Page 16 - Kingdom News Special Author's Edition

ourtland J. Manning, CJ, was born to
his 12-year-old mother. Despite the cir-
cumstances of CJs entry into this world,
he
C did have a loving grandmother that
played a large role in raising him along with the
support of his very large family, which included
his great grandparents.

As a native of Denver, Colorado; CJ avoided
gangs, drugs, violence, and mediocrity that
claimed the life of many of his childhood
friends. He is the first in his immediate
family to go to college and earn numer-
ous leadership awards, academic
honors, and scholarships. CJ
graduated from the University of
Colorado Boulder's Leeds School
of Business in the Fall of 2016
with degrees in Business Strategy
& Entrepreneurship and Organization-
al Leadership with a minor degree in Cor-
porate Social Responsibility.

Now, upon his graduation from college, Manning
reflects on the trials and tribulations that ulti-
mately led to his success in this debut novel,
Blindfolded: How A Young Man Found the Cour-
age to See. He recounts deep personal experienc-
es from selling drugs at the age of 10 to graduat-
ing from college and launching a successful busi-
ness career. His goal is to encourage life-changing
revelations in individuals around the country -
claiming that the least likely to succeed can, in
fact, remove their blindfolds, see clearly and walk
their path to greatness.

16 Kingdom News Magazine