Dancing with Max

A Mother and Son Who Broke Free

By: Emily Colson, Charles Colson

Narrated by: Emily Colson

Length: 6 hrs and 35 mins

Publisher's summary

The true story of a single mother's love and perseverance, her son's autism diagnosis with its challenges and gifts, and their triumph together over life's toughest obstacles.

Journey with Emily Colson--daughter of former White House Special Counsel Chuck Colson--as she takes you from her darkest days of pain to her adventure through life. With candor and wit, she shares about her personal battles and heartbreak when, as a suddenly single mother, she discovered that her only child has autism. Emily illuminates the page with vivid imagery--making you laugh, making you cry, and inspiring you to face your own challenges.

This is the story that will inspire you to break free of the barriers that threaten to constrict your life, and Max is the young man who will capture--and even change--your heart. As you learn more about Max and his journey, you'll learn about:

• The incredible power of community
• Facing each day with grace and faith
• Turning your challenges into blessings

In a special prologue and epilogue from Chuck Colson--his most personal writing since Born Again--he details how Max's resilient spirit unraveled his thinking and brought out his tender side as a grandfather.

Along the way, you'll discover that Max's disability does not so much define who he is, but reveals who we are. Dancing with Max is not a fairy tale with a magical ending. It's a real-life story of grace, second chances, and fresh starts in spite of life's hardest problems. And Max? Max will make you fall in love with life all over again, leaving you dancing with joy.

Praise for Dancing with Max:

"Emily shares her moving story, of life's struggles but of its even greater victories, in her own words. This is a story of triumph, in spite of the suffering and pain. It is most of all a love story, and a story about changed lives--Emily's, Max's, and also mine."

--Chuck Colson, former White House Special Counsel

©2010 Emily Colson (P)2010 Zondervan

Critic reviews

"In sharing her discovery of God's gift to Max seeing the world with a different but uncluttered view, Colson will bring hope and encouragement to those who have a child with autism. The book includes a prologue and epilogue by author - and Max's grandfather - Charles Colson." (Christian Retailing)

Loved it!

A great book for a special needs family. My young children 8,7,5 listened and enjoyed.

Inspiring and loving story

Dancing with Max is an inspiring and loving story about a child with autism and his mother and family. It is such a wonderful story. It shows the ups and downs as well as wonderful impact Max has on other people. And the Ingenious way Emily, his mother, manages to pull information from him with her art. I could go on and on, but then I would be providing a summary of the book. Sophist to say this is the most inspiring an awesome story I have “read.”.

Helpful, hopeful & sad

Having a son with some similar issues to Max, I found lots of stories to relate to and appreciated Emily's determination and dedication to Max. She described the hard times and the good times with the same cheery disposition which grated on me a little bit.

What I didnt appreciate was her father's comments along the lines that the only good people who can care for kids like Max are the evangelical Christians like himself.

Such a spectacular book

Wow this is such a spectacular book about max Colson and his mother Emily Colson I feel like everyone should read this book. Wish there was more books like this.

This book taught me a lot

I just finished listening to this book by Emily Colson, the daughter of Chuck Colson, who was one of the Watergate guys in the Nixon administration to go to prison--the one that got "converted", remember??
Anyway, she wrote this book about raising her autistic son, Max, from infanthood on. But at first I didn't want to listen to it---I mean, I could not take hearing one more story about somebody suffering and trying to deal with incomprehensible obstacles, detail by detail, you know? Too much reality and sadness for me.
But I guess I got desperate for a little "intellectual input" so I started listeningt to it yesterday. Yes, It is a difficult story to hear, as are all stories about anybody having to sacrifice to deal with the situations they find themselves facing in life. But there were one or two underlying themes and truths in this story which made it a story I am sure the Lord wanted me to hear.
I want to meet Ms. Colson---to "Knock her block off" (as Lucy would say to Charlie Brown). God seems to have given her a grace to raise Max that I could never, ever hope to attain to. But believeable. A person I could learn a thing or two from--amazing. She has obviously inherited her father (Chuck Colson's) intellect, but channeled it somehow into raising her little boy to become the person God wants him to be. She tells of the setbacks and disappointments, one of top of another; enough if it were me to make the average person give up completely. It has some really comedic moments, and beginning and ending commentary by Chuck Colson. I am going to listen to the entire book again, and try to digest more of it. This book has taught me more about the ways of God and his view of mankind, through the story of this one kid. It did not leave me feeling "good"; but it left me feeling definitely closer to the Lord. And it was humbling, and left me knowing that God expects more of me than I am giving him right now, which I was very suprised to learn.

A wonderful book!

A truly inspiring story about facing life's challenges with joy, determination and love! Congrats Emily and Max!

Wonderful True Life Story

Would you consider the audio edition of Dancing with Max to be better than the print version?

No, I used Whispersync and was able to read and listen at the same time. But the narration gave the story a little more life.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Dancing with Max?

One of the most memorable moments when Max decided he wanted to be baptized.

What does Emily Colson bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Since it was her story and she was actually the person who is telling it. You can hear all the emotions in her voice that she felt when the events where happening.

Any additional comments?

I have a son with autism. This is a great book to read/listen if you are a parent of special needs child and also a Christian.

Touching and Joyful View of Autism

This book, written by Emily Colson, daughter of Chuck Colson, is an honest and inspiring look into a life consumed with raising an autistic son (Max) as a single parent. Emily shares the struggles candidly but you never lose the sense that she considers her autistic son and her life raising him as a gift from God. She writes in easy to read, enjoyable word pictures of snapshot moments that carry you along her life raising Max. I honestly both laughed and cried reading this book. As a parent of a child with Asperger's myself, many of the struggles were familiar and it caused me to seize each day with my child and remember to laugh and dance and find joy in each day.

Beautiful Story!

Another great tool in learning to understand autism and the families that are impacted by it! Thank you for sharing your story, Emily!

Encouraging Story

What does Emily Colson bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

I really enjoyed hearing Charles Colson and his daughter, Emily, share Max's story. Also, at the very end, Max and Emily sing a little together, which was a nice surprise.

Any additional comments?

Emily Colson reminded me that we all interact with people, and that despite our troubles we need to look beyond ourselves to help and love others. Maybe someone doesn't have an obvious disability that they are struggling with, but are struggling with their marriage or finances, etc. If Max is able to reach out to the people in his community, why can't I?