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Gifted Hands	Customer Rating:
Gifted hands is a beautiful and educational book. I gave it to my son many year's ago. Not only did I get the first "edition" of this book for my son, but Dr. Carson took the time to autograph it for my son. It's also autographed by his children and his wife. My son didn't know who Dr. Carson was and didn't appreciate it then, but now it's a book to be passed on to his children as well,

What Happens When an Unstoppable Force Meets an Immovable Object?

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Dr Carson didn't invent siamese-twin separation, but nobody had his success rate until he started. He's accomplished what was once thought to be a foolish endeavor, due to the extreme dangers involved. But through Dr Carson's hands, science has triumphed over one of life's accidents. In some ways, Carson's life has been about how science takes humans over insurmountable obstacles. His father left the family after his "double life" was revealed (I thought he was gay, but it turns out he had another woman AND children by her). But Carson's mother is smart; she never badmouths their father, and that alone keeps them on a straight path, because children mimic their parents behavior. Then their mother, who never finished elementary school, demands they read a book a week. She may not have an education, but she's smart enough to know that reading builds the mind, just like weight lifting builds the muscles. Coming from a Jewish background, I tend to take doctors for granted (especially after dealing with a lot of third-rate health insurance physicians). What I can't take for granted is a doctor who is also a scientist and explorer of the human body, always looking for ways to cheat death or repair deficits left by nature.

A Surgeon's Rise in the Medical Profession

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The book documents the early life and rise to medical stardom of Dr. Benjamin Carson- a now famous neurosurgeon. The volume begins with the childhood experiences and upbringing of Ben and his brother Curtis. Ben tended to cram his studying at the last minute. Nevertheless, he did well in grammar school. Later, he would struggle in a marathon study session to achieve a 97 in chemistry. Ben attended Yale University and proceeded to the University of Michigan to study medicine. He skipped a General Surgery rotation to go straight to a Neuroscience residency at Johns Hopkins University. The volume contains a series of memorable pictures depicting Dr. Carson MD as a neurosurgeon. The presentation describes some very complicated surgical procedures; such as, the hemispherectomy on the patient Miranda. The procedure was lengthy and complicated in this particular case because a part of the brain matter had to be extracted. Ultimately, the procedure was successful due to the skillful surgical manipulations of Dr. Carson and a concept known as plasticity. The concept deals with the ability of the brain to attain a similar mathematical dilation or shape despite pressure deformation during surgery. The patient was speaking shortly thereafter. Brain diagnostics and surgery can be a complicated undertaking due to a number of factors including the lengthy time in surgery and extensive bleeding. Diseases of the brain can have very technical distinctions; such as, cerebellar atrophy and Marchiafava's disease. The presentation documents just how far brain surgery has come through advances in the art of surgery. The book makes a very interesting read for a wide constituency of the general public and especially medical practitioners.

Interesting	Customer Rating:
This book is not well written--it's irritating how the order of happenings is jumbled, particularly concerning Dr. Carson's earlier life--but it's an interesting read about a fascinating person and his work. For those who think Dr. Carson comes across as arrogant--I think anyone who does what he does has to have a certain amount of arrogance!

Inspirational, Uplifting a testament to what GOD can do!

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This is an excellent read for young adults onward. Interwoven in all of Dr. Carson's stories is a testament to what GOD can do. Dr. Carson was child by societal standards was not supposed to succeed. He was raised in a single parent home with a mother who battled mental illness yet he overcame struggles by focusing on what he could do as opposed to what he couldn't do. This book will truly inspire you to be the very best in your God led profession. Awesome!!!