Stuck in Neutral

Written by Terry Trueman

Narrated by Johnny Heller

This ""intense reading experience""* is a Printz Honor Book.

Shawn McDaniel's life is not what it may seem to anyone looking at him. He is glued to his wheelchair, unable to voluntarily move a muscle—he can't even move his eyes. For all Shawn's father knows, his son may be suffering. Shawn may want a release. And as long as he is unable to communicate his true feelings to his father, Shawn's life is in danger.

To the world, Shawn's senses seem dead. Within these pages, however, we meet a side of him that no one else has seen—a spirit that is rich beyond imagining, breathing life.

*Booklist starred review

• Language: English
• Publisher: HarperCollins
• Release date: Jul 24, 2012
• ISBN: 9780062234704

Terry Trueman

Terry Trueman grew up in the northern suburbs of Seattle, Washington. He attended the University of Washington, where he received his BA in creative writing. He also has an MS in applied psychology and an MFA in creative writing, both from Eastern Washington University. Terry is also the author of Stuck in Neutral and its companion novel, Cruise Control; Hurricane; 7 Days at the Hot Corner; No Right Turn; and Inside Out.

Reviews for Stuck in Neutral

[reader1009-863136 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Teen fiction; themes: Cerebral Palsy, social issues, ethics of euthanasia. This is kind of like one of those movies where nothing goes right and at the end (and even throughout the middle) you feel terrible. It's a very quick read (should take under 2 hours to finish) and a page turner; it also deals with some pretty heavy issues but it does make a valid point: you can't make assumptions about people just based on their appearances.

[jrlibrary · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The story is told by a young man who, everyone believes, is stuck inside a useless body he cannot control with a mind equally handicapped from cerebral palsy. His mind is actaully sharp, comedic and philosophical. An amazing story which causes the reader to rethink the way they view those who are developmentally delayed. There is a follow up novel told from the brother's perspective.

[lcherylc_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Cerebral palsy, lives with the thought of knowing his father wants to “put him out of his misery” and kill him.

[fatlamb · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

A roller coaster ride of emotions for the reader and the main character Shawn McDaniel. The book provides a lot of thought. Shawn is a fourteen year old boy who is paralyzed and lives with cerebral palsy in Washington. The great aspect of this book is that the story is told from Shawn's point of view, even though Shawn can not move any of his muscles (fingers, eyelids, butt, to only name a few and the book goes into greater details, quite hilarious), is a mute and can not communicate, needs to be feed every meal, and can not control any of his body parts except for what goes on inside his mind. Shawn's special gift is that he remembers everything that he hears and sees; what is said to him, other peoples conversations, whats on T.V., what he can read with his eyes, etc... As the story moves along you get to know the characters in the story, especially Shawn. They all seem to be very realistic and handle living with Shawn in different ways. Shawn is just another smart fourteen year old boy trapped in a useless body. He is interested in the opposite sex, thinks his brother and sister are pretty cool, loves his mom, and even wants to sing like Kurt Cobain...pretty typical for most fourteen year olds but he also thinks his dad is going to kill him. Syd Shawn's father left the family cause of Shawn and his disability. Throughout the book Syd is portrayed as a controversial person (does not believe in God, left his wife and kids, is famous primarily due to Shawn, wants to end Shawn's pain). I had different feelings toward Syd throughout the book, they changed from being a hated figure to pity.Shawn's mother Lindy does everything possible for him and more, is portrayed as an angel. Paul Shawn's brother has anger towards his father for leaving the family and sticks up for Shawn. One of my favorite parts of the book is what Paul does to two people who try to light Shawn on fire.Cindy is Shawn's sister who never complains of her living situation but at times Shawn's burden is difficult for her.The roller coaster journey of ups and downs has plenty. The story shifts from humor due to Shawn's great outlook in life, to sadness on how families are effected by cerebral palsy, to anger on how some people treat others, to laughter with Shawn's whimsy sayings, to controversial issues such as God and euthanasia, to suspense whether Syd is going to kill Shawn. Overall, I really enjoyed the book , it actually made me laugh quite a bit for being a book on such a difficult subject such as cerebral palsy. It was very humorous for how touching the book is. The ending could have been better (did Syd kill Shawn?), the ending left many open doors but the majority of the book was very affective and left me questioning many aspects in life. (4.5 stars)High School Read; due to the controversial aspects of euthanasia, God, some words not appropriate for younger readers such as; asshole, dick, hard on. A lot of the reviews did recommend this book for grades 6 and up, I do agree for the readability but I believe older students would appreciate the humor and thought provoking issues.The author Terry Trueman has a son with cerebral palsy who is incapable of learning, or understanding much anything, and cannot communicate at all.

[whisper1_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This packs a punch in a mere 114 pages. The writing is sparse and excellent with no need for more embellishment.Compact and haunting, this Printz Honor book is a story of fourteen year old Shawn who is profoundly impacted by cerebral palsey. With no control of his muscles, and no ability to communicate, those in his environment deem him severely stuck in an area wherein they cannot fathom his mind working.While Shawn cannot communicate, he is indeed a genius and able to remember details and process the world around him. He is loved by his parents and siblings, but the toll of taking care of him and the emotional fortitude required is too much for his father. This results in his father leaving the home.Shawn has no doubt his father loves him. Perhaps his father loves him so much that he might decide to take Shawn's life to put him out of his perceived misery.While his body is weak, his mind is strong. If only Shawn could communicate with his father to tell him he longs to live!Highly recommended. Five Stars.

[meggyweg · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

For the first nine-tenths, I thought this book was very good. It was a very interesting look at a severely disabled child who was nevertheless happy, and his fear and horror when he realized his father planned to 'euthanize' him. It brought an important issue to the surface. But the ending ruined the whole book for me. I was enraged at Terry Trueman's inability to make up his mind. I was so angry at being cheated like that, that I actually threw the book away in the garbage. It was a lovely book most of the way but the ending was so bad I can't recommend it to anyone.

[ewyatt_16 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I was hooked by the tag line on the front cover. "My name is Shawn McDaniel...I think my father is planning to kill me." Shawn can not communicate with anyone at all because of his cerebral palsy, but inside he is bright and alive. However, his father's growing activism in a case of a mercy killing is making him edgy. Shawn is a great character and this quick read shows the impact of his condition on the members of his family. Good stuff!

[crochetbunnii · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This book provides an interesting take on the inner lives of developmentally challenged individuals. Shawn McDaniel suffers from cerebral palsy. He can't speak, control his bodily functions or manage any aspect of his life. To the outside world, he is merely a shell. But Shawn's inner world is vibrant and alive. He remembers everything he's ever heard and feels as any normal 14 year old boy would. The book forces the reader to consider an alternate reality for developmentally-challenged persons who appear to be in pain. Trueman writes this book partly from his own experience with his son. Which makes it more interesting that Shawn's father, a Pulitzer-prize winning author for his poem about his relationship with Shawn, is considering killing his son to save him from the pain his father believes Shawn lives with.

[scote23 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I really enjoyed this book. It looks at cerebral palsy, which is a disease I wasn't really familiar with. The ending was tough for me to read.

[4sarad_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

This book had a great premise, but I thought the writing was a little boring. I hate ambiguous endings, too. That could have been the best scene in the book if he would have actually written it instead of his cop-out.

[kebets_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

It doesn't take long to read the book - but it takes a long time to get the story out of your mind. It's one that will haunt me.The story is about Shawn McDaniel, told by Shawn. He is a 15-year-old trapped in a body which obeys no one. Shawn was born with cerebral palsy - an extreme form that has affected his brain stem. That means he can not control any voluntary movement in his body. Only involuntary reflexes like swallowing and breathing function. His IQ comes out about 1.3 - that's about a month old baby.But, there is a dastardly twist. Shawn can remember absolutely everything he hears - forever. He thinks he may be a genius. But, no one will ever know because he can't control his body enough to share that gem.Add to this a father who was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for a poem about Shawn. His famous father seems on the brink of a monumental decision... is Shawn's life so painful that the merciful thing to do is to end it? Is that what a loving father would do?That is the book - a simple enough tale.But what do we think? At one point Shawn's father asks an audience member on a TV talk show..."Have you ever told someone to pull the plug if you are brain dead following an accident?" With that the audience is silenced - and Shawn and I wonder...is that what his life is?What would we do? How do we know what is happening inside a person's head when their body does not allow us to know? And how would a father show his love?And that is why this short youth fiction book haunts me...and will probably haunt you to

[2wondery_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Shawn's inner life is amazingly well drawn, complete with humor and out-of-body experiences and male teen fixations. His parents fail him in a variety of ways. His dad, while agonizing about Shawn's pain, leaves the family because he can't handle it; but them builds his career from a poem he wrote about that angst. What a loser! His mother functions at a much higher level, seeming to provide all that she can; except that she still relates to him as an infant. That would be hard to pull off. His siblings are fiercely protective and treat him as an individual, even without any of the feedback usually needed in relationships. I look forward to reading more about this family.

[satyridae · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This was an intense and compact book, perhaps made more intense by its brevity. I picked it up this afternoon and was drawn through it in an hour. Shawn's voice rings achingly true, as do the voices of his family. Parts of it are really, really tough to read but it's worth the pain.

[romikac_2 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Stuck in Neutral is the story of a fourteen-year-old boy name Shawn who is disable. Although, Shawn's disabled he can read and remember everything he's seen or heard before, but nobody else knows this because he's unable to communicate. He has a number on seizures on a daily basis but instead of seeing them as painful, he sees them as a outer body experience. Shawn thinks his dad is planning to kill him, not for a thrill but to rescue him from the pain he endures. Although, this is an easy read I wouldn't use this book with students in grades below high school because of the langauge. Teaching students that people with disabliltes can learn as well as a normal functioning person. Teaching students that people with disabilites shouldn't be mistreated because of his/her conditions, they are still human and should be treated as such. I enjoyed this book Shawn McDaniel's story is a powerful and touching one. I think Terry Truman's title was perfect because it describes Shawn's life on a daily basis. His mind functioning normal but being unable to control anything else. This book makes me think more about people with disabilites and how he/she might feel not being able to do things like others.

[shelbyjomckay · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This novel is about a young boy with cerebral palsy. Because of his condition, he cannot control any of his muscles, but his brain works completely normally. The only trouble with this is that he can't tell anyone; even if they were to ask him. His father left him and his family when Shawn was four. He hated seeing his son in pain during his seizures. Shawn's father starts contemplating killing Shawn to put him out of his pain. Shawn doesn't want to die. He loves his life, but how does he tell anyone that? What he fears the most is that he will die without anyone ever truly knowing him and who he is.This book was very moving. A great lesson that I learned from it, and believe students would, is to think twice about how I treat "retarded" people. We never think twice about them being able to understand us or what is going on around us just because they may not be able to pass our tests of aptitude and such. Also I think it gives a great opportunity to discuss what real love looks like. Shawn and his father's relationship is very odd. It poses some great questions about the extremes love may push us to.I really liked this book. It was an easy read, and I couldn't put it down. It was quite moving. I would definitely recommend this to my friends for pleasure. It really made me think of all the mentally challenged people I have encountered in my life; how I've treated them, talked to them, interacted, and I wonder how much of it they really got. I would for sure read it again.

[mattsya · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Trueman provides a great concept--a boy made entirely immobile by cerebral palsy is in fact a genius--and adds onto it an extremely suspenseful and claustrophobic setting.

[ragenlambert · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Stuck in Neutral is the story of a teenage boy named Shawn. Shawn is handicapped with cerebral palsy. He can’t move or even control his blinking. Shawn hears his dad saying he is going to kill his son out of mercy. Shawn has to come to terms that although he knows exactly what is going on in the world, everyone else thinks he is just a vegetable. Stuck in Neutral would be really well to use in the classroom. I could use this book when teaching about handicaps and how they affect people. This story is a true depiction of how handicap children not only affect the person afflicted with the handicap but also the family.I absolutely loved this book. It was a really big eye opener to families with handicap children. It really made me think about children who have diseases like cerebral palsy would be able to hear and think just like everyone else. This is a really good written book and very moving.

[brainannex · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

I'm not sure why this book got so many accolades. It was okay but not anything I want to tell everyone in the world about.

[cmckee_23 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Shawn McDaniel, a fourteen-year-old profoundly handicapped boy with cerebral palsy, is, as he says, “stuck in neutral,” because of his inability to control any muscle system or communicate in any way with others. Readers from middle school to adults, however, will be “stuck in overdrive,” unable to stop reading this compassionate, humorous, and frightening story of someone we all would believe has no normal human functioning; the idea that he could, in fact, love his life, experience true joy, and be smarter than most of us will have readers questioning their values and notions of “a quality life." Shawn’s fear that his own father may be considering killing him out of love also brings a new perspective to euthanasia and makes us wonder, as the author does about his own son: “Inside himself is he witty and funny and wise? Is he happy to be alive?” A wonderful Printz Honor Book!

[heathersblue · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I'm utterly torn. This book is pretty amazing at several levels and introduces some themes that I think are critical in a young person's life filtering the world through a profound disability. Having a unprofound disabilty (myself), Shawn's character seems to understand concepts far beyond his years. It is only in time that you begin to understand your parent's feelings towards your disability...at Shawn's age it is difficult to decipher between their fgeelings about the disability and their feelings for you and impossible to understand that all of their dreams of having a perfect life and a perfect child (that they have pictured their entire life) has fallen to shreds. Parents have to understand a whole new way of living...kids just don't get that. They can't. Having said that, I thought the book was pretty amazing.

[skstiles612 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Shawn is a 14 year old boy very much like others his age with his likes and dislikes. What makes Shawn diffferent is he has cerebral palsy. To the world he looks a seizure riddled body with no functioning brain. No one knows if he understands, sees or hears anything. This book is told from Shawns persepective. He knows he is loved. He also knows he is the reason his father left the family. His father believes he is in constant pain from the seizures. Now Shawn is afraid of what his father is going to do to him. Does his father plan on killing him?This book reminded me of a case we had here in Florida of a young woman who suffered a heart attack and then went into a coma. When they finally pulled the life support she lived on in a vegetative state. Years later her husband succeeded in having her feeding tube and everything removed to allow her to die. The governor and others stepped in trying to stop this. Her parents felt that she was still locked inside her head unable to communicate with them. This made me think about what I would feel and think and do in that situation or any similar situation. I have a living will that states if I am in a vegetative state with no hope of survival that I want them to pull the plug. Where do we draw the line though. Euthanasia is a very touchy subject. It is not something that most young people think about. I think this would be a wonderful book to get them considering all sides.Shawn was a very believable person. I found myself angry with the way people treated him, yet I understood why they did. This will be a book that will stick with me for a long time. Excellent and I recommend it whole heartedly to everyone.

[cacv78 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This book was a great, quick read. Terry Trueman does a great job in showing the reader how the mind of Shawn, a boy with cerebral palsy is just like the mind of any other boy his age. The ending was not what I expected or wanted but did leave me thinking about how a person can love another so much and yet think about doing such a horrible thing.

[Resilient Bailey · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This book was just amazing. My perception will forever be changed.

[nicolevalentino · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I thought that the book, Stuck In Neutral was very good. I would recommend it to just about anyone. I think that it taught me a lot about life itself. It taught me that life is not always beautiful but it is a beautiful ride. I thought that the end however, was good, but not the best because I would have liked it to be more straight forward as to what had happened to Shawn at the end.

[kellisingleton · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Stuck in Neutral is written by Terry Trueman. The narrator of the story is a young boy named Shawn. Shawn is the youngest of two siblings. Shawn has several disorders that he has to deal with every day, one being a miracle. Shawn is classified as having mental retardation, cerebral palsy, and grand mal seizures. Shawn can’t talk or move any muscle in his body. Shawn does have one special trait that no one knows about; he can hear everything that everyone says. Not only can he hear stuff, but he also remembers everything he has ever heard. Shawn lets the reader know everything that is on his mind at all times. Shawn experiences a half a dozen to a dozen of seizures every day. He describes the seizures as a “spirit.” He explains that he comes out of his body when he has them. He also likes having the seizures because he can do things that he normally couldn’t. At the beginning of the story the narrator explains the divorce of Shawn’s parents. Shawn knows that he is the reason for their divorce. The word “death” really gets to Shawn. Shawn thinks his dad has a plan, and that plan is to take his life. Not for pride but to take his son’s pain away. I would teach this book on a high school basis just because of the profanity. I would want my students to realize how bad you can hurt someone with words. I would teach my students not to judge or make fun of people because you have no clue what they have been through in their life. Especially in Shawn’s case, no one knew that Shawn could hear every word that they were saying because he had no way of letting them know. I think just by reading the book, it would open up the readers eyes in a more positive way. I loved this book. When I sat down and started reading it I couldn’t stop. I think the book would have been way different if it was told from Cindy or Paul’s point of view. By the book being told from Shawn’s point of view the reader can really see the way that he feels. I wish they would make another series of this book because I want to know if he just had a seizure at the end of the story or did his dad murder him. I wasn’t too sure if I liked Earl, Shawn’s dad. He gave me mixed signals throughout the story. Read this book if you haven’t yet!

[karrieskorner · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

What would it be like to be alive and the only thing you can do is be awake or be asleep? You can't talk, walk, move any part of your body voluntarily, eat, or even express your feelings through your facial features. This is what life is like for Sean, who is trapped inside his own body. His family thinks he's a vegetable and that he can't understand a word that is said to him. But behind Sean's seemingly unknowing eyes is the mind of a very intelligent and sensitive young man. He is aware of everything around him, understands the conversations his family has in front of him, and can pick up on everyone's emotions, including his father's increasing agitation about how pathetic Sean's life is. Then one day his dad -- who has moved out of the family house because he can't stand the stress of having a handicapped son -- starts talking about euthanasia and how it would be better to put some people 'out of their misery.' Is Sean miserable? He doesn't think so. In fact, Sean is pretty happy with his life, but with no way to tell anyone that he quickly feels as if danger is heading his way. Could his father actually 'put him out of his misery?'

[tutorial98 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Brutally honest and engaging, Terry Trueman pulls you deep into the mind of a young man who, by all appearances, is stuck inside a useless body he cannot control with a mind equally handicapped. The reality is that his mind is sharp, comedic and philosophical. An amazing story written by an author with unparalleled insight.

[amaraduende · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

A young man's internal monologue... the only kind he can have, since he is unable to communicate with the outside world. His body does not respond voluntarily... he has cerebral palsy.

This book made me remember "The Diving Bell and the Butterfly" and how hard I thought Jean-Dominique Bauby had it ... of course he does... but this young man literally has zero way to even let the outside world know he is even self-aware.

This was not pleasant to read, or a book you would enjoy, like "Out of My Mind" was. It was a very fast read, and it brought up some interesting thoughts about euthanasia... but perhaps it didn't get deeply enough into them.

[booksun · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

A boy is stuck in his brain, because of his physically helpless he can't control any part of his body. But his thoughts are there! And these thoughts are the same as 'ordinary'boys of his age. His father can't cope. The story makes you question what you really know about people with an handicap. There is an open-end to the story, which might be for children a bit hard to come to terms with. Because children are completely loyal to their parents, but this father seems to be breaking that trust.Overall an interesting book and well written.

[librarybrandy · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Shawn's favorite food is the barbecue potato chips his brother sneaks to him. His sister taught him how to read. And his dad wants to kill him. Shawn doesn't want to die, but he doesn't take it personally--his father is only thinking about it out of love, because Shawn’s cerebral palsy means can't communicate at all and has no way to tell anyone that he's not suffering.

A not-usually-seen perspective on the disabled, showing a rich inner life that the body can't express. I really liked the open ending, but now there's a sequel, so so much for that. I'll be mixing this into the high school booktalks for this year.