Great Mentors
Great Mentors is a course meant to help students learn from inspirational role models and apply those lessons in their own lives. Students choose a book to read and then write several essays, reflecting on the examples they are studying and what insights they have gained in their studies.
Instructions to students
We invite you to participate in the Great Mentors course. See if books of interest are available in your facility library. If you do not find the books you are seeking, let us know—we will order them for you. When a book is completed, donate it to the facility library or share it with an associate.
Assignment for students
The primary objective is for students to personally reflect and gain new insights in their own growth from their readings. They will choose a book and divide it into thirds. After reading each third of the book, they will write a five- to ten-page report.
Each report should demonstrate an understanding of the book’s content on a deeper level. In each report, students will also identify the following things:
1. Things that they need to let go of in their lives
2.Personal opportunities they want to explore
A certificate of completion will be issued with appropriate completion of each book.
Great Mentors Text List
Spiritual
The Shack by William P. Young
The story of Mackenzie Allen Phillips, who struggles after his daughter is abducted and murdered, unveils a unique perspective of God and forgiveness.
Beside Still Waters: 52 Reflections of the Divine Within by Donald Wright
This book contains a collection of life-changing messages from the Old and New Testaments.
Historical
Mornings on Horseback by David McCullough
The biography shares how a young Teddy Roosevelt grew into a war hero and the president of the United States of America.
Hero of the Empire: The Making of Winston Churchill by Candice Millard
The story of young Winston Churchill’s time in Africa during the Boer War, which experience greatly shaped the rest of his life.
Playing the Enemy: Nelson Mandela and the Game That Made a Nation by James Carlin
The story of how Nelson Mandela, president of South Africa, brought the country together by getting the national rugby team to play in the 1995 World Cup.
Personal
Education of a Wandering Man by Louis L’Amour
The moving, personal memoir of this best-selling Western author’s life, as he traveled the world and embraced once-in-a-lifetime opportunities.
When Pride Still Mattered: A Life of Vince Lombardi by David Maraniss
The personal biography details the inspiration and motivation from the master football coach Vince Lombardi, who led the Green Bay Packers to five world championships in just nine seasons.
Awareness and psychology
The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle
A compelling message of living totally in the present by understanding enlightenment and becoming aware of our Being.
The Untethered Soul: The Journey Beyond Yourself by Michael A. Singer
A message about finding and releasing the thoughts, emotions, and energies that hinder your inner self so you can gain inner peace.
The Farther Reaches of Human Nature by Abraham Maslow
A collection of essays from one of history’s main humanistic psychologists, which offers insight into human nature in all its facets.
Women’s studies
The Story of My Life by Helen Keller
The inspirational autobiography of Helen Keller’s experiences growing up as a child born both deaf and blind.
Abigail Adams: A Life by Woody Holton
A biography of Abigail Adams, the wife of President John Adams, and the inspirational role she played in creating America’s nation and women’s place within it.
Still I Rise: The Persistence of Phenomenal Women by Marlene Wagman-Geller
A collection of stories about women heroes throughout history who have overcome massive obstacles to be the masters of their own fate.