Customer Reviews

A Case of Brilliance

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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.

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.

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.