NCRL News web feedThe North Central Regional Library is pleased to announce that award-winning author Terry Trueman will be visiting the Wenatchee Public Library on October 9th at 7:00pm for a public presentation. In anticipation of the event, we are posting an exclusive video interview with Mr. Trueman, along with information on his NCRL-sponsored school tour and discussion questions for his Printz Honor recipient work: Stuck in Neutral.
Exclusive NCRL Interview, Part One...
Exclusive NCRL Interview, Part Two...
Author Biography...
Terry Trueman was born in Birmingham, Alabama and grew up in Seattle. He attended the University of Washington, where he received his B.A. in creative writing. He also has an M.S. in applied psychology and an M.F.A. in creative writing, both from Eastern Washington University. The father of two sons, Henry and Jesse, Trueman makes his home in Spokane, Washington with his wife Patti, where he has lived since 1974. His first novel, Stuck In Neutral was a Printz Honor recipient. Inside Out, about a 16-year-old boy battling schizophrenia who is taken hostage when a robbery goes bad, was released August 2003. Cruise Control, a companion to Stuck In Neutral published August 2004, is the powerful story of a family torn apart by disability and divorce, told from Paul McDaniel’s (the brother of wheelchair bound Shawn) point of view. In No Right Turn, published March 2006, Trueman exposes the fragile and resilient spirit of a boy desperate for a lifeline to hold on to after his father commits suicide. 7 Days at the Hot Corner, published March 2007, is a coming of age novel with grit and power. High school baseball jock, Scott Latimer, learns his best friend is gay and must step up to the plate and reexamine his whole life. Hurricane will be published March 2008. Trueman’s hobbies include his Sea Ray boat and his 1976 Corvette Stingray. One of his heroes is poet Charles Bukowski.
Terry Trueman School Tour...
The following local schools will be hosting a presentation by Mr. Trueman, contact your local school for dates and times.
- Cashmere High School:
- Eastmont High School:
- Entiat High School:
- Moses Lake High School:
- Okanogan High School:
- Quincy High School:
- Republic High School:
- WestSide High School:
Stuck in Neutral Discussion Questions... (Comment box below.)
- Shawn is viewed as a person of low intelligence, based on his inability to communicate. Since he cannot tell anyone what he is thinking, it is assumed that he is stupid. How do you feel about labeling someone based on appearances?
- In speaking of his seizures, Shawn says “These laughter moments in my seizures feel like real happiness to me. Why not enjoy them? Think about it: Why should we care whether what makes us happy is just an electrical impulse in our brain or something funny that we see some fool do on T.V? Does it matter what makes you smile? Wouldn’t you rather be happy for no reason than unhappy for good reasons?” Do you think about what makes you happy or unhappy? How do your thoughts about this compare to Shawn’s?
- How do you feel when Shawn is called a “retard”? Shawn says “Retard means ‘slow,’ but it’s also a word used for a whole class of human beings who are only slow because normal people try to make everybody do things in the same ways and at the same pace. We retards are retards only because normal people call us that.” Have you ever thought about the word ‘normal’ in this context before? Are you someone who tries to make everybody do things in the same ways and at the same pace? Did this book make you examine that tendency in yourself?
- Did you “get” the humor in the book? How would you characterize Shawn’s comment “Being a total retard and not being able to communicate has presented certain drawbacks when it comes to securing a close, intimate relationship with a girl.”? Does it seem odd that the author chooses to add this humor to the narrative when the subject of cerebral palsy is so serious? Does that offend you or do you like it?
- The author reveals the Pulitzer Prize winning poem chapter by chapter. Did the poem make sense to you? Do you feel each section related to the part of the story portrayed in the chapter it preceded? Why do you think Trueman chose this way to present the poem?
- Shawn expresses that he lives in the same world that we all do, but that his mind allows him flights into another realm, where he is free of his disability-particularly when he has a seizure. Can you identify with his out of body experiences in any way? Do we all lead dual lives consisting of our inner experiences and outer existence?
- Shawn ends several chapters with a reference to his fear that his father intends to kill him. Did this contribute to the suspense in the book? Do you think the story would have been as compelling if it did not include this element of danger?
- Do you believe that Shawn’s father loves him? Do you think that Shawn’s father DOES kill him? What do you think of how the book ends? Do you like being left without the answer?
- After reading Shawn’s story, do you think you will feel more empathetic the next time you see someone afflicted with a brain disease that affects his or her ability to control physical actions?
Comments on this story...
I think if someone I loved was in so much misery that he asked me to help stop the suffering, then euthanasia would be the right thing to do. I can see that Trueman is saying in this book that if the person can't speak for himself that euthanasia is wrong, but what about the times when the sick/dying person is asking to be euthanized?
Posted by: TR on September 14, 2007 13:42
I loved this book! It was a quick, easy read and the ending was great.
Posted by: The Dude on October 4, 2007 11:32
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