This is the third of the books I will be using as part of the Great Stories Grant. I read it when it first came out in 2000. It's one of those stories that stick with you. Shawn McDaniel is a severely disabled fourteen year old. He has acute cerebral palsy with no motor control, severe intellectual disabilities, is unable to speak, and seizures. Trapped in this wretched body is a boy who is, in fact, very intelligent, understanding, and funny. However, his inability to speak means no one knows that anything is going on in his brain. Everyone, his doctors included, believe he nearly vegetative. Shawn's father left the family because he could not stand to see his child in this state. He is most disturbed by Shawn's seizures which he wrongly believes are painful to Shawn. Shawn, on the other hand, finds the seizures enjoyable and a way that his brain takes him out of his dysfunctional body for a brief time. His father is contemplating "putting Shawn out of his misery" by killing him. Shawn is aware of his father's intentions and desperately wants to assure him that he is not in pain. The ending is . . . something you'll have to read to find out. This is a short but powerful novel.
No comments:
Post a Comment