Stuck in Neutral

Stuck in Neutral
By Terry Trueman
Published by Harper Collins Publishing in 2000

Summary:
This book is about an almost fifteen year old boy who has a condition called cerebral palsy where Shawn can't control his movements but he is completely intelligent inside of his brain. He understands things perfectly and he knows what people are saying and even how to read but because he can't control his muscles, he is in a wheel chair and he can't communicate to his family. It is like he is stuck inside of his own body. Shawn's father loves him very much and it kills him to think that his son is maybe suffering inside. He decides that Shawn would be much better off if he weren't alive to suffer through his condition. It is heart wrenching to know that Shawn is bright and loving and alive inside of his body and that his own father can't tell if he is happy or not. His father thinks Shawn is suffering but that he doesn't have to.

Review:
This book was intense! My heart ached for Shawn when experiences happened but that Shawn couldn't move his body or tell his family how he felt, no matter how hard he tried. I loved learning about Shawn's personality. My own brother passed away from epilepsy and so it was very interesting to see how Shawn's story played out and how he coped with his disease. Shawn was happy even though he couldn't control himself. It taught me a lesson that I can be happy no matter what! And I have complete control over my body. It was a side of this condition that I had never thought of before, that he could be so intelligent but not be able to tell anybody his thoughts, his wishes, and his dreams.

Cautionary Note:
There is quite a bit of swearing for my taste in this book but I think that that is all.