Thirty years ago, Jacob Raphael was diagnosed with pervasive developmental disorder (autism), and his family was told he "would have to be institutionalized." Twenty years later, as a college junior majoring in Creative Writing and minoring in Philosophy, Jacob was asked how his class in Dante was going. He replied, "Well Dad, we're making our way through purgatory." A Miracle of the Heart is Jacob's and his father David's memoir of shared discovery. Told in essays written over a thirty-year period, the book offers a written time capsule of Jacob's growth and the family's experience. In transcribed father-son conversations following each essay, the true triumph of Jacob's story unfolds. The two discuss heroic archetypes and compare heroes' journeys. Jacob speaks openly and insightfully about the challenges faced by those with autism. As an advocate for those with spectrum challenges, Jacob observes: "We should be very cautious of people who try to 'cure' autism." At the heart of the book is DIR/Floortime, a relationship-based developmental framework for understanding and addressing the challenges of children with developmental and learning differences. The Raphael family's embrace of this framework, founded by Drs. Stanley Greenspan and Serena Wieder, unlocked Jacob's growth and nurtured a bright, funny, and thoughtful young man. The book recounts those years with honesty about the struggles alongside the joy of each step forward. Animating the narrative is the role that religious faith can play when individuals and families face hardship and challenge. Religious text and learning frame life's difficulties and offer guidance and wisdom in the search for answers and a path forward. While the topic of A Miracle of the Heart is autism, its core theme is the majesty of shared journeys - even the most difficult ones. Its messages of hope and redemption will speak to individuals and families of all faith traditions who seek meaning and transformation in their own lives.
