Personal Reaction:

I feel this is a powerful novel that remarkably enters into the world of a 14 year old, named Shawn McDaniel who suffers from Cerebral Palsy. It is a unique approach to narrating a story through a character who is silent to the rest of the world. So many times through the book I just wanted to scream "Hello, don't you know he understands what you are saying and has a remarkable brain?" As a reader I was able to visualize what Shawn looked like with the author's detailed descriptions. Shawn is surrounded by a mother who loves him unconditionally, and a brother and sister who are protective of him. It is heartbreaking to read about his Dad leaving because he could no longer deal with life with Shawn. Though throughout the book it is obvious his father loves him. It is heart wrenching to hear Shawn's thoughts that he thinks his dad wants to kill him to put him out of his misery. His seizures seem to overwhelm his dad and those around him, despite giving Shawn a high.

I like the way the author includes the "Good and Bad" of Shawn's life. The subject matter can be pretty depressing and this outlook on his condition I think made it less depressing. I believe this book does a great job of getting the reader to enter into the world of a person with Cerebral Palsy. This is a good book to get kids to understand people with disabilities and be more receptive. I was surprised by the ending. No matter how much I think about it I am not sure what Shawn's fate is. I'm not sure if I like that or not.