A Case of Brilliance [Paperback]

Rebecca Lange Hein (Author)

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Cellist and writer Rebecca Hein specializes in extemporaneous learning, an avenue to the right brain. Her newsletter, Don't Remember This, illustrates the many ways in which we can use our unconscious thought processes to nurture creativity.

Hein has been writing for nearly 40 years. Although her first career was in classical music, Hein began to write specifically about cello practicing and teaching in 2000, with her debut as monthly arts columnist for the Casper Star-Tribune in Wyoming, where she lives. She has published one book, A Case of Brillliance, a parent-to-parent memoir of how she and her husband discovered that their children are profoundly gifted. Hein is also a correspondent for the American Reporter online.

Product Details

• Paperback: 228 pages
• Publisher: Xlibris Corporation (March 1, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1401044727
• ISBN-13: 978-1401044725
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 6.1 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,375,508 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An important contribution to profoundly gifted literature!, April 20, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: A Case of Brilliance (Paperback)

This book expands the horizons of literature on profound giftedness. It is an engaging parental account of one family's discovery of their children's extreme asynchrony leading ultimately to the author's discovery of her own. In their struggle to understand the complex and unusual needs of their children, Rebecca Hein and her husband Ellis must also learn how to best meet those needs. This journey of discovery reveals much about their own lives, bringing them full circle to a greater understanding of themselves and what is required for them to live their lives most fully.

Rebecca Hein details with clarity and insight the unusual ways her children learn, perceive and think. She chronicles the family's home schooling as she finds new ways to teach the children, all the while relating these to her own experiences as both student and teacher. Through Rebecca's keen observations, we accompany her family through this journey and in doing so find a familiar understanding of their experience.

This book can further the understanding of that experience for educators and professionals working with profoundly gifted children. It makes a compelling case for both the unusual educational and emotional needs of this population, and for the reasons these needs must be served. Even more important, is the book's value for those families who might see themselves in its pages and know that they are not alone. There is both comfort and optimism to be found in the ways this family chose to meet their challenges.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Read this to gain a balanced perspective on your musically gifted kid., June 17, 2007

By 

Marda S. "Marda S." (Lexington, KY USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Case of Brilliance (Paperback)

This mom struggles with what to do with her musically gifted kids. She becomes pretty consumed with developing their skills. This book encouraged me to take a more active role in working with my own musically gifted child. However, it also vividly illustrates the dangers of becoming a "music" mom. Overall, I didn't enjoy the book but think it gave me new direction and perspective to my own situation.

5.0 out of 5 stars Amazing & Wonderful!, May 6, 2006

By 

Elizabeth Ann Joseph "Buffy" (Cupertino, CA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: A Case of Brilliance (Hardcover)

I don't usually write reviews, but this book is an exception. It is a deeply moving account of a mother's discovery of her children's giftedness, and along the way the discovery of her husband's giftedness and her own. I also have two gifted children, and although they are not profoundly gifted as Ms. Hein's family, much of what she wrote made sense to me.

I took this book out from the library, but I'm going to recommended it to my family, friends and school contacts.