Rating: 
Summary: Ruined by the inconclusive ending
Review: I think that the book is interesting in its portrayal of someone who, because he is physically unable to communicate, is believed also to be unable to think. Certainly the story is a salutory warning to anyone who thinks that a communication disorder is equivalent to having nothing to communicate. There are parts of the books which are very well-written and powerful.However, I think that the book is fatally marred from both a literary and an emotional point of view by its inconclusive ending. The issue of whether a boy is going to be killed by his own father is so fundamental that leaving it up in the air is seriously damaging to the book. I understand that inconclusive endings are sometimes a literary device; I just feel that doing so in a book of this sort, especially one intended for young readers, is inappropriate, and may lead to the readers protecting themselves emotionally by treating it as just a case study in ethics, and ignoring Shawn's humanity: surely the complete opposite of the book's presumable purpose. I am also concerned about the atmosphere created of the young disabled character's total powerlessness in the hands of adults; and the fact that this aspect is not directly questioned. One gets the impression that the father's thoughts of killing his son are wrong in this case; but not that it is wrong or unnatural for an adult to have that much power over their child (or over anyone). I think that the book may therefore appeal to young people who do feel powerless and are frustrated by it; but that the emphasis on powerlessness may ultimately be corrosive. It would be particularly dangerous if it leads to the impression that disabled people must invariably be totally under other people's power. I realize that some of my comments may sound confused; but the book's whole message is confused. It is a strange book; possibly of interest to adults, especially those who are interested in
books that use defiance of literary conventions, such as plot resolution, as a literary device in itself. I don't think that it has much to offer young people.
Rating: 
Summary: a good book
Review: This book is a great book for kid and young adults of any age.
this book tells a story of a young boy who cant talk but he is one of the smartest people but nobody knows it and if you like action this book has the perfict mix of action and comidy with a little bit of serousness therown in. if you like to read then this book is a great book to read.
Rating: 
Summary: Dustin Gerhart's Review for Mrs. Holmes Class
Review: The book isn't bad, but it's not the best I have ever read. Fourteen year old Shawn McDaniel, the main character tells a story the way his life is and if he could talk, what he would say. The reason Shawn can't talk, listen, look, taste, feel, or smell is because he has a condition otherwise known as cerebral palsy, which he has had since birth. Which makes it so if Shawn wants to look at one thing, he has no control over his eyes so until his eyes can make that mental connection with his mind his eyes wont look where he wants them to. It is actually kind of sad, I mean having no control over any part of your body, not being able to respond to a question, I can't imagine. According to the book, Shawn is happy to be alive. He loves his mothers gentle hugs and the way his brother sneaks him snacks when his mother isn't looking. But, after Shawn's father who is an reporter and writer of a poem he named 'Shawn", interviews a man who suffocated his son to death because he was trying to end his pain, Shawn begins to worry that his father might try to kill him. Of course Shawn has no way of telling anyone how he feels so he just goes on trying not to think about it. Shawn, who is literally trapped inside his own body tells not only a emotional, but easy to relate to story. Because we all have ran into times where we feel helpless, and this book gives you a good idea how to deal with a few of those problems. Terry, the author Trueman's son also suffers from the same disease as Shawn. This book is told in first person and I recommend it to anyone who is likes nice calm, under control books. The book is an original and moving debut.
Rating:
Summary: Unacceptable
Review: I am being forced to read this book for my senior year. After starting it, I find it distasteful and deffinetly not one of my favorite books. Yes, I realize that in the end we should all feel sad and sorry for the author and yah good story. But the thing I find unacceptable is the language used and some what of what he sees, portrayed to us. This was NOT necessary for this book. What a dirty little kid. Why would I want to read a book about a dirty kid? I could just walk down my school hallway if I wanted to find such vulgor. The book would be much better if the distasteful language was taken out.
Rating:
Summary: A Must Read for ALL ages
Review: Terry Trueman writes from the heart and what he writes will shock you. I am over 40 and I read his book in one evening. I could not put it down. Although he targeted a younger audience when he wrote the book, I read it because he is a close personal friend of our family. I was absolutely stunned when I was done reading. Had he not been our friend, I doubt I ever would have picked up this book. Terry lead me into an area of personal feeling I had never experienced before. I will forever look at people who are mentally challenged, irregardless of whether they are in a wheelchair or not, with reverence now, not pity, nor as an equal to me. But as people who are very very special, and deserve more in a world that is not yet capable to give them, because the boundaries society has established have not yet been torn down for them. I look forward to seeing this book in movie format!!
Rating:
Summary: Stuck in neutral
Review: This was a great book, i started reading this book after my teacher read it in class i was gone alot and i didnt get to hear alot so i checked it out for myself. This book is about a young 14 year old boy who has sheribal polsie and cant walk talk or anything his dad left him and his family because he could stand watching his son go through pain. Shawn thinks his dad is planing to kill him because he doesnt want him to be in pain. Shawn's dad went on a show and talked about his son and talked with a man who killed his son who had the same thing as shawn because he didnt want to see him in pain shawns brother and sister also think that their dad wants to kill shawn. When Shawn has sesiurs hs spirit floats out of his body and he can walk and talk and do all those things he would do if he could at the end Shawn is with a babysitter and his dad comes and tells her she can go but then he comes up stairs and talks to shawn and then puts a pillow over his face and kills him. This is a great book
Rating: 
Summary: An Interesting Look at Cerebral Palsy
Review: "Stuck in Neutal" is a book I hesitated to read. It's the story of Shaun, a cerebral palsy invalid who is much brighter than everyone thinks. His father is a famous writer, and his works on Cerebral Palsy frighten Shaun. Since he was born, he's been an invalid, but a wasted genius. He can read, he can remember everything he's ever heard. During seizures, he can escape the body that's held him back for so long. It's a book worth checking out, I just don't know the exact audience to recommend this to.
Rating:
Summary: hated it
Review: I have cerebral palsy and, until the last pages, I mostly enjoyed this book; although I thought Shaun's genius and so on was rather unlikely - total recall *and* out-of-body experience? Come on, Mr Trueman ... I saw somewhere that you said children always believe Shaun's still alive because he's narrating the book. But I'm old enough to have learnt the concept of the unreliable narrator. If he's trapped inside that body how come he's writing? If he can have an out-of-body experience when he's alive, why not when he's dead? No, Mr Trueman, no. Why do disabled characters in fiction always have to have some stunning compensatory ability? Why can't they be allowed to get past the last page? Could it be because the able-bodied world would rather they weren't there ...?
Rating:
Summary: good!
Review: shawn is 14 and has cerebil pulsy. he cannot communicate or anything! his father is scared of his suffereing. this is a very touching, yet scary book i recomend u read this!!
Rating:
Summary: The best book ever!
Review: Have you ever imagined yourself not being useful for anything? Not able to walk, speak, run, at least move. Well this book is a great book about the horrible life of Shawn who has cerebral palsy. All he can do is think, hear, and see. This is a first person point of view book.
This book talks about this kid named Shawn. Everyone thinks he doesn't understand anything. A doctor tried to help him but he said he couldn't do anything, not even think well. That makes the doctor really stupid - because Shawn understands and remembers things better than Albert Einstein.
He has a horrible life since he was young. His family is al separated because of him. He even knows that his brother went away because of him. He has been in bed and a wheel chair since he was a baby. Can you imagine yourself not doing anything for fifteen years??
This awesome book is a book you can never stop reading. It enters you into a whole other life in which thousands of persons live in, you will specially like this book if you like to read about other persons life. This book changes you life forever.
Slow at times, the book picks up when Shawn's father starts to understand that Shawn can reason. He understands he can reason when he came drunk to his home and Shawn's eyes focused on him. This impacted him so much because he thought Shawn didn't reason. Shawn can understand that his father was drunk and that was a bad.
After reading this book, you notice that Terry Treuman is one of the best authors standing on the earth. This is the best book I have read and the best that I will ever read. I am sure about that. Read this book and I promise your life will change forever.
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