A Hand to Guide Me by Denzel Washington

Synopsis: A collection of stories contributed by almost 100 ‘legends and leaders’ sharing their personal inspiring stories.

Writing Style:  Straightforward.

Pacing: Fast

Premise: Inspiring stories of those who helped shaped extraordinary lives.

Personal Highlights: Denzel for starters surprised me with the humor... quoting such instances as; “…which is really a euphemism for saying I was on academic probation.” --Oh, that was so funny, as funny as his opening was heartfelt. Ali’s words for Mandela touched me too, and I cried on Walter Anderson’s story. George Bodenheimer laid down a quote his father gave him that had me nodding in approval; “when you’re starting out or over, make a career decision, not a money decision.”

And there were others, many others; like wasn’t no way I wasn’t falling in love with Clinton’s Uncle Buddy, or Mellancamp, for those of us who don’t always have that hand to guide us. General Wesley Clark shared an empowering lesson… and Holly Robinson Peete left us with a beautiful story. Toni Morrison shared a revelation that caught me by surprise too. ‘Sometimes people do say things that is not so much what they said, as what we heard.’ John Singleton’s statement was another truth. “The strongest, toughest men all have compassion.” And (of course) Bernard Shaw had me smiling with the “read, read, read.” But, whoa…Ahmad Rashad! I loved it though! And kudos to Colin Powell who summed things up perfectly. There was just so much inspiration and influence; dozens of favorite stories rousing beneath that wonderful cover. Highly recommended.