Terry Trueman

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Terry Trueman is the Printz honor-winning author of Stuck in Neutral, and numerous other Young Adult novels, as well as books of poetry and short stories for adults and children. Born in Birmingham, Alabama (Dec. 15, 1947), Trueman has lived in Spokane, Washington since 1974. He also has a home in Tucson, AZ. He has Masters degrees in applied psychology and creative writing.

His first novel, Stuck in Neutral (2001), was inspired by his son Sheehan, who was born a quadriplegic with cerebral palsy. The disease severely crippled his son and threatened to overwhelm Trueman, who eventually turned his shock and grief into a narrative poem, Sheehan, which in turn grew to become the novel, Stuck in Neutral. The acclaim and impact that book had inspired two other companion novels for teens, Cruise Control (2004) and Life Happens Next (2012), as well as a non-fiction book about his son, Sheehan: Heartbreak and Redemption (2007). His other YA novels include Inside Out (2003),No Right Turn (2006), Seven Days at the Hot Corner (2007), and Hurricane (2008). His books have received numerous national honors and he is considered by many to be one of the godfathers of the “problem” novel, along with Chris Crutcher and Walter Dean Myers. He is a co-founder of a teen book festival in Rochester, New York, TBF, where he appears annually.

Trueman's favorite author is Charles Bukowski. Like Bukowski, Trueman had written his whole life but only gained recognition later, when he was 52. His latest book is a book of poetry for adults, Where's the Fire (2015).

Early Life:

Terry Trueman spent his childhood growing-up in the northern suburbs of Seattle, Washington with his parents (both deceased), father Sydney M. Trueman and mother Jeanne (LaPine) Trueman. He has one sister, Cynthia M. Trueman. His interests in growing-up included, sports, both playing and spectating, as well as many social activities. On his mother’s side, his family goes back several generations in the Pacific Northwest, mainly in Seattle, and includes a direct ancestral relation to the Pankhursts of England, prominent leaders of the Women’s Suffrage Movement in the early 20th century. Trueman’s father was a fighter pilot in WW2 and won the Air Medal, flying off the Aircraft Carrier USS Ticonderoga, his family ancestry was Scottish and perhaps Irish prior to immigrating to Alabama, early in the 20th Century.

Education:

Trueman struggled in school, especially during middle school and high school, but graduated from Shoreline H.S. (June 1966). He attended Shoreline Community College (1966-67) and Everett Community College (1967-68) prior to enrolling at the University of Washington (1968-73) where he earned his Bachelor’s Degree, majoring in Creative Writing in English. He received a Master of Science in Developmental Psychology from Eastern Washington State College (1975). He pursued further graduate study in the Education Dept. of Washington State University (1980-81). He received a Master of Fine Arts degree from Eastern Washington University (1984). Mr. Trueman was ‘lifetime’ certified as a K-12 licensed Teacher in 1973.

Professional Life:

Prior to becoming a full time author and speaker in 2002, Terry Trueman worked in a variety of fields including as a Community Mental Health Counselor, a Middle School and High School teacher, a Community College Instructor, a Substance Abuse Intervention Specialist, and a therapist in private counseling agencies.

Interview with Terry Trueman on the impact of STUCK IN NEUTRAL and how his real life experience impacted the novel’s creation.

Stuck in Neutral is the story of Shawn McDaniel, a teenage boy who is so severely disabled that he has no volitional control over any part of his body. In spite of this fact, or perhaps because of it, Shawn leads a rich inner life that no one is aware of, especially his father, whom Shawn believes wants to kill him to put him out of his misery.

Carolee: How has being the father of a son with a profound disability impacted the writing of these three books; Stuck in Neutral, its companion book, Cruise Control, and its sequel, Life Happens Next?

Terry: I never would have chosen the material for my first book Stuck in Neutral on my own. You could say it chose me. I would have traded anything for my son, Sheehan, to have had a more normal life.

Carolee: In other words, you would have traded your achievements as an author, which have largely been related to the success of Stuck in Neutral, if it meant that your son could have had a normal life?

Terry: Yes, but I must also say that if Sheehan hadn't been born and injured at his birth, then hundreds of thousands of people would not have had the chance to read Stuck in Neutral and had their perceptions about people like Shawn and his father changed as a result.

Carolee: What impact do you think Stuck in Neutral has had on changing the perception of people with profound disabilities?

Terry: I've done hundreds of school visits as well as library and public events and received well over 50,000 emails and letters over the last decade. The vast majority of people have read Stuck in Neutral and have questions or want to comment on the material. I've been asked many times about the ending of the book. Readers are highly interested in what happens next to Shawn. Not one person has ever thought that Shawn's father should have followed through with killing him. Everyone wants Shawn to live. Now, if before reading the book I had told you that by the end you would be deeply concerned about what happens to a boy like Shawn, you never would have believed me. But that is exactly the response I get from readers. They care deeply about what happens to Shawn and they worry for him and want to know that he's going to be okay-which also answers the question of why I ended the book the way I did.”

Philosophical and Political views:

In a review of Trueman’s novel LIFE HAPPENS NEXT, Karen Jensen of the Teen Librarian’s Toolbox stated: “…Stuck in Neutral…allows us to see into the heart and soul of a young boy, it humanizes him in a world that would seek to make him less than human. Stuck in Neutral is… about Cerebral Palsy, but it is an important reminder for us all that those who are differently abled than us, those whose lives may seem challenging and overwhelming, are still people with thoughts and feelings and dreams and fears and love. Whatever our bodies may look like on the outside, at the core of us we’re all just people…. I want the world to be more compassionate to these families, to stop sneering at them in public, to stop turning their noses in disgust. I want the world to read Stuck in Neutral and other books with differently abled characters so that they will develop a deep and abiding empathy for all human life, even those lives that look radically different than what our world has decided the norm should be.” Terry Trueman has a lifelong involvement in progressive political views/causes. His political action led to numerous arrests for participation in political protests during the 1980’s. He considers his writing to be an application of his political and philosophical beliefs, centering in secular humanistic and liberal/progressive positions and values.

The Future:

Terry Trueman on turning back to writing poetry for adults: “I started my career in writing as a poet a long time ago. It was an excellent way to not make any money but also to cut my teeth on the significance of language and the striving for perfection. The written word has a certain magic to it whether we are trying to make magic or not; people tend to give a conscious or unconscious gravitas to something they must take the time to read. So much poetry for so many decades felt like acrobatic word games to me. I couldn’t understand what the poets were even trying to say. But modern and post-modern poetry, (and I think Charles Bukowski had a big influence on this change of direction), has become more accessible and direct. ‘Meaning’ isn’t hidden any longer and younger, modern poets are not afraid to say, very directly what they feel they need and want to say. My poetry now is much more direct and I am much less worried about someone saying, “Oh, that’s just chopped-up prose.” To which I would respond “So what?” There has come with my age and advancing years a freedom of both language and subject matter, which makes me resent the hell out of death, because I’ll likely run out of time before I run out of things I want to write poems about.”

List of Writings:

Poetry:

Numerous small press publications (1968-Present) SHEEHAN a narrative poem (Siobhan Press 1992) HUGE HOUSE (Stillwaters Publishing 2013) (E-book) WHERE’S THE FIRE? Selected Poems (Skyzblue Arts, May 2015)

Novels:

From HarperCollins: Stuck in Neutral (June 2000) Inside Out (November 2003) Cruise Control (August 2004) No Right Turn (March 2006) 7 Days at the Hot Corner (March 2007 Hurricane (2008) Published as Swallowing the Sun in UK (Hodder-Stoughton Publishers 2003) Life Happens Next (August 2012) From Stillwaters Publishing (E-books) Getting’Weird (March 2013) M.C. Idol The Funniest Kid in the World (November 2013) Non-fiction Collaborations with Michael Gurian What Stories Does my Son Need? (Penguin-Putnam 2001) Boys and Girls Learn Differently! (Jossey-Bass 2002)

International Publications and Translations:

Inside Out- Purchased by publisher in Denmark for publication there, 2004. Inside Out- ESL Edition, Klett Publishers, Germany Swallowing the Sun- a novel, published by Hodder-Stoughton Publishers, United Kingdom 2003 Stuck in Neutral- Hodder-Stoughton Publishers, United Kingdom, 2001 Stuck in Neutral- Translated and Published Japan—ISBN4-488-01317-1 Stuck in Neutral- Purchased for French language edition by Poche (Pocket) France, in June 2001 Stuck in Neutral- Translated and published Korea—2009 Hurricane- Bonner Carlson, Denmark 2003