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Rex: A Mother, Her Autistic Child, And The Music That Transformed Their Lives (2008)

by Cathleen Lewis(Favorite Author)

3.88 of 5 Votes: 5

ISBN

1595551506 (ISBN13: 9781595551504)

languge

English

genre

Memoir & Autobiography

publisher

Thomas Nelson Publishers

review 1: A very inspiring story. Rex is obviously amazingly talented, however I think his mother (the author of this book) is also amazingly talented to have been able to become such a natural clear-sighted advocate for her son with no training and minimal support from professionals.The book maintains narrative tension well throughout and is a quick read (which was lucky as it was already overdue from the library when I started). Lewis either has an incredible editor or is a very able writer.It is frustrating to read about Rex's elementary classroom teacher and her complete lack of understanding of Rex's educational needs, but unfortunately such circumstances are very common. The clever tactic employed by concert pianist David Pinto is on page 198 - instead of giving orders, he joi... morens in with whatever was distracting Rex at the time and only then gently guides him back to what he was supposed to be doing - is far too rarely used. I often take my son swimming on a day when the special school is there and am disheartened to see that the children are only ever given orders, and shouted at when they do not comply. Thankfully they are given free time after their lesson, but the teachers/aides never join in with or comment on what is interesting the children at the time (such as this week, when a boy was playing with an big air bubble trapped in his bathing suit, or when they are having fun splashing). It's also noticeable that they don't routinely give the kids a warning when free time is about to end - it's just straight into "get out of the pool". That is of course unfair of me to say, when I'm not volunteering to teach these kids swimming. A far cry from the author, Lewis who has put her money where her mouth is and become an Educational Specialist in Visual Impairments.This book is also a story about the author's spiritual journey from a world filled with motion yet somehow empty, to a life completely outside her comfort zone but full of purpose. The portrayal of her struggles with prayer and unfolding peace and sense of clarity reminds me of C.S.Lewis's quote: "...[prayer] doesn’t change God- it changes me." Plenty of food for thought here.
review 2: A mother discovers her newborn son is blind and then later, autistic. As she struggles with these difficulties, she finds that music reaches him. He later proves to be a musical savant. It was fascinating to read about her and her son and helped me to understand better the autistic people I know. It also gave me a glimpse of what the parents have to deal with. You can search online for more info and to hear him play the piano. less

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