By Melissa
Campbell Rowe
Genre: Adult
Fiction
Meltdowns.
Rejection. Bullying. All of these words are associated with autism. As the
story opens, Jeff Howard races to the emergency room to find his wife battered
by their autistic son. Jeff’s plans for his success and family start falling
apart and the reality is that life is hard. But It’s harder when you have a
child with autism. And you can’t run from it. Jeff’s journey from denial to
acceptance is poignant and honest. Jeff must let go of his ambitions and
embrace a different way to live. To find peace the family must be able to pull
together and work as a team to make a better life for them all. Through the
process, the family learns some new words to associate with autism: courage,
acceptance, and joy.
My Review
This is an emotional story about a family with an autistic son, Tucker. He faces bullying in school which causes him to react violently and be expelled. His mother, Meredith, is at her wit's end. Dance of Joy is not just about an autistic child and some of the challenges he faces, but it gives readers a close look at the siblings and parents lives, too. I wanted nothing more than to jump into the pages and relieve Meredith so she could rest. I adored her character because she never stopped fighting for her son. She was his biggest advocate.
This story was wonderful for many reasons, but I truly appreciate seeing these challenges through the different perspectives of the family. The author clearly depicted the emotional, physical, and mental struggles they each faced.
Author
Bio
Melissa has seen the story of special needs
from several angles. She has been a public school special education teacher, a
private school educator, a cousin, and a parent. In her first book, Dance of
Joy, readers get a glimpse into a family's life and concerns as they deal with
autism through the characters of Jeff and Meredith. She hopes this book brings
understanding to families with a child with autism and enlightenment to the
grandparents, aunts and uncles, and friends.
Melissa has published articles
in national magazines, was an editor and writer for a local magazine, and was
an English teacher for 10 years.
She has two grown sons who were both home
educated. She now divides her time between her sons and working
at Grace Academy, an academy serving homeschooled students. She is a board
member for a new nonprofit focused on bringing community and social
opportunities to adults with disabilities. You can connect with this
organization and their outreach at - http://www.theartswithgrace.org or https://www.facebook.com/The-Arts-With-Grace-445306178984966/
Kindle and Amazon Link: http://amzn.to/1XP4HJH
Barnes and Noble link: http://bit.ly/1TBgXNc
Goodreads:
http://bit.ly/1OxJeh3
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