Stuck in Neutral

Stuck in Neutral by Terry Trueman  130 pp.

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.

Brain on Fire

Brain on Fire: My Month of Madness by Susannah Cahalan  264 pp.

It's been awhile since I stayed up until 3:00 a.m. to finish a book when I had to get up for work the next day but I got caught up in this one.  In 2009, twenty-four year old Cahalan suffered what, at first, seemed to be a breakdown which became more severe and evolved into a complete psychotic break. Her madness included hallucinations, paranoia, and violent outbursts against friends, family, and total strangers. The first doctor who "treated" her, concluded she was just drinking too much and that stopping alcohol would solve the problem. But Cahalan was not drinking to excess. When she began suffering seizures it was thought that her psychosis was what is called Postictal Psychosis, essentially psychosis caused by seizures. Treating the seizures did not solve the problem. It took multiple doctors and countless tests before she was diagnosed with a little known autoimmune disorder that was attacking her brain. Cahalan, a New York Post reporter, has written a fascinating account of what she went through based on journals kept by family members, videos of her behavior when hospitalized, accounts from medical professionals, and her own memories.