Now I See the Moon
When her son, Neal, was diagnosed withautism, former Hollywood acting coach Elaine Hall, aka Coach E, took matters into her own hands and used her resources to guide him toward an increasingly independent life. In the process, she founded The Miracle Project, a groundbreaking organization that uses the performing arts to connect with children with autism. Both controversial and unorthodox, Hall’s innovative approach has been praised by leaders in the field of autism, including Temple Grandin,...
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The New York Times references Elaine Hall as “The Child Whisperer." Her profound bond with children has been the defining force of her life and has led her to the successive miracles she documents with grace, humor and heart in her memoir: Now I See the Moon: A Mother, a Son, a Miracle. Elaine was an A-list Hollywood acting coach for children when she learned that she could not have biological children. She adopted a beautiful two year old boy from Russia, who was subsequently diagnosed with severe autism. Refusing to heed the admonitions to “send him back” she used her professional knowledge and wisdom garnered from leading, humanistic authorities on autism to guide him through the inspiring, miraculous journey that has made him the happy, increasingly independent teenager that he is now.Drawing on that experience, she went on to create The Miracle Project, through which she took on the seemingly impossible task of engaging children on the autistic spectrum to create and perform an original musical. Sparked by her conviction that involvement in the performing arts has the power to transform, her program has been a triumph, the subject of the award winning HBO documentary, and a miracle shared by all who witness it or participate in it. Elaine Hall believes in miracles, and so will anyone who reads her personal account of how faith, persistence and love can bring them into being. The title of the book comes from an ancient Chinese Proverb: My barn burned down, but now I can see the moon. Publishers Weekly In this especially timely, painstakingly positive work, a children's film coach recounts her adoption of a troubled Russian toddler and her long, tortuous, ultimately enlightening journey to treat his nonverbal autism. A former actress, Hall worked as a successful "baby wrangler" for Hollywood feature films; 40-something, married nine years, active in her Jewish faith, and devastated by successive miscarriages, she along with her then husband traveled to an orphanage in Yekaterinburg, Russia, to adopt a quiet two-year-old. Neal, as she named him, couldn't speak or make eye contact, and despite Hall's belief in his innate intelligence, the boy was eventually diagnosed with "severe sensory dysfunction." She beautifully chronicles Neal's development to the age of his bar mitzvah vis-a`-vis his responses--positive and negative--to the slew of experts and coaches Hall found to create therapies tailored to his very individual needs. Though Hall's marriage dissolved under the pressure of Neal's care, and there were moments Hall truly believed she and her son were "slouching toward normal," she had to accept that Neal would never be "cured" of autism. She created her life's work in the Miracle Project, a theater arts program for autistic kids (eventually made into the Emmy Award-winning documentary Autism: The Musical). (July)
\ Publishers WeeklyIn this especially timely, painstakingly positive work, a children's film coach recounts her adoption of a troubled Russian toddler and her long, tortuous, ultimately enlightening journey to treat his nonverbal autism. A former actress, Hall worked as a successful "baby wrangler" for Hollywood feature films; 40-something, married nine years, active in her Jewish faith, and devastated by successive miscarriages, she along with her then husband traveled to an orphanage in Yekaterinburg, Russia, to adopt a quiet two-year-old. Neal, as she named him, couldn't speak or make eye contact, and despite Hall's belief in his innate intelligence, the boy was eventually diagnosed with "severe sensory dysfunction." She beautifully chronicles Neal's development to the age of his bar mitzvah vis-a`-vis his responses--positive and negative--to the slew of experts and coaches Hall found to create therapies tailored to his very individual needs. Though Hall's marriage dissolved under the pressure of Neal's care, and there were moments Hall truly believed she and her son were "slouching toward normal," she had to accept that Neal would never be "cured" of autism. She created her life's work in the Miracle Project, a theater arts program for autistic kids (eventually made into the Emmy Award-winning documentary Autism: The Musical). (July)\ \ \ \ \ Publishers WeeklyIn this especially timely, painstakingly positive work, a children's film coach recounts her adoption of a troubled Russian toddler and her long, tortuous, ultimately enlightening journey to treat his nonverbal autism. A former actress, Hall worked as a successful "baby wrangler" for Hollywood feature films; 40-something, married nine years, active in her Jewish faith, and devastated by successive miscarriages, she along with her then husband traveled to an orphanage in Yekaterinburg, Russia, to adopt a quiet two-year-old. Neal, as she named him, couldn't speak or make eye contact, and despite Hall's belief in his innate intelligence, the boy was eventually diagnosed with "severe sensory dysfunction." She beautifully chronicles Neal's development to the age of his bar mitzvah vis-à-vis his responses--positive and negative--to the slew of experts and coaches Hall found to create therapies tailored to his very individual needs. Though Hall's marriage dissolved under the pressure of Neal's care, and there were moments Hall truly believed she and her son were "slouching toward normal," she had to accept that Neal would never be "cured" of autism. She created her life's work in the Miracle Project, a theater arts program for autistic kids (eventually made into the Emmy Award–winning documentary Autism: The Musical). (July)\ \ \ BookPage“An amazing story written by an indomitable woman and an important book for anyone wanting to nurture and appreciate the special gifts of autistic children.”\ \ \ \ \ Kirkus ReviewsIn this emotionally charged memoir, Hall tells the story of her first 15 years with her severely autistic son. The author was a successful acting coach for children in feature films and television. In her mid-30s, intensely spiritual with strong ties to her Jewish religion, she also felt the pull of motherhood. When that didn't pan out, she and her husband adopted a two-year-old boy from a Russian orphanage. When Neal started to display autistic behavior, and Hall moved past her denial, she had the good fortune of hooking up with a doctor who counseled loving engagement with Neal-not to control, but to seek understanding-something that struck a familiar note from her professional work. Here she details the process of broaching Neal's protective sequestration. She has gainful experience-even wisdom-to impart, as well as the engrossing tales of the intense realities of living with an autistic child, including the constant search for caretakers who appreciate "that the seemingly bizarre behaviors of autism have meaning and purpose." Hall excels in capturing the piquancy of the Russian orphanage, the explosiveness of Neal's caustic tantrums and, most impressively, getting readers into her son's head to recognize the profound mental energy involved in organizing each little step of activity and the excruciating pain that attends sensory sensitivity. Answering a felt need for community, she started The Miracle Project, which brings autistics and their families together in a safe, dynamic environment to foster creativity through the theater arts. A moving, unvarnished look at living with autism and a helpful guide to action.\ \
