Rising from poverty to become a pediatric neurosurgeon and prominent government official, Dr. Ben Carson pointed to his upbringing as proof of the promise of America. As the country’s 250th anniversary approaches, Carson is turning his attention to educating the next generation about the nation’s history through a new children’s book initiative.

The former secretary of Housing and Urban Development has released a package of children’s books alongside Christian actor Kirk Cameron and conservative activist and athlete Riley Gaines. The Brave Books “America Wins Bundle” aims to promote patriotism, faith, and American values amid concerns that younger generations have become disconnected from their nation’s history.

In a statement provided to The Christian Post, Brave Books noted that, in 2022, the Nation’s Report Card revealed that only 13% of U.S. eighth-grade students performed at or above the NAEP Proficient level, a 2-point drop from 2018.

“It’s unfortunately something that happens in a lot of countries before they fall,” Carson told CP in an interview. “They neglect their history, or they allow their history to be rewritten.”

“We have an incredible history with this country, from a bunch of ragtag militiamen to the pinnacle of the world in record time,” he said. “Now that doesn’t mean there weren’t some bad things too, but the fact of the matter is there’s a heck of a lot more good than there is bad and ugly.”

The retired neurosurgeon said he hopes the “America Wins Bundle” — which includes Carson’s “Built on Faith,” Cameron’s “Built by the Brave,” and Gaines’s “1, 2, 3 We Are Free” — will provide younger Americans with a balanced understanding of American history and its founding principles.

“Here we are coming up on 250 years of sustained liberty under the same Constitution,” he underscored. “That’s pretty significant. Nobody else can claim anything quite like that.”

Brave Books’ statement also highlighted a June 2025 Gallup poll showing that only 41% of Gen Z adults said they were proud to be an American. Carson suggested that the decline in historical understanding is contributing to those attitudes.

“I think that feeds into the narrative that we are evil, that we cause all the problems for ourselves and for others,” Carson explained.

While Carson acknowledged the stain of slavery on America’s history, he disagreed with the sentiment that this means the country is more evil than the rest of the world. The former HUD secretary noted that practically every society has had to contend with the sin of slavery, and that the U.S. fought a Civil War to abolish it.

He expressed concern about certain diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives and curricula in education, which he believes are dividing people based on race or other traits.

“I think they’re not necessarily bringing people together,” Carson said. He added that such approaches “sow these seeds of hatred and unfairness and never seem to look at the progress that’s being made.”

The 74-year-old conservative leader reflected on the changes he has witnessed throughout his lifetime. He remembered seeing “Whites Only” signs when visiting places like Tennessee as a child, and people explaining to him the importance of paying attention to such signs.

“And in the same lifetime, we have black admirals and generals and CEOs of Fortune 500 companies and heads of foundations and university presidents, we’ve had a black president of the United States,” Carson said. “That’s an incredible amount of progress in one lifetime. We ought to concentrate on what has allowed that to happen.”

Speaking to the people who are pushing programs that he believes promote the idea that certain groups “will never achieve justice in this society,” Carson urged them to “open [their] eyes and look around [them].”

“The same thing my mother used to tell me when I was a kid,” he smiled.

Reflecting on his childhood, Carson recalled how his mother encouraged him to focus on possibilities rather than limitations, despite societal barriers.

Carson was born into poverty in Detroit and raised by a mother who had a third-grade education and couldn’t read. Despite these challenges, he developed a love of reading and, years later, earned a scholarship to Yale University.

After graduating from Yale, he graduated from the University of Michigan Medical School. Carson later served as the director of Pediatric Neurosurgery at the Johns Hopkins Children’s Center for nearly 30 years, assuming the role at age 33 and becoming the youngest major division director in the hospital’s history.

As the nation approaches its 250th anniversary, Carson said he hopes efforts like the “America Wins Bundle” will encourage younger generations to engage more deeply with the country’s history and to better understand the factors he believes have contributed to its longevity.

“It’s a country for all of us, a country that all of us have played a significant role in developing, and a country in which we should be proud of,” he said. “And I thank God every day that I was born here.”

Samantha Kamman is a reporter for The Christian Post.

This article was originally published in The Christian Post.