What book has best influenced your life and why? by Jamir

What book has best influenced your life and why? by Jamir - May 2017 Scholarship Essay

Every summer we - the students at St Thomas Episcopal - are required to read two books. The types of books include ‘Count of Monte Cristo’, ‘A Study in Scarlet’, and ‘A Sign of Four’. All were very good reads, but the book that influenced me the most was a book suggested by my father tilted ‘The Short and Tragic Life of Robert Peace’.
The past summer, my father and I did not agree on a lot of things. However, we both enjoyed this book. It was the summer before my senior year of high school, and I was excited to have reached this milestone in my life. Through the first month of the summer, I had done very little of my required summer reading. The books that were assigned were not very interesting. The first book was ‘A Sign of Four’, and the second was ‘The Painted Bird’. After reading the first book and writing my review, my father realized that I had no interest in the reading those books. He challenged me to complete the assignment, and then he would suggest the next book. After completing the second book, my father gave me a book from his bookshelf – ‘The Short and Tragic Life of Robert Peace’. At first glance, the book did not seem interesting. On the cover is a picture of a guy with a backpack. I assumed it was Robert Peace. As I read the author’s notes to get an idea of what the book was about, something interesting immediately captured my attention. The author was Jeff Hobbs - a suburban white guy writing about his friend Robert Peace; a black guy from the Newark, New Jersey housing projects who died at the young age of 30.
The book details the life of a young black man’s journey from childhood to his adult life and his challenges along the way. This included specifics about him growing up in poverty, his father’s incarceration and graduating from Yale University, and him moving back to the poverty-stricken neighborhood where he grew up. Robert grew up in an environment of crime, drugs and poverty. Neither of his parents were educated, but both made education a priority for him. Both his mother and father required him to read daily and write about everything he read. Even though she had extremely limited income, his mother enrolled him into private school so that he would get the best education possible. This plan of education benefitted Robert and his family because he received a full scholarship to attend Yale where he would receive a degree in Molecular Biochemistry. However, even with a degree from Yale, Robert was a victim of his surroundings. His esteemed degree from Yale and educational accomplishments did not prevent him from being a user and seller of drugs. Eventually, the Yale-educated, Molecular Biochemistry Scientist was killed in a drug related shooting.
What makes this book influential to me as a young black male are the multiple scenarios inside of the story. The many scenarios lead to reflection of how different situations – particularly those that are negative – require smart and fast thinking; application of lessons learned. The first lesson is no matter where you are from, that place does not define who you are or what you can do. Your character is defined by your work ethic and how you present yourself. Second, education is very important to succeeding, but it is not the only factor that contributes to success. Life skills of critical and smart thinking, associating oneself with other successful people, intentionally placing yourself in positive, progressive environments are all factors that are likely to result in success. Other avenues, including those you are most familiar with, may not be best for you.
Robert peace’s story influences me because I realize even with success comes tragedy. We must use the lessons we learn throughout life to improve our situation, better our circumstances, and manage our mindset. Life deals you a unique set of cards. It is up to you to decide how to play them.