Gifted Hands

A Life Changing movie for all ages
When I first saw this movie on TNT in January 2009 I was so impressed I began an immediate search for a copy to show my adult children and my grandchildren. This movie is so inspiring for school students, for mothers, for any adult who has not had the self-discipline (myself) to do what is necessary to reach important goals. The message is "If Ben Carson could overcome all he overcame--I can do what I need to do." Now, he did have a few assets - a phenomenal mother; a core belief in God; a willingness to learn; an unusual amount of morality. He certainly deserves all the wonderful things that came into his later life. I could not find the movie in January, so I read several of his books--a good idea even if you see the movie. He has more to offer than the movie could possibly show. This movie may never win a Hollywood oscar, but it is #1 on my list of family movie greats.

What "can" can do...
In a word: INSPIRING. My six-old son watched this with me. When he saw what young Ben had to go through as a student from his peers and from society, he looked at me with tears in his eyes and said "And he STILL wanted to learn?" He got it. And anyone, young or old will to if you watch this great movie. Kimberly Elise's portrayal of Sonya Carson brought tears to my eyes, but I never felt sorry for her. Without a lot of explanation, you knew she had a hard life but she was no one's victim. She did what had to be done whether it be pushing her sons academically or checking herself into a hospital to help deal with her depression (when mental illness was still taboo). Ben's mother was the real hero of this story and her son's achievements are the result of her love, sacrifice and deep faith in believing her children could be anything, despite what label society tried to lay on them. This movie is a great excuse buster!

Not the movie aired on TNT by the same title
We had seen the movie that aired on TNT Febuary 7th, 2009 and really enjoyed it. Searching on Amazon, we found this same title in the "Movie" section on DVD. It is NOT the drama that was aired on TNT. Amazon does not present this product with enough detail to know that it is a documentary of Ben Carson. It is a great video but we still would like to get a copy of the TNT broadcast if they ever release one.

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