Stuck in Neutral ~ Terry Trueman

Title: Stuck in Neutral
Author: Terry Trueman
Publisher: HarperCollins, 128 pages 
Copyright: 2001


School Library Journal Review:
Gr 5-9-Shawn McDaniel has cerebral palsy. With no control of physical functions, he appears to the outside world, including his family, to be hopelessly retarded-a "vegetable." Because he narrates the story, readers know that he is, in fact, a near genius, completely aware of his surroundings, and able to remember everything he has ever heard. He has a rich inner life, full of humor and insight, and is capable of the most normal feelings of a 14-year-old boy. Most of his day is spent in a wheelchair where he is attended to by his mother and older siblings. His father, an author and celebrity on the talk-show circuit, left the family because of Shawn and his problems, but maintains a relationship with him. Shawn suspects that his father, in order to end his perceived pain and suffering, is considering killing him. With this intriguing premise, Trueman presents readers with thought-provoking issues. The character of Shawn, compassionately drawn, will challenge them to look beyond people's surfaces. His struggle to be known, and ultimately loved, is vividly captured, and the issue of euthanasia is handled boldly but sensitively. In the final scene, Shawn, alone with his father, waits vulnerably as the man struggles with his options. Readers must draw their own conclusions as his father's dilemma is left unresolved. This story is bound to spark much lively discussion.-Tim Rausch, Crescent View Middle School, Sandy, UT


Review: 
Stuck in Neutral is the story of Shawn, a boy who has cerebral palsy, who slowly begins to piece together that his father is thinking about ending his suffering by killing him. 

Shawn has absolutely no means of communication and is incapable of expressing how he really feels to his family. His family is oblivious to the fact that Shawn has the ability to understand the world around him and the strength within himself to carry on despite his disability. With an IQ estimated at 1.2 (equivalent to a mental age of 3-4 months), Shawn has been called a "vegetable" or "retard". But, what nobody knows is that inside himself, Shawn is a genius. Shawn remembers everything he has ever heard or seen since he was 3 or 4 years old. He learned to read because his older sister, Cindy, used to play teacher with him as the student. He feels trapped in his own body and the times when he feels the happiest is when his body undergoes a seizure.


The current topic of Sydney's (Shawn's father) writing is the story of Earl Detraux, a man who murdered his two year old son. Earl killed his boy, Colin, because he believed that his son would only live a life in misery and suffering. And, now Shawn, fears that he may suffer the same fate as Colin. The truth is, Shawn isn't miserable or in pain and he doesn't want to die. 


An excellent realistic novel that will have readers turning its pages quickly to discover what happens to Shawn. 


Reading Level: Intermediate
Notes about Audience: Recommended for readers ages 14 and up