BEN CARSON, MD, was raised by a poor single mother in Detroit. He retired as the director of pediatric neurosurgery at Johns Hopkins Hospital after a groundbreaking medical career of more than thirty-five years. He is the author of eight previous books, including One Nation, America the Beautiful, and Gifted Hands. A former member of the President's Council on Bioethics, he is the recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian honor in the country. Dr. Carson and his wife and coauthor, CANDY CARSON, are the founders of the Carson Scholars Fund, which recognizes the achievements of deserving young people. They have three grown children and two grandchildren, and now live in Florida.