphosis
Early on in his life, Benjamin Carson realized that he would have to work
harder than anyone else to be truly accepted. In his autobiography Gifted
Hands, Carson documents his brilliant transformation from an unmotivated
ghetto boy to a world-renowned pediatric neurosurgeon, detailing specific
experiences and beliefs that impacted his life. His story, though remarkable
, is written in such a way that it is both relatable and interesting,
utilizing down-to-earth language and humorous anecdotes sprinkled throughout
. Teeming with scientific knowledge and interesting views on the education
system, Gifted Hands gives one an entirely different experience for
schooling. Living life during a time of racial disparity, Carson’s story is
one of remarkable achievement and hope.
In the book, Carson particularly focuses on experiences that improved him or
taught him a lesson. For example, one chapter was entirely about Carson’s
anger management problems in his teenage years, showing how close he came to
fudging up his entire career path. Another gave deference to books, with
detailed passages of Carson poring over them in (successful) attempts to
expand his general knowledge. The importance of hard work comes up multiple
times throughout the book. Dr. Carson truly believes that without his strong
work ethic, composed of long nights studying or reading, he would never
have risen as high in his field. His close ties to family and friends also
give him strength along the way, helping Carson trust his own judgment.
Overall, Carson comes out as a man who is a culmination of his experiences,
and has obviously done his best with the hand he was dealt.
Implied, however, is the idea that sometimes, the choice made is out of one
’s hands. In interviews, Carson insinuates that the decision to hire him
was partially based on his expansive knowledge of classical music. As he is
a surgeon, such a trait is both non-relevant and superfluous, not to mention
rare. However, because he knew in detail about this particular topic,
Carson got the job. In essence, a stroke of luck, both that his interviewer
had a liking for classical music, and that Carson shared it. While such
knowledge takes time and effort to build up, it is incongruous to the skills
neurosurgeons are supposed to have. There were also life-changing decisions
primarily based on trivial things. For example, Carson applied to Yale
based on the fact that they had, according to his memory, wiped out the
opposing team on a TV show called College Bowl. While not a pleasant thought
, Carson’s life seems to be based upon a multitude of fortunate occurrences.
The innovation and steadfast determination that Carson shows throughout his
life makes him a role-model for youth all over the world today, which is
indeed part of his goal. Already, he and his wife Candy have set up the
Carson Scholar Funds, and its website shows it has already set up two
programs. One, Carson Scholarships, gives $1000 scholarship funds for
students who have excellent records of community service and academic
standing, and aims to have one “Carson Scholar” in every school within the
US. As Carson is a great fan of books, the second program is the Ben Carson
Reading Project, which allows schools enough monetary support to build Ben
Carson Reading Rooms for children to pursue independent reading (The
Official). With the immense efforts they have made, the Carsons’ dedication
to giving students a higher level of education shines through.
Gifted Hands appeals to all senses with its vivid imagery and tasteful
descriptions. Phrases like “the smoke from his pipe lent a sweet fragrance
to the room” lend one a distinct odor to characterize the setting with, and
bring a familiarity to the story. Melancholy tones in passages such as
where Carson has to report a failed surgery are received loud and clear. “
‘I’m sorry-I said, and that’s as far as I got. For the first time in my
adult life I began crying in public” is heartbreaking, and the reader can
reach out to both Carson and the family of the deceased. However, the
phrases that caught me up the most had to do with sight, as Carson takes
care to put as much detail into stories as possible. For example, “armies
of roaches streaked across the room, impossible to get rid of” clearly
bring to mind times when insects roamed one’s house and extermination was
high on the to-do list.
One of the most moving parts of Gifted Hands was the range of
hemispherectomies Carson preformed and their aftermaths. Whole sections of
the book are devoted to describing the positive outcomes for patients whom
were performed on: how their seizures stopped or lessened, and how they
began having a normal life afterwards. A hemispherectomy is a surgical
removal of at least part of one hemisphere of the brain, and was at first
thought too dangerous to perform on patients, no matter the area removed.
However, as a young man Dr. Carson reinvented the process and
hemispherectomies are now what John Hopkins’ is known for. According to the
University of Pittsburgh’s neurosurgery department, there are two forms of
a hemispherectomy. The first, functional hemispherectomies, remove parts of
the hemisphere and sever the corpus callosum. Anatomical hemispherectomies,
on the other hand, remove the entire hemisphere (Pittsburgh).
While surgeons at John Hopkins are known to perform the latter, as the
magazine Scientific American notes, anatomical hemispherectomies bleed more
and thus have higher chances of placing a patient in critical condition.
However, they also decrease the risk of disease relapse, and so are usually
only performed once on a patient (Choi). A study of John Hopkins’
hemispherectomy patients in Science Daily also confided that while patients
with severe seizures before had little to none now, they also are partially
paralyzed on the side opposed the removed hemisphere, and lose vision on
that side as well. Though, because children’s brains have a sense of “
plasticity”, they are able to adjust so that the effects are close to null;
corresponding parts on the remaining hemisphere do the same job as if there
were two. The younger the child, the more complete the takeover (Study).
One of the more understated topics of Carson’s life is the influence of
religion upon him. Intertwined into most of his stories, the sense that God
is guiding him and helping him correct his wrongs is felt throughout the
book. For example, when Carson went on a rampage and moved towards one of
his friends with a knife, the blade only hit a belt buckle. Had the stab
connected, his friend would have been severely injured, and Carson’s future
would be ruined. After the event, Carson was so afraid for himself that he
prayed to God furiously in hopes of redemption, and came out a “changed man
”, able to ignore jibes and deliberate attempts to rouse anger from him. A
devout Seventh-day Adventist, Carson believes in the Creationist Theory,
reasoning that it gives more stock to being moral and ethically good. Such
view is obviously controversial in scientific fields, and Emory University’
s faculty and students have gone as far as writing a letter in protest of
Carson voicing his views (Strauss). However, Carson’s embracement of both
science and faith shows that, though the gap between the two ideals is large
, they are still connected.
Benjamin Carson’s life is one of those rags-to-riches stories more expected
in fairy tales, with twists and obstacles to overcome and resulting in fame
and fortune. He set out to make a difference in the world, and ended up
with a legacy far larger than he ever dreamed of. By keeping his moral
compass and utilizing his natural talents, Carson became a famous
neurosurgeon and amassed enough money to give back to his community. Dr.
Carson is a role-model for all, with his perseverance and values giving him
strength to succeed. | g******4
发帖数: 6339 | 2 几年前，我的一个朋友提到这本书。我有时间，应该读这本书.
remarkable
【在 B******1 的大作中提到】
: 这是本好书。讲的是一个文盲妈妈的穷孩子如何成为著名的神经外科医生的故事。扁豆
: 写的书评如下：
: Title: Metamorphosis
: Early on in his life, Benjamin Carson realized that he would have to work
: harder than anyone else to be truly accepted. In his autobiography Gifted
: Hands, Carson documents his brilliant transformation from an unmotivated
: ghetto boy to a world-renowned pediatric neurosurgeon, detailing specific
: experiences and beliefs that impacted his life. His story, though remarkable
: , is written in such a way that it is both relatable and interesting,
: utilizing down-to-earth language and humorous anecdotes sprinkled throughout
| B******1
发帖数: 9094 | 3 There was a movie with the same title:
【在 g******4 的大作中提到】
: 几年前，我的一个朋友提到这本书。我有时间，应该读这本书.
:
: remarkable
| g******4
发帖数: 6339 | 4 Thank you.
【在 B******1 的大作中提到】
: There was a movie with the same title:
|
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