My name is Shawn McDaniel… I think my father is planning to kill me…

About the Book

Shawn McDaniel’s life is not what it may seem to anyone looking at him. He is glued to his wheelchair, unable to voluntarily move a muscle-he can’t even move his eyes. for all Shawn’s father knows, his son may be suffering. Shawn may want a release, and as long as he is unable to communicate his true feelings to his father, Shawn’s life is in danger.

To the world, Shawn’s senses seem dead. Within these pages, however, we meet a side of him that no one else has seen – a spirit that is rich beyond imagining, breathing life.

My Thoughts

It’s a very short book at just over 100 pages, but that does not mean it doesn’t pack a punch. Shawn is a wonderful creation and he will certainly challenge the assumption made by many that a severe physical disability automatically indicates a severe mental one. Unable to express himself to the world around him in any way, Shawn instead tells us his about his life, and it is a tale that will stay with you for quite some time after you have turned the final page.

Saying that, I was left with the feeling something was missing (and I don’t think it was just due to the ambiguous ending,) although I couldn’t put my finger on it, and that it could have been even better that it was.

Still, it was an excellent read.

[rating:3.5/5]

Awards and Honours

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1. Nation by Terry Pratchett
2. A Hat Full of Sky by Terry Pratchett
3. Review: Among the Hidden by Margaret Peterson Haddix