1 .Overcoming Adversity is an inspirational true story about how faith, trust in God, and perseverance consistently threaded through one’s journey can be a cornerstone of success and achieve a better quality of life. One would think that rising above a fractured childhood and poverty by achieving two post-graduate degrees and two professional certificates would be impressive enough for anyone. Not for Nelson Fowlkes. From acts of discrimination in rural 1950’s America, to filing a lawsuit against the military promotion board, and even just raising a family, faith, courage and determination were tenets that led him through his toughest obstacles. Overcoming Adversity details the astonishing results of engaging dynamic and insightful tactics to achieve goals and dreams in spite of ever-changing barriers and setbacks. BB 2019
2. Nelson Fowlkes excelled as a biochemist, marketing executive and strategic healthcare planner. He served 20 years as a professional biochemist in the Army Medical Service Corps and attained the grade of Lt. Colonel. He utilized his scientific knowledge and skill to support combat troops in Vietnam and South Korea as well as military families at Army Medical Centers in California, Oklahoma, Texas and Washington State. After military retirement, he pursued a healthcare career with astounding success and achievement. He co-authored a 5 year Strategic Healthcare Plan for a sister healthcare institution in Merced, California, He established and managed 11 Primary Care Clinics in Lynwood, California. Fowlkes is the co-author of a Corporate Health Risk Management Program. The article appeared in the Journal of Health Care Marketing. He designed and created a Territorial Management (TSS), an innovative approach applying traditional risk management to the health of an employee group. The Library of Congress issued a Certificate of Registration. His desire for knowledge motivated him to attain master’s degree in Biochemistry and Public Administration, Professional Certificates in Gerontology and Conflict Resolution. His entrepreneur skill, inspired him to create a consulting business (Fowlkes Business Enterprise) where he advised and developed plans for health care organizations to establish Industrial Health Clinics. He is an avid cyclist, golfer and roller skater. with extensive recreational cycling experience in Europe, Caribbean Islands, California and northeast USA. Crawford 2019. 3. Overcoming Adversity, written by Nelson Fowlkes, is an inspirational biography that details how the author overcame several obstacles to build a better life for himself. In the book, Fowlkes narrates the story of his life while emphasizing the circumstances and strategies that helped him to achieve his goals. He also highlights his failures and successes and the powerful life lessons that he learned from them. Overcoming Adversity, then, is the author's way of sharing his journey with readers, teaching them the right strategies to overcome the inevitable obstacles of life. All in all, Overcoming Adversity is one of the most inspiring books I have read so far, as I took a lot of inspiration from Fowlkes's story. I also felt motivated by his continuous drive to better him self and seek self-development opportunities. Indeed, his story shows that we can overcome seemingly impossible obstacles with the right mindset. Furthermore, I learned several important life lessons from this book. The most important lesson was that we should keep fighting for our dreams, although things may not always go our way. Eventually, if we do not give up, things will always work our in miraculous ways. Further, I enjoyed following Fowlkes's story, as he demonstrated the importance of perseverance in achieving one's goals. Throughout his life's journey, he encountered several obstacles, but he never gave up on his dreams and kept pushing, kept believing, kept trying to find a way, even when things seemed impossible. This demonstrated the strength of his character and inspired me to keep on reading. November 17, 2020