This book is a one of the powerful and a deeply inspiring memoir written by Garold Hamilton who offers his readers a glimpse into his life showing readers that how his life actually was when he was a Jamaican ghetto of Shaolin and thrived and eventually became a successful global leader in the engineering field despite being poor, unfortunate, struggling against cultural obstacles and almost death itself. The story of how Hamilton went out to sell box drinks on the street in Savanna-la-Mar to how he rose to the top as the Senior Vice President of large engineering companies in the United States of America is an inspirational one that talks of perseverance, diligence, and the power of opportunities to change lives.
Garold Hamilton was born in the underdeveloped region; Shaolin, Westmoreland, that was placed between two cemeteries – an area that was surrounded by violence, people living there had to deal with lack of resources, and hardship were the norm. However, there were also good family values, industrious inhabitants and entrepreneurial spirit in Shaolin. In the memoir, Hamilton explains how the entrepreneurial role models of his grandmother, parents and the society helped him to obtain his early teachings of survival and business. Since he was a farmer selling callaloo to a bag juice and June plums and eventually starting a barbering business as a teenager, the childhood of Hamilton is described as the basis of his entrepreneurial thinking.
In this memoir he takes his readers through his education experience which he received in Manning School to the University of the West Indies (Mona and St. Augustine) where he excel in soccer, table tennis and chess. Hamilton overcame financial difficulties, housing problems, and balancing athletics and studies. Among the most captivating chapters of the book is the description of a devastating motorbike accident that has sent him almost to a dead end in his life and future. His recovery took a serious turn and was long, which made him more disciplined and focused his determination.
The book From Grit to Glory; My Rise from the Ghetto to Corporate Leadership and Success traces the migration of Hamilton to Trinidad, London and finally to the United States. His years in the foreign country were full of culture shock, racism, rejection and moments of great confusion.
At every point of his life he had to deal with an obstacle and he tells the readers that the only way he was able to overcome that was with the things that he learned in Shaolin. His determination and constant education then enabled him to have a successful engineering career and he ultimately took up leadership roles in renowned international companies like SmithGroup, WSP and Introba which is a part of Sidara network that is one of the largest engineering and design consultancies in the world.
He is known to the world today as a respected global engineering leader, philanthropist and founder of the DTR Foundation, which provides youth development and educational empowerment, Hamilton is regarded with respect and attention. This memoir is both an analysis of the personal experiences he had and a blueprint to anyone who finds themselves in the way of opportunities. Honest storytelling and the use of most personal moments allow Hamilton to point out the significance of community, mentorship, faith, and resilience.
This book provides practical insights to the readers that are based on actual experience and this part provides the reader with practical tools with which to sail through their own troubles, whether it is leadership, career growth, business or personal growth.
From Grit to Glory is not just an autobiography or a memoir, but it is a tribute of the power of the human soul to overcome. It addresses dreamers, students, professionals, and everyone who is bent on ending the sequence of generations. The story of Hamilton shows that it is possible to come up as great as possible even out of the small streets of a ghetto covered by two cemeteries.
