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A Slice of Life
by Francine Brokaw
A Hand to Guide Me by Denzel Washington
Denzel Washington is the National Spokesperson for the Boys and Girls Clubs of America. He firmly believes in mentoring and guiding children so they stay on the right path in life and don’t get mired in drugs and crime. He acknowledges that the Boys Club is “where I looked for hope and purpose and direction.” And everyone needs hope, purpose and direction in life.
This book is not only about Washington and his personal story, but he gathered other inspiring stories from many successful people who share their experiences and explain how having someone believe in them helped them on their way to success.
Those contributing inspirational stories to this book include Debbie Allen, Bill Clinton, Jimmy Carter, Muhammed Ali, Danny Glover, Whoopi Goldberg, John Mellencamp, Leonard Nimoy, Bonnie Raitt, Bob Woodward, Cal Ripken Jr., and many more.
To many of these people, their parents were the ones who helped guide and inspire them. Bonnie Raitt also shares that her parents instilled in her the desire to help others and give back something to the community.
Gloria Steinem says Louisa May Alcott was one of her role models. She also confides that in her day it was harder to find female role models. Steinem describes the feelings and hopes of women before “the women’s movement” and how Alcott, even in death, was instrumental in inspiring women through the years.
Former President Jimmy Carter writes that a woman named Rachel Clark lived on his farm when he was a young boy and she was one of his biggest inspirations.
For Muhammed Ali, Nelson Mandela was a great influence in his life, even though, he confides, he was older when Mandela came to his consciousness.
Debbie Allen says the one person who really influenced her and put her on the path to her dancing profession was a choreographer named Alvin Ailey whose choreography “spoke” to her. She had been a classically trained dancer, but this new choreography gave her a different direction which, as they say, is history. Debbie Allen is an accomplished dancer and choreographer in the entertainment industry.
Through all these different stories, readers see how it doesn’t have to be a historical figure that affects your life and path. It doesn’t have to be a famous person either. Every day people have enormous affects on each of us and some more than others. But we are all interconnected and the stories included in this book reflect that.
The message through all these stories is that we must all work together. As Denzel Washington says, “we don’t go it alone.” There are countless people who influence our lives on a daily basis, however a few will affect us to the point of changing our lives and putting us on a different path. He is proud of the Boys and Girls Clubs of America for inspiring young people to make the most of their lives.
There may be one special person who inspired you or there might be several. After reading these stories you’ll reflect back on your life and see how others have guided your path, either intentionally or unintentionally. In any case, you got to where you are today with some push from someone somewhere along the way.
© 2006 Francine Brokaw
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