41 pages • 1 hour read
Ben Carson, Cecil MurpheyGifted Hands: The Ben Carson Story
Nonfiction | Autobiography / Memoir | Adult | Published in 1990A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Chapter 21–22Chapter Summaries & Analyses
Chapter 21 Summary: Family Affairs
Candy wakes Carson up one night in May 1985 to report that she is having contractions two minutes apart. As Ben slowly gets himself up, she tells him that the contractions have become more frequent, and within a few moments, he is helping to deliver his second son. His friends tease him, asking, “Did you charge a delivery fee?” (227).
Switching gears, Carson turns his thoughts to how he can find more time to spend with his growing family. He concludes that his top priority is his family, his second his clinical practice, and his third, being “a good role model to young people” (22). He also commits to the time required in his office as an elder at Spencerville Seventh-day Adventist Church. Several steps make these commitments possible. First, Johns Hopkins hires another pediatric neurosurgeon, taking some of the pressure off Carson. Second, Carson commits to leaving for home at 7 p.m. every evening. And he brings his family on speaking engagements that require travel. As his children get older, Carson anticipates that his mother will live with them and help with childcare.
Carson reviews his warning to Candy that she would not see much of him, and her acceptance of that. Finally, he announces the birth of his third son at the end of 1986, commits to being present for his sons as his father was not there for him, and affirms that his wife and sons are “the most important part of my life” (231).
Chapter 22 Summary: Think Big
This chapter focuses on a national scholarship fund and mentoring program that Carson and Candy hope to set up, “seeking out those gifted young people who deserve a chance for success but would never be able to get near it because of lack of funds” (232). He also hopes they can share his “key to success” – THINK BIG, which encourages young people to focus on talent, time, hope, honesty, insight, being nice, knowledge, books, in-depth learning, and God. He decries society’s emphasis on sports and music “groups” and suggests that “rather than putting all their time and energy into sports and music,” bright young people should focus on education and self-improvement (236). He tells several stories of people who have been inspired by his life and message and expresses the goal of providing positive role models for young people. He concludes by recommending re-envisioning obstacles as hurdles and realizing that “every hurdle we jump strengthens and prepares us for the next one” (240).
Chapter 21–22 Analysis
Chapter 21 returns the focus to family, as in the first chapters of the book, and chapter 22 closes the frame that began with Sonya Carson’s letter to the reader, explaining her philosophy and offering it to the reader as an aid to the reader’s personal growth, by offering Ben and Candy’s philosophy for instilling the principles of success in young people. Many of the elements of THINK BIG resonate with themes throughout the book, and the very idea of spreading inspiration and motivation mirrors Mrs. Carter’s approach to raising her sons, taking her family-focused method and developing it to a more general approach for youth.
In contrast to chapters 1–13, in which Carson focuses primarily on becoming the best neurosurgeon he can be, and chapters 14–20, in which he shares highlights from his career as a neurosurgeon, in the final two chapters, he moves to another stage in life, one that has more balance and that moves beyond the family to use the speaking opportunities his high-profile career has gained to spread a special message.
