We just rented and watched Gifted Hands, the story of neurosurgeon Ben Carson of Johns Hopkins. It’s a fantastic film. In today’s cinematic world of mindless action, dumb comedy, and grotesque horror, here is a different sort of movie, a movie about a true hero, someone who made medical history with his innovative brain surgeries.
Dr. Carson says in a documentary accompanying the film, “It will show the incredible power of education and what it can do for a person. How it can take a person from a life of virtually nothing to the pinnacle of one of the toughest professions in the world.”
Carson grew up in poverty. Though illiterate, his mother drove her sons to educational excellence, requiring them to report on books from the library. Carson overcame struggles in school and racial prejudice to achieve an outstanding education and take the path to medicine.
The film has an obvious religious theme and emphasizes Carson’s religious faith. What drives the heroic story, though, is Carson’s dedication to learning and to his career goals. Well worth viewing.