Gray Station Middle School student Abram Shinholster has accomplished something extraordinary by publishing his own book, Reach for the Smarts, a motivational story aimed at inspiring his peers to pursue their goals.
Shinholster shared that his biggest inspiration came from his family, especially his mother, Rita Shinholster- Clements, who is an author herself.
“My parents, my teachers, and my classmates all inspired me to write a book. Especially my mom, though, because she has written two books. That really made me want to write a book. She was very motivational for me and guided me through the way. I feel like she is the reason I wanted to write this book,” he said.
His mother’s books, Yes, You Can and The Comforter, are motivational works that encourage strength and perseverance.
Shinholster explained the meaning behind one of her titles.
“The Comforter is about my dad’s death, the events before that, and the events after that. The comforter is Jesus, and it explains how she got comfort from Jesus throughout that process,” he said.
Shinholster’s own book focuses on his sixthgrade year, detailing his challenges and accomplishments.
“My book is about myself and my sixth-grade year. It explains some challenges, like being in many extracurricular activities and still having all A-pluses. It talks about the challenges I faced throughout the year and how I overcame them. It also talks about some of my accomplishments like becoming a million-word reader and my honors day, which I was really happy about. I wanted to put it all in one book so other students could hear about how they can also do all of those things, too,” he said.
He wrote the book over the summer using his iPad.
“I figured out I like using my iPad better than my computer. I wrote it in Word and got help from my sister revising it,” he said.
Shinholster hopes his story will inspire young readers.
“I wrote this for my peers, young adults, and children to be inspired by my story and know they can reach for their goals,” he said.
Publishing his book was a proud moment.
“I was very ecstatic because I wanted people to hear about my journey because I felt really proud of it, and I wanted others to feel proud too and gain inspiration. I feel like people can get inspiration from my book to do better, and I want them to do better,” he said.
He added a message of encouragement.
“Everyone is capable of doing something that their mind desires. My mind desired to write a book, and I felt like I was capable of doing it. You can do anything your mind desires, and through God,” he said.
Shinholster is not stopping here. He already has a creative fiction book in progress, expected to be released around Christmas.
CONTRIBUTED
