The book that changed his life Boy who struggled to read now a psychotherapis

A book about a boy who struggled in school before rising to become one of America’s most celebrated neurosurgeons changed the way Ontonio Dawson saw himself.

At 13, Dawson was struggling to read and had just failed the then Grade Six Achievement Test (GSAT), leaving him behind while friends his age moved on to high school. Then his sister handed him Gifted Hands, the autobiography of Dr Ben Carson, the renowned American neurosurgeon who grew up in poverty in Detroit, USA, battled poor grades as a boy and, with the encouragement of his mother, went on to become director of paediatric neurosurgery at Johns Hopkins Hospital.

The book chronicles Carson’s journey from a struggling student to a pioneering neurosurgeon and recounts the faith, determination and perseverance he credits for helping him overcome the odds. It also details some of the complex surgeries that brought Carson international recognition.