Guest Blogger- Jeffrey Taccetta
Publisher: Harper Collins, 2001
Hello all!! My name is Jeffrey
Taccetta and I am currently a Graduate student in the Literacy Education
Program at Nazareth College of Rochester. I am an avid reader that constantly
looks for that new book to pick up and delve into. I recently read Terry
Trueman’s novel Stuck in Neutral for an assignment in my Young Adult
Literature class and really enjoyed it. Upon finishing the book, I told myself
that I had to read the next book, Cruise Control to find out how the
rest of the story unfolded. I really enjoy reading Young Adult Literature because
of the way the genre opens your eyes as a reader to understanding how
challenging and rewarding life can be for a young adult. In my future career as
an educator, I plan on using and implementing more and more young adult
literature novels into my curriculum because I believe there is a Young Adult Novel waiting for every student in every class, waiting to be read and enjoyed.
"I watch his chest rise. It's as though he is lifting himself up one last time. A final stand? I see the pillow in his lap. He pauses and takes a deep, slow breath. Has it all come down to this?"
-Stuck in Neutral
For
those of you that have not read Stuck in Neutral, the story of Shawn, I
highly suggest reading this incredible perspective of a young man that has a severe
brain condition, cerebral palsy, which leaves him without any muscle movement or ability to communicate. The ending will
leave you wondering, and Cruise Control has been tasked with satisfying
you, or so I thought.
I
really enjoyed reading Stuck in Neutral, so when I started the second
book I naturally anticipated it to be a good read. Cruise Control
follows the same storyline but throws a curve ball and puts the reader in the
point of view of Shawn’s brother, Paul, the high school senior that happens to
be the best athlete in his neck of the woods. Paul’s perspective will open your
eyes, grip your heart, and inspire you as he tells you about his struggle as
the stud basketball player and the brother of a disabled younger sibling. Not
only does Paul battle with himself, he also has to deal with his father, who he
refers to as “a piece of butt fluff named Sydney McDaniel.” As you may be able
to tell from this lovely introduction, Paul hates his father for leaving the
family years back. By the way, silly of me to forget to mention the “anger
management problem” Paul has. In order to find out how this volatile concoction
will blend, you will have to pick up a copy of Terry Trueman’s Cruise
Control.
I
have to be honest, I was hoping for more from this book. Maybe I ask too much
of the books I read and this is just another example of that. My original hope
was that Cruise Control would pick up where Stuck in Neutral left
off, but it tells the same story, only through the eyes of another character.
Although, I did enjoy reading the novel and appreciated reading the same story
from two different character’s perspectives. Having admitted this, it is
important that I recommend reading Stuck in Neutral, Cruise
Control, and the actual sequel, Life Happens Next
to maximize your enjoyment of this incredible tale of family and the sacrifices
we make for it.
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