Gifted Hands by Ben Carson
Chapters 6-13
Chapter 6 “A Terrible Temper”
1. Where might the author's anger in "A Terrible Temper" stem from? Explain answer. Who was impacted by the
author's temper in "A Terrible Temper." List all of the people he impacts.
2. How did the author experience a miracle in "A Terrible Temper"? Why did he not accept what psychologists said
about being able to change personality? What evidence did the author have that his temper had changed?
3. Why might the author's psychologically-oriented friends have been wary of his miracle?
Chapter 7 “ROTC Triumph”
1. Why did the author join the ROTC? How was he able to quickly advance, even though he got a late start? Who
inspired him? Who helped or encouraged him? Why did he put so much effort in his ROTC experience, even
though he had no plans to join the military?
2. Should the author have considered joining the military, based on his ROTC success?
Which ROTC experience seems to have been the most significant to the author? Describe the event and explain
your position.
Chapter 8 “College Choices”
1. Discuss the author's inability to adapt to his chemistry class. Students should review the text and consider why
the author struggles in a subject that is known to be his strength. Students should identify how the author adapts
and/or fails to adapt.
2. Why didn't the author share his SAT score with the students in the dining hall? What plans did he make to adapt
to his intellectual peers?
3. How does the author's miracle change his doubts about being a student at Yale?
Chapter 9 “Changing the Rules”
1. The author says rules can be broken "as long as it's reasonable and doesn't hurt anybody." in groups of 2-3, students will record rules the
author breaks in the chapter. Each group will determine if the decision is reasonable and if anyone is hurt by it.
2. At the start of "Changing the Rules," the author recalls a counselor who helps him get a job at the Ford Motor Company. What qualities had
the author displayed to the counselor, for her to declare on the phone, "You have to give him a job"?
3. What qualities helped the author build a relationship with attorney Ward Randall, Jr.?
Chapter 10 “A Serious Step”
1. How did the author's job at Sennet Steel help him discover his "divine gift"? What were some other gifts the author says God gives people?
How was the author's gift useful in surgery? Why does he say that surgeons without the gift frequently encounter problems and constantly
fight complications?
2. Why might mutual friends have suggested the author and Candy "get together"?
Chapter 11 “Another Step Forward”
1. When the author is puzzled by the difficulty of finding the foreman ovale, he shows his passion by...
Which example from "Another Step Forward" best illustrates the author's passion for his work?
2. Why was the author willing to work extra hours taking on cases for residents? Why didn't he mind being taken advantage of by the residents?
What bothered the author about some of the doctors at Johns Hopkins? How did his relationship with "lowly people" at the hospital feed his
passion?
Chapter 12 “Coming Into My Own”
1. Write a letter to a youngster from the author's point of view. Use the text to address his views on prejudice and
what he hopes to teach disadvantaged youth about it.
2. List the ways the author copes with prejudice he encounters at the hospital
3. How did the author use the Vietnamese as an example of prejudice? Find a resource that illustrates the example
of Vietnamese and prejudice in the United States.
Chapter 13 “A Special Year”
1. Reflect on the case of a woman with acoustic neuroma. How did the experience contribute to the author's shortterm success? How did it contribute to the author's long-term success? Why didn't the author receive credit for the
surgery he performed? How did the author feel about not receiving credit?
2. List the ways the author gains invaluable experience at the hospital in Australia. Record the page numbers where
these experiences are discussed in the text.
3. Describe the author's new position as senior registrar in Australia. Explain why the experience is invaluable to his
medical career.