A Hand to Guide Me Denzel Washington: Legends and Leaders Celebrate the People Who Shaped their Lives

Academy Award-winning actor Denzel Washington says that he endured many challenges on his path to success. "There was a long list of kids in town who weren't going to make it out of Mount Vernon [N.Y.] alive, and for a time I was on that list," he says. But he found hope and purpose at the Boys & Girls Clubs of America, where he was steered by the gentle hand of his mentor, Billy Thomas.

In A HAND TO GUIDE ME (Meredith Books, $24.95), Washington pays tribute to Thomas and scores of other mentors who touched the lives of others. Written with Daniel Paisner, Washington gathered intimate and inspiring stories from other successful luminaries who reached out to mentors to help them fulfill their early promise. The luminaries include Bill Clinton, Colin Powell, Toni Morrison, Whoopi Goldberg, Jackie Joyner-Kersee, John Singleton, Debbie Allen and Hank Aaron. The narratives are rich with insight, humor, and the triumphs of the human spirit made possible by the touch of someone's helping hand A HAND TO GUIDE ME continues Washington's long-standing commitment to the powerful role that mentoring played in his life as a child. As national spokesman for the Boys & Girls Clubs of America, Washington has dedicated his royalties from sales of the book to support the organization.

COPYRIGHT 2006 Johnson Publishing Co.
COPYRIGHT 2008 Gale, Cengage Learning