Book Review for Stuck in Neutral

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Topic – Book Review for Stuck in Neutral
Stuck in Neutral is a young adult novel which is written by Terry Trueman. It
concentrates on the concept of cerebral palsy, euthanasia and the quality of life. The primary
character is Shawn McDaniel diagnosed with the disease. The story is told from the perspective
of Shawn and how his family adjusts with the situation. All the family members of Shawn have
been talked about in the novel (Densmore-James, 2016). The book received the Michael L.
Printz Award in the year 2001. The topic of the book originated from the author’s son being
struck with cerebral palsy. The author wanted to beware and educate people who read him
regarding the condition and how to show tolerance those people with such disabilities.
In the novel, fourteen-year old Shawn Michael is somehow convinced that his father is
trying to kill him out of love. The main protagonist in the story is Shawn who has caught
cerebral palsy. When he was born, a particular blood vessel burst which left him out of his
muscle control. As a result, he cannot lift his arm, cannot walk, or even smile. Shawn’s family
believes that his brain is dysfunctional but he is not completely physically inept. In reality, it is
only the partial truth. The truth is that, Shawn’s brain completely functions. Moreover, he even
has extraordinary memory power as he can easily memorize anything he hears from people’s
conversations. His only problem is, he cannot put his memory into words. This is the reason
behind his living the world in his own mind. The most pathetic fact is, he does not have the
ability to let others know that he is completely alive in his dysfunctional body.
The plot is set in the backdrop of Seattle, where Shawn stays with his mother, sister and a
brother who are 17 and 16 respectively. The entire responsibility of Shawn is taken by his
mother who feeds him the meal and looks after him. The day Shawn was born, his father left as

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he could not see his son suffering in through the seizures. Shawn has been tolerating six to
twelve grand mal seizures and now he has got used to it. Although his father has revulsion for
the seizures, Shawn loves them. In the novel, Shawn’s father is shown to have won the Pulitzer
Prize for a poem written on the illness of Shawn. The poem also reflects the effects of Shawn’s
illness on the family. It further discusses the struggle of Shawn with his disability and pain both
emotional and physical.
The course of the novel enables the readers to know that Shawn’s father is working on a
new project. In the project, Shawn’s father tries to reflect on the emotional aspect of a father
having a son like Shawn and endurance the father has to hold every in such condition. In the
project, Shawn’s father utilizes the example of Earl Detraux . The climax of the project
culminates in portraying Earl Detraux as a helpless father who suffocates his disabled son. He is
not portrayed as a murderer but a father who loved his son more than anything and could not see
his suffering. Shawn’s father, Sydney E. McDaniel depicts the complicated nature of a father’s
love which forced a father end his son’s life (Hazlett & Sweeney, 2015).
Shawn comes to learn about the project and alarmed that he will face the same climax as
the son of Earl Detraux. Shawn wants to live and believes that his father loves him a lot. Shawn
does not want to die, wants to live but cannot protest against anything. He cannot communicate
with his father and tell him that he is comfortable with the seizures. It is incapable of expressing
his true feelings due to his disability. The novel ends at Shawn’s father professing his love or his
son by gifting his ultimate relief from all his pain. Sydney sits by the side of Shawn’s bed, takes
the pillow in his hands and replicates the action of Earl Detraux. Shawn puts his own life in the
hands of his father just like an obedient son.