Gus Yudha - EFL 9-1

Book to review: Gifted Hands Book Review

Pages to review: 1 - 30

Characters: Curtis Carson(Not frequently mentioned), Ben Carson(Main character), Sonya

Carson(Ben Carson’s Mom who the book is dedicated to.), Robert Solomon Carson(His name was
never mentioned in the story but I looked it up.)
- Sonya Carson: Highly intelligent, unrelenting
- Robert Solomon Carson: A very interactable person, very fun, “nice guy”
- Curtis Carson: Smart.
- Ben Carson: Unrelenting, Smart, Intellectual.

Setting: The story takes place in Detroit where Ben Carson lived with his mom(Sonya Carson)
and brother(Curtis Carson). Ben Carson lived in the ‘Ghetto’ which is another word for slums in
cities such as Detroit.

Plot: The story takes place in Detroit which is a city in Michigan where Ben Carson grew up in.
Ben Carson grew up in a ‘Ghetto’ or another word for a slum or a place that has a high rate of
poverty. Ben Carson grew up in a poor household where his parents worked jobs that weren’t
paying much but it was enough to make ends meet. His parents, Sonya Carson and Robert
Solomon Carson were in a rough state of the relationship and parted ways when Ben Carson was
only 8 years old. After the Divorce, Sonya was in a rough state and at one point she admitted
herself to a mental hospital and regularly checked up on her mental health without telling Ben
Carson afraid Ben would worry for her. Because Ben grew up in a broken home and without a
dad, because of that Ben would fail on the academic side but his mom never lost faith in him and
would always encourage him to always take opportunities that she never had. That is the plot for
the pages that I have read.

Opinion about the characters in the story:

- Sonya Carson: Sonya Carson is a highly intelligent person and is also unrelenting. In my
opinion, she is the best character in the book because not only she was a major part of
the book but she is also an inspiration to Ben.
- Robert Solomon Carson: Robert or Ben Carson’s dad is a very interactable person or the
social butterfly of the family because he would get along with any kind of people and he
was also described as a funny man and an overall “nice guy”. In my opinion, he is one of
my least favorite characters because not only he left the family, and he is not as often
mentioned like the other characters.
- Curtis Carson: Curtis or Ben’s older brother plays a small role in the story and was
described as smart. In my opinion, Curtis is one of the average characters in the story
because he didn’t play a big role and would only be mentioned when it is needed.
Book review:
“Gifted Hands” is a nonfiction book written by Dr. Carson or Ben Carson who is a world-
renowned neurosurgeon who is known for his ability to think three-dimensionally and his way of
problem-solving. “Gifted Hands” covers Ben's early life and the journey he ventured to get to
where he is now. This book is very interesting and often fascinating making you want to read
more and that is exactly what you get in this book, this book often covers fascinating subjects
and it is very readable and also memorable to the readers. Ben Carson really outdid himself and
truly expressed himself in this book by giving us in-depth details about his childhood that makes
us curious and makes us want to read more of the book until it finally ends. Although Gifted
Hands mostly focuses on medical-based things it is still very readable and very easy to
understand because of the in-depth explanations that Ben gives in this book. The storyline of
this book focuses on the journey that Ben Carson went through when he was a child and also
when he is an adult. Ben seems to never miss important details or even tiny details that we won't
even notice. Even though "Gifted Hands" is focused on medical stuff Ben Carson never ceases to
amaze me with funny details that he had left like when he was once a garbage supervisor
collecting crew and also worked in a mailroom of his school. In conclusion, Gifted Hands is a very
well written book and in my opinion one of the best books to read for your free time.