Rex

I just finished an inspiring book. Rex is a book about a blind autistic musical savant told from the perspective of his mother, Cathleen Lewis. I really enjoy books about people overcoming extreme obstacles with the Lord's help. This is definitely one of those books.

Rex starts life blind due to a malformed optic nerve. He makes great progress until autism becomes apparent. He refuses to eat (living on protein shakes). He becomes hyper-sensitive to sound (running water, light switches, etc.) and touch. By the end of the book he is a tween who can travel the world playing music, has begun to make friends, and has learned to ski. Throughout all of his trials joy shines through in a way that many people envy.

The transformation of his mom is also amazing. The story starts with a career-minded newlywed and ends with a Christian single-mom who is devoted to her son and can praise God even for his difficulties. She was a person who depended on mental abilities to survive and understand the world. Now she looks through the lens of faith. She was an unchurched, irreligious woman whose heart softened toward God before God made any breakthroughs in her son's ability to cope in this world. Now she has a strong faith in God in part thanks to her brother who had the guts to say that maybe God had allowed this to happen for his glory.

I recommend this book. It is a great story of two transformations.