Summary

Shane Burcaw has been in a wheelchair since he was two years old. Having Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA), he has experienced a life shaped by a gradually decreasing power over his own muscles. In Laughing At My Nightmare, which began as a blog, Burcaw tells the central stories of his growing up with SMA and how, with his family’s incredible love and support and his own sense of humor, he has been able to thrive, succeed academically, find friendship and love (experiences that all teens can relate to), and start his own non-profit dedicated to using humor to relieve the stress of living with SMA. The memoir begins with the story of Burcaw’s parents’ learning that their son had SMA and ends in the present, with Burcaw on a road trip with his brother, girlfriend, and film crew, promoting his non-profit, Laughing At My Nightmare, while filming a documentary. In between, Burcaw shows readers what it is like to depend on others for just about everything, to face the realities of his condition, and to seek to be treated just like everyone else.

Critical Evaluation

The major theme of Burcaw’s memoir is how vitally important it has been for him to be recognized and accepted as a full human being and not to be reduced to his condition, in spite of the degree to which his condition has made his life experience rather extraordinary. To manage this conundrum, Burcaw and his family and friends have employed an unwavering sense of humor and a prodigious amount of patience, have demanded and attained a degree of normalcy for Shane that many others in his place may not have managed to attain.

What makes this ironic in Burcaw’s case is his own admitted aversion to other disabled and/or wheelchair-bound people with whom he has engaged throughout his life. In one chapter, he tells of going to camp for others with SMA and being disgusted by how abnormal and infantile they seem, how he ended up hanging out with the camp counselors, strongly differentiating himself from the camp attendees. In another chapter, he writes of riding on the “short bus” with several developmentally challenged young people, comments that they smell like feces, and makes fun of their odd mannerisms and behaviors. For the other disabled people with whom Burcaw has interacted, there seems to be no attempt to see the fullness of their humanity. In mocking them, he reduces them to their conditions. This is unfortunate, but it also poignantly highlights the degree to which being accepted as fully human has driven Burcaw, and it may be that he has reconsidered his view (and a look at the website for his non-profit suggests there is more to the story). For the reader who doesn’t know any wheelchair-bound or developmentally disabled individuals personally, Burcaw’s account is an important reminder that, while the wheelchair and/or disability plays a role in shaping the individual, the individual transcends the wheelchair and/or disability, and needs to be seen, heard, and embraced in their full humanity. And that a sense of humor helps, but that, as with all things, we must be careful with it.

Reader's Annotation

Shane Burcaw’s fearless sense of humor makes the story of his experiences living with Spinal Muscular Atrophy (a genetic condition that causes the wasting away of the voluntary muscles) a laugh-out-loud and very eye-opening read. Trigger-warning: This work includes mockery of physically and developmentally disabled people.

Genres

Memoir

Booktalking Ideas

Introduce Burcaw’s non-profit organization, Laughing At My Nightmare, then share some highlights from the memoir.

Reading Level

13+

Challenge Issues

Swearing, sexuality, mockery of the intellectually and physically disabled

Challenge Issue Resources

Why I Chose This Book

It's important for all types of people to represented in a collection. Readers who have similar disabilities will find someone who shares their experiences and those who don't will be able to gain insight into what living with SMA is like.

Critical Evaluation

What is it like to grow up Black and Queer in the United States, and how can young Black, Queer men find themselves as they chart their own courses through life, face trauma, find themselves sexually, and seek acceptance and love among their family and friends? In George M. Johnson’s All Boys Aren’t Blue, Mr. Johnson shares with unflinching openness and honesty what it was like for him to grow up Black and Queer and everything he learned about himself, about family, friendship, and identity along the way. Written in sparse, clear prose, the memoir is easy to engage with. It’s clear that, as he wrote, Johnson never wavered from his primary intention to reach out to teens who are also Black and Queer. The underlying theme of each chapter is, “If I was able to do this, you can do this, too.” Perhaps more than anywhere else, we can see the complexity of Johnson’s search in his recounting of his first sexual experience. Written as a letter to the young man with whom this encounter occurred, who happened to be a family member not much older than he, the piece is exemplary for its raw honesty and recognition that, even where there is victimization, there can be understanding and forgiveness, as society’s intolerance can cause young Queer men to seek perhaps injudicious ways to teach and protect one another. While the prose may be spare, the work still allows for this depth of complexity, and would certainly act as a lifeline to any Black and Queer young man looking for himself. For others, the work teaches us that the journey of the Black and Queer young man begins at the very beginning of conscious life and is constantly evolving, always becoming and always fighting for existence.

Reader’s Annotation

Growing up Black and Queer imposes tremendous challenges on young Black, Queer men. In Johnson’s memoir, the author shares his own unflinchingly honest and open account of that experience as an act of solidarity and guidance to others who are trying to find their way through.

Genre

Memoir, LGBTQ+

Booktalking Ideas

Begin asking questions, such as, “Where can young, Black, Queer men find themselves in literature?” and “How can those who want to support and uplift young Black, Queer men learn more about what it’s like to experience those intersecting identities?” Then, use George’s website to introduce him and his book.

Reading Level

13+

Challenge Issues

Sexuality, homosexuality, sexual victimization

Challenge Issues Resources

Why I Chose This Book

It seems more important than ever that young, Queer people be able to find themselves in literature, whether fiction or nonfiction. Every new work that opens the pathways toward self-discovery, self-recognition, and self-acceptance can help uplift and empower young Black Queer folks. Any work that explores Queerness as it intersects with another identity, in this case, Blackness, can be doubly powerful. The more books like All Boys Aren’t Blue we can add to our collections, the better.

Summary

Shenkin’s account of the Vietnam War and how the public came to know the truth about the government’s long history of intervention and destruction in that country centers on the polarizing figure of Daniel Ellsberg. A man who once considered himself a “cold-warrior,” employee of the Rand Corporation and later the Department of Defense, Ellsberg transforms from an insider helping to escalate the war to one of its most pivotal critics. Senkin tells the story of how Ellsberg’s change of heart transpired, of how the Pentagon report known as “The Pentagon Papers” led to Ellsberg’s position, and of how Ellsberg’s principles drove him to commit what some called an act of treason, and others believed to be the act of an American hero.

Critical Evaluation

Not long ago while sharing a meal of dim sum with my husband and his parents, we were talking about the movie The Post, which, if you recall, recounts the story of how The Washington Post came to be the second newspaper to break the story of the Pentagon Papers. Toward the end of the discussion, I expressed my disgust at the fact that the government was sending young men to die in what they knew was a losing battle in Vietnam. One of our party retorted, “We actually won that war, by the way.” Reading Shenkin’s YA history, Most Dangerous, has certainly disabused me of any doubt as to the erroneous nature of that claim, and reminded me that we shouldn’t try to learn history from the movies if we’re going to engage in an intelligent, fact-based discussion about it. His work also made me realize that a readable, suspenseful account of events can go a long way toward helping those of us who don’t have a head for facts actually remember all of the actors and details involved in an event (in case we have to discuss it again with family and friends who might see things differently). As Shenkin zeroes in on Ellsberg’s increasing moral opposition to the war and details the egomaniacal fears of Johnson and Nixon, who didn’t want to be “the first American president to lose a war” and so sent thousands of young American men to die and caused the killings of millions of Vietnamese, he builds a case for the First Amendment and against the immorality of American power, while still leaving enough room for everyone to question whether Ellsberg was on the side of right or, as Nixon and Kissinger believed, was “the most dangerous man” in America.

Reader's Annotation

If you’ve ever wondered why and how the U.S. got involved in Vietnam and how the U.S. public came to find out the truth about the war, then this book is a must-read. It will answer all your questions as it lures you in with a page-turning account of this tragic era in U.S. and Vietnamese history.

Genres

History, biography

Booktalking Ideas

Start by showing some of the most iconic photos from the Vietnam era, then the headlines of the New York Times, Washington Post, Boston Globe, and other newspapers that broke the story of the Pentagon Papers. Then move on to introducing Ellsberg and his mission.

Reading Level

12+

Challenge Issues

Depictions of war, political controversy, political opinion, antiwar sentiment

Challenge Issues Resources

Why I Chose This Book

The Vietnam War draws together some of the most difficult issues in U.S. History and offers insights into the origins of the increasing degradation of citizens’ trust in the U.S. government.