Ben Carson, MD, raised by a poor single mother in Detroit, recently retired as the director of pediatric neurosurgery at Johns Hopkins Hospital after a groundbreaking medical career of more than thirty-five years. Now a Washington Times columnist and FOX News contributor, he is the author of five previous books, including the New York Times bestsellers Gifted Hands and, most recently, America the Beautiful, coauthored with his wife, Candy Carson. 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. and Mrs. Carson together founded the Carson Scholars Fund, dedicated to recognizing the academic achievements of deserving young people. They have three grown children and two grandchildren and now live in West Palm Beach, Florida.